Office of Minority Health

The Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health is a civilian sub-agency within HHS that funds grant programs in public health and health services delivery. The Office administers federal grant funding directed toward state and local health departments, hospitals, public health commissions, and research institutions working in health disparities, workforce development, and disease prevention.

The Office has obligated $715.7 million in federal grant funding across 310 awards since 2012, with 264 distinct recipients. Grant-award volume peaked in 2021 at 99 awards, then declined sharply to 42 awards in 2020, 30 in 2022, 21 in 2023, and 20 in 2024. The most recent recorded grant award closed in September 2024. Grant funding is predominantly structured as Project Grants, which comprise 262 awards (85 percent of the portfolio), with Cooperative Agreements making up the remaining 48 awards (15 percent).

Grant recipient concentration over the last five years is highly fragmented, with the top five recipients by award count holding only 13 percent of recent awards. Bexar County Hospital District, Boston Public Health Commission, and Georgia State University Research Foundation Inc. each received 2 awards, while numerous recipients including the State of Rhode Island Department of Health, the City of Hartford, and others received single awards. By federal dollars obligated, concentration is even more dispersed, with the top five recipients accounting for only 4 percent of recent federal dollars. County of Snohomish, Bexar County Hospital District, and Boston Public Health Commission lead by dollar value, each receiving between $5.8 million and $7.2 million, but no single recipient dominates the funding landscape.

The Office's recent grant solicitations and opportunities are not documented in the source material. Practitioners should monitor HHS Grant Opportunities notices and the Grants.gov platform for announcements of new funding cycles in the Office's focus areas. The declining award volume from 2021 through 2024 may signal reduced funding availability or shifting program priorities; BD professionals should verify current program status and application requirements through the Office's official channels before committing resources to bid preparation.