Grants to States to Support Oral Health Workforce Activities
Active
- Assistance listing
- 93.236
- Agency
-
Health Resources and Services Administration
Department of Health and Human Services
- Grant awards
- 243 $284,311,115 in federal obligations
Program facts
- Also known as
- State Oral Health Workforce Program (SOHW)
- Assistance types
-
- Project Grant
- Block Grant
- Cooperative Agreement
- Treasury account
-
- 75-0350-0-1-550
- More information
Program details come from SAM.gov Assistance Listings. Updated . Grant award figures come from USAspending.gov.
About this program
The Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration funds innovative state programs addressing dental workforce shortages in Dental Health Professional Shortage Areas under CFDA 93.236, with a solicitation (HRSA-26-084) posted May 13, 2026 and due July 17, 2026.
The program has been active since 1997 and awarded $284.3 million across 243 grants. Recent activity shows volatility in award volume—29 awards in 2022 and 3 in 2023—with the most recent grants awarded September 1, 2023. Funding flows through two sub-organizations within HRSA: the Bureau of Health Professionals (70 awards, $162 million) and the parent agency (173 awards, $122.3 million). The portfolio is dominated by Project Grants (83 percent of awards) with a smaller share of Block Grants (16 percent) and Cooperative Agreements (1 percent).
State oral health programs fund workforce development activities including dental recruitment and retention, teledentistry infrastructure, community-based prevention services such as sealant programs, dental student rotations and clinical education in underserved areas, continuing dental education including distance-based curricula, portable and mobile dental clinics, oral health provider pipeline programs, dental therapy training, and integration of oral health with primary care and emergency department systems. Representative recent awards include Colorado's focus on telehealth and behavioral health integration in rural areas ($2.8 million, September 2022), Iowa's dental-medical integration through continuing education and teledentistry ($4 million, September 2022), and North Dakota's expansion of dental student rotation sites and school-based sealant programs ($2.8 million, September 2022).
Eligible applicants are Governor-appointed state government entities from the 50 states, District of Columbia, and U.S. territories including Puerto Rico, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Federated States of Micronesia, Marshall Islands, and Palau. Each state may submit only one application. Federally Recognized Indian Tribal Governments and Native American Organizations may apply if otherwise eligible. Projects receive four-year funding periods with annual budget cycles. Recent awards typically range from $1.6 million to $4.4 million in federal obligation. The program requires competing applications be reviewed by non-Federal expert consultants against five criteria: Purpose and Need, Response to Program Purpose, Impact, Organizational Information and Capacity, and Support Requested. Award notifications occur 120 to 180 days after application receipt.
Objective and description
- Objective
Grants to States to Support Oral Health Workforce Activities assist states to develop and implement innovative programs to address the dental workforce needs of designated Dental Health Professional Shortage Areas.
- Description
Grants to States to Support Oral Health Workforce Activities assist states to develop and implement innovative programs to address the dental workforce needs of designated Dental Health Professional Shortage Areas.
Eligibility
- Applicant eligibility
Eligible applicants include Governor appointed, state government entities. In addition to U.S. states, eligible applicants include: District of Columbia, Guam, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau. Each state is limited to only one application. Applicants must have significant experience with addressing oral health workforce issues in underserved populations. Federally Recognized Indian Tribal Government and Native American Organizations may apply if they are otherwise eligible.
- Beneficiary eligibility
Beneficiaries include Governor appointed, State government entities.
- Uses of assistance
Funds may only be used for the purposes identified in statute, and may not be used for purposes specified in HRSA's SF-424 R & R Application Guide.
- Use restrictions
Funds for this program may not be used for new construction or for the purpose of conducting major renovation activities, nor can funding be used for the acquisition of real property.
- Length and time phasing of assistance
This program provides support for a project period of four years with annual budget periods.
How to apply
- Criteria for selecting proposals
Procedures for assessing the technical merit of grant applications have been instituted to provide an objective review of applications and to assist the applicant in understanding the standards against which each application will be judged. Critical indicators have been developed for each review criterion to assist the applicant in presenting pertinent information related to that criterion and to provide the reviewer with a standard for evaluation. Competing applications are reviewed by non-Federal expert consultant(s) for technical merit recommendations. Applications will be reviewed and evaluated against the following criteria: (1) Purpose and Need; (2) Response to Program Purpose; (3) Impact; (4) Organizational Information, Resources and Capabilities; and (5) Support Requested. See the most recent Notice of Funding Opportunity for detailed selection criteria.
- Award procedure
Award notifications are made in writing (electronic) by a Notice of Award.
- Time to approval or disapproval
Approximately 120 to 180 days after receipt of applications.
- Renewals
Depending on Agency priorities and availability of funding, during the final budget year of the approved project period competing continuation applications may be solicited from interested applicants.
Grant opportunities
Grant awards
Latest 10 of 243 listed here. See the rest on GovTribe.
Top recipients by federal obligations
| Rank | Recipient | Federal obligations | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Minnesota Department Of Health | $8,845,669 | 3% |
| 2 | State Of Rhode Island Department Of Health | $8,831,913 | 3% |
| 3 | Ohio Department Of Health | $8,680,664 | 3% |
| 4 | State Of Montana Department Of Health And Human Services | $8,658,395 | 3% |
| 5 | Washington State Department Of Health | $8,511,664 | 3% |
| 6 | Colorado Department Of Public Health & Environment | $8,442,345 | 3% |
| 7 | State Of Wisconsin Department Of Health Services | $8,381,223 | 3% |
| 8 | Massachusetts Department Of Public Health | $8,257,159 | 3% |
| 9 | Augusta University | $7,847,104 | 3% |
| 10 | The Medical University Of South Carolina | $7,727,756 | 3% |
10 of 85 recipients listed here. See the rest on GovTribe.
Federal obligations by fiscal year
| Fiscal year | Federal obligations |
|---|---|
| FY2025 | $28,618,377 |
| FY2024 | $24,101,695 |
| FY2023 | $30,556,686 |
| FY2022 | $40,449,469 |
| FY2021 | $11,454,767 |
| FY2020 | $11,226,295 |
| FY2019 | $12,130,288 |
| FY2018 | $11,041,333 |
| FY2017 | $10,762,034 |
| FY2016 | $9,532,142 |
| FY2015 | $12,144,234 |
| FY2014 | $8,177,354 |
| FY2013 | $9,474,393 |
| FY2012 | $11,749,760 |
| FY2011 | $16,700,690 |
| FY2010 | $17,621,799 |
| FY2009 | $10,192,320 |
| FY2008 | $2,858,786 |
| FY2007 | $2,789,475 |
Show all 19
Quick answers
What is Assistance Listing 93.236?
Assistance Listing 93.236 is Grants to States to Support Oral Health Workforce Activities, a federal grant program run by Health Resources and Services Administration (Department of Health and Human Services).
What is the CFDA number for Grants to States to Support Oral Health Workforce Activities?
Its CFDA number is 93.236: Assistance Listing numbers were called CFDA numbers before 2018.
How much funding has Assistance Listing 93.236 awarded?
243 grant awards under 93.236 have obligated $284,311,115 in federal funds to 85 recipients.
Who receives the most funding from 93.236?
The recipients obligated the most under Grants to States to Support Oral Health Workforce Activities are Minnesota Department Of Health ($8,845,669), State Of Rhode Island Department Of Health ($8,831,913) and Ohio Department Of Health ($8,680,664).
How much did 93.236 obligate in fiscal year 2025?
Grants under 93.236 obligated $28,618,377 in federal funds in fiscal year 2025.
Are there open grant opportunities under 93.236?
No opportunity listed under 93.236 is open now. The latest, Grants to States to Support Oral Health Workforce Activities (SOHW), was posted on May 13, 2026.
On GovTribe
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