Health Careers Opportunity Program (HCOP)

The Health Careers Opportunity Program (HCOP), also known as the National HCOP Academies, strives to develop a more competitive applicant pool to build the health professions. The Program's goal is to provide students from economically and educationa

The Health Careers Opportunity Program (HCOP), also known as the National HCOP Academies, strives to develop a more competitive applicant pool to build the health professions. The Program's goal is to provide students from economically and educationally disadvantaged backgrounds who are interested in pursuing a health profession to develop the needed skills to compete for, enter, and graduate from a health or allied health professions program, graduate program in behavioral and mental health, and/or programs for the training of physician assistants. HCOP strives to improve retention, matriculation and graduation rates by implementing tailored enrichment programs designed to address the academic and social needs of trainees from disadvantaged backgrounds. It also provides opportunities for community-based health professions training, emphasizing experiences in underserved communities. HCOP focuses on three key milestones of education: (1) graduation from high school; (2) retention and graduation from college; and (3) acceptance, retention, and completion of a health career's degree program.

Eligible applicants include accredited schools of medicine, osteopathic medicine, public health, dentistry, veterinary medicine, optometry, pharmacy, allied health, chiropractic, podiatric medicine, public and nonprofit private schools that offer graduate programs in behavioral and mental health, programs for the training of physician assistants, and other public or private nonprofit health or educational entities including community, technical and tribal colleges. HCOP grant programs may only operate in the fifty (50) states, the District of Columbia, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the Republic of Palau, Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Federated States of Micronesia. Federally Recognized Indian Tribal Government and Native American Organizations may apply if they are otherwise eligible.

Eligible participants of the HCOP grant program must a) meet the definition of economically disadvantaged or be from an "educationally disadvantaged" background and b) express an interest in pursuing a health degree program. Individuals must be U.S. citizens, non-citizen nationals, or foreign nationals who possess a visa permitting permanent residence in the United States. An individual will be determined to be disadvantaged if he or she comes from a background that has inhibited the individual from obtaining the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to enroll in and graduate from a health professions school or program providing education or training in an allied health profession; or comes from a family with an annual income below a level based on low income thresholds according to family size published by the Bureau of the Census, adjusted annually for changes in the Consumer Price Index, and adjusted by the Secretary for use in health professions programs.

Section 739 provides for assisting individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds to undertake education to enter a health or allied health profession. Grant funds may be used for: (1) recruitment; (2) facilitating entry; (3) counseling, mentoring and other services; (4) preliminary education and health research training; (5) financial aid information dissemination; (6) primary care exposure activities; (7) development of a more competitive applicant pool; (8) stipends; and (9) scholarships.

Indirect costs under training awards will be budgeted and reimbursed at 8 percent of modified total direct costs rather than on the basis of a negotiated rate agreement and are not subject to upward or downward adjustment.

This funding opportunity provides support for a 5-year project period.

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 nonfederal reviewers 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.

Notification of award is made in writing (electronic) through a Notice of Award.

Approximately 120 - 180 days after receipt of applications.

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.