Community Programs to Improve Minority Health

Support public and private evidence-based interventions and innovative models to improve the health outcomes of racial and ethnic minority communities. Conduct policy demonstrations which coordinate integrated services, community-outreach and systems

Funds will be awarded to national organizations, states, tribes, academic institutions, community-based organizations and local agencies to support policy demonstrations and to enhance data availability for health disparities and health equity activities that will improve health outcomes for racial and ethnic minorities and economically and/or environmentally disadvantaged populations.

Any private nonprofit or public entity located in a State is eligible to apply for an award under this NOFO. "State" includes, in addition to the several States, only the District of Columbia, Guam, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau. (42 U.S.C. § 201(f) (PHS Act, Section 2(f)); see also, 45 C.F.R. § 75.2). Eligible entities include private nonprofit or public faith-based organizations, community-based organizations, and American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander organizations.

Project activities must not involve the selection or exclusion of participants based on race or ethnicity.

Nonprofit organizations may be requested to provide evidence of tax-exempt status prior to award. When projects involve the collaborative efforts of more than one organization or require the use of services or facilities not under the direct control of the applicant, written assurances of specific support or agreements may be required from the affected parties.

Funds will be awarded to eligible organizations to the goals and objectives explained in the Notice of Funding Opportunity.

Awards are generally funded in 12-month budget period(s). Awards generally have a period of performance of 1 to 3 years, but may be up to 5 years. Support beyond the first year is contingent upon acceptable evidence of satisfactory progress, availability of funds, continuing program relevance, and best interests of the government.

Preapplication coordination is required. Environmental impact information is not required for this program. This program is eligible for coverage under E.O. 12372, "Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs." An applicant should consult the office or official designated as the single point of contact in his or her State for more information on the process the State requires to be followed in applying for assistance, if the State has selected the program for review.

To apply, applicants must access the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) thru Grants.gov. Enter the Assistance Listing number and follow the website instructions. Applications submitted after the published deadlines will not be accepted for review. The submission deadline will not be extended absent prior written approval from the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH) Grants Management Officer (GMO). Applications which do not conform to the requirements of the NOFO will be deemed ineligible and not reviewed. Applications may only be submitted electronically via Grants.gov. Any applications submitted via any other means of electronic communication, including facsimile or electronic mail, will not be accepted for review. Applicants must have a valid SAM.gov registration prior to submitting their application to Grants.gov.

An independent review panel evaluates applications that pass the screening and meet the responsiveness criteria in the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). These reviewers are experts in their fields, and are drawn from academic institutions, non-profit organizations, state and local government, and Federal government agencies. Based on the Application Review Criteria as outlined in the NOFO, the reviewers will comment on and rate the applications, focusing their comments and rating decisions on the identified criteria. In addition to the independent review panel, Federal staff will review each application for programmatic, budgetary, and grants management compliance.

Final award recommendations will be made by the head of the program office to the Grants Management Officer, using information from the independent merit review panel and the Federal staff reviews. Following a risk assessment as required by 45 CFR part 75, the Grants Management Officer may issue awards. Funded organizations receive a Notice of Award that includes all of the details of their award, and are assigned to a project officer from the program office and a Grants Management Specialist from the OASH Grants and Acquisitions Management Division.

Support is recommended for a specified period of performance, not in excess of five years. Awards are generally made in 12-month budget periods. Budget periods after the first are generally made after review and approval of a non-competing continuation application subject to satisfactory performance, availability of funds, and the best interest of the government. A recipient may request a no cost extension or may compete for a new award under a posted notice of funding opportunity in this program.

All funding decision are final, including the level of funding, and not appealable