Funding Opportunity Number: HRSA-22-045
Eligibility
Are dental therapy educational programs eligible to apply for this award?
Yes, accredited dental therapy programs are allowed to apply.
Note: Programs that are proposing the development of a dental therapy program should have already applied for accreditation at the time of application submission. Accreditation is a lengthy process and can take up to 18 months to obtain. The Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) does allow for a planning year, however primary care trainees must begin by July 1, 2023.
Will dental assistants will be considered in the project as trainees or allowable as targeted oral health pipeline participants?
Training of dental assistants is not permissible. This NOFO specifically refers to the training of predoctoral dental, dental hygiene, dental therapy and dental health aide therapy trainees.
Priorities
Can collaborating with the department of nursing be considered for priority Point 1?
No. The NOFO, states that to receive a priority point for collaboration you must have a collaboration between a department of general, pediatric, or public health dentistry and a department of primary care medicine. This is written in the legislation.
Should the interprofessional education activities be focused on any of the special needs population groups only for Priority Point 1: collaborative project? Can the activities be related to ANY interprofessional education activity?
This will depend on how you write your objectives. The key for this priority is to ensure it’s a collaboration between a department of dentistry and primary care medicine. The collaboration must be significant, included as one of the grant objectives, and be included in the work plan.
Will collaborating with a department of geriatric medicine (which is considered primary care) get us Priority Point 1?
No. A department of primary care medicine is family medicine, general internal medicine or general pediatrics.
One of our dental schools already has students completing clinical training within a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC). Assuming the dental school proposes new activities with this FQHC that meet the application requirements, could they earn Priority Point 2? Is the idea that the applicant has formed a new relationship with an FQHC specifically for project purposes?
If you already have an established relationship with a Federally Qualified Health Center, please include the current letter of agreement to receive one (1) Priority Point. That’s not to discourage you from establishing a new relationship with a new FQHC, you most certainly can! No additional points will be awarded.
For Priority Point 3: We have some curriculum on cultural competency and one lecture on health literacy. But we are planning to increase/enhance the content of both cultural competency and health literacy curriculum through this grant. Will this substantial "enhancement" of the existing curriculum be considered? Or will this priority point be awarded ONLY if there is NO content on cultural competency or health literacy in the current curriculum, and we propose to include an entirely NEW curriculum on these two topics?
You will be granted a funding priority if you include educational activities in cultural competency and health literacy. The proposed activities must be substantive, be the primary focus of one of the application’s objectives, and be included in the work plan. So there is no requirement for you to have no content at baseline.
Priority Point 4: It mentions "vulnerable/population" but does not mention "elderly" but in other parts of the NOFO vulnerable elderly is mentioned. Priority Point 8, also includes "elderly" but not in priority Point 4. Is there a reason?
No, but you are correct that vulnerable elderly is listed as a special/vulnerable population under Priority 8.
For Priority Point 4, if we choose to focus on just “elderly” population, we will not get the point, because it does not mention “elderly”?
Correct. Priority Point 4 will be awarded a priority point if your training activities are targeted towards children with developmental disabilities, cognitive impairment, complex medical conditions, and/or significant physical limitations.
Note: Proposed training activities may also include vulnerable children such as those who are homeless, living with HIV/AIDS, or whose caregivers are in risk-based clinical disease management of mental health or substance-related disorders. The proposed activities must be substantive, be the primary focus of one of the application’s objectives and be included in the work plan.
Priority Point 8: should this oral health care education center be established ONLY for practicing dental professionals/hygienists (the language does not mention any student training) who are interested in providing services to the special needs or elderly or medically complex patients? Are dental students not allowed to take the training being developed through this center?
No. Priority 8 is only if you intend to establish a special populations oral health care education center or training program for the didactic and clinical education of dentists, dental health professionals, and dental hygienists who plan to teach oral health care for people with developmental disabilities, cognitive impairment, complex medical problems, significant physical limitations, and vulnerable elderly.
Priority 4 is about preparing students to care for special/vulnerable populations.
Disparities Impact Statement
Should the Disparity Impact Statement be based on region (which the CDC Social Vulnerability Index provides) or race/ethnicity, or other sociodemographics? Should it include oral health disparities or just the “populations at highest risks for health disparities…”?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Social Vulnerability Index was provided as an example. You can use any local data to identify populations at highest risk for health disparities.
It does not have to be region specific, but rather the population you are targeting. You are not beholden to any specific format. Whatever you develop and submit should be customized to your local community, and be within the lens of oral health.
For the disparities impact table that is in the Disparities Impact Statement, should the numbers include students, patients served, or both?
The Disparity Impact Statement should be developed around the vulnerable, underserved, or rural population you are targeting. The DIS does not need to include student data.
I have a question about the Disparity Impact Statement referred to on page 12 of NOFA. Our plan was to use local and state data to discuss the Diversity Impact. Can you advise as to how we should proceed?
The Disparity Impact Statement should be developed around the underserved, vulnerable, or rural population you are targeting. The DIS does not include student data. Priority Point 7 revolves around Student Diversity and focuses on your institution’s record of training individuals who are from a rural or disadvantaged background. This Priority is written in legislation.
Attachments
For the letter of agreement/collaboration, does this need to be with the primary care/internal medicine department or can it be from the health system itself?
“The letter of agreement needs to be from the collaborating department of primary care medicine.” A department of primary care medicine would be for family medicine, general internal medicine or general pediatrics.
Do we need to include an organizational chart within the Organizational Information, Resources, and Capabilities narrative section, or is Attachment 4 the only place we need to include an org chart?
No. Attachment 4 is the only place you need to include the organizational chart.
Note: Please understand that this is NOT an organizational chart of the applicant organization. Also, having the organizational chart posted within the narrative section would be duplicative. If you wish to add a comment in your narrative directing your readers to your organizational chart (Attachment 4), you may.
We are a current recipient applying for a new award with different program objectives and activities. I am wondering if we also need to submit Attachment 8: Progress Report?
No. Attachment 8 is only required for those applying for a competing continuation award. You are not required to submit a Progress Report if you are a new grant applicant. You will submit a final report for your current award within 90 days after the project period ends.
Standardized Work Plan (SWP)
Does the SWP count toward the page limit?
No. Standard OMB-approved forms included in the workspace application package in Grants.gov, including the Standardized Work Plan (SWP), do not count in the page limit.
It was unclear whether the work plan should be included in the narrative as well as submitted through the Standardized Work Plan Form (SWP) or if only the Standard Work Plan Form should be submitted and the work plan in no way described in the Narrative. If the work plan should be included in the narrative, should it take a different form than that submitted through the Standard Work Plan? If so how?
Only the Standardized Work Plan (SWP) should be submitted. Reviewers will be instructed to review the SWP form for the Work Plan section. Cutting and pasting the SWP into your narrative would be duplicative and would count towards your page limit. If you wish to add a comment in your narrative directing readers to your SWP you may.
In preparing the work plan, the instructions indicate that “goal 1 in the purpose section of the NOFO will need to be entered as goal 1 in the SWP form.” Do we list the goal as the overarching goal on each SWP sheet, followed by subgoals and objectives that we develop?
Yes. List the goal as the overarching goal on the SWP. Objectives and sub-objectives can be tailored to your project needs. Objectives may be tagged with areas of focus by selecting applicable priorities on the SWP form.
Note: For the purpose of this NOFO, please write in COVID-19 or Health Equity in the “Other Priority Linkage” if your objective or sub-objectives align with those priorities. Form instructions are provided along with the SWP form, and are included in the application package found on Grants.gov.
Other Questions
Can a dean be the Project Director/Principle Investigator over the proposed training grant?
The Project Director (PD)/Principle Investigator (PI) should have a meaningful role on carrying out the project. As long as the main person overseeing the grant has experience and the proper amount of time designated to the project to ensure success and sustainability, yes, a dean could qualify to oversee the project.
Can you affirm that the focus of our proposal fits within the focus and intent of the NOFO?
No. All applications must be submitted in their entirety and subjected to a standard review process. HRSA cannot review your proposal ahead of time or provide any assurances related to your application.
Can you please clarify the difference between Criterion 2 A and Criterion 2 B. Should the goals and objectives be detailed in both Criterion 2a Work plan and Criterion 2b Methodology/Approach?
2a. Work Plan- Only use the Standardized Work Plan Form located in the Grants.gov workspace. This section is worth 10 points. 2b. Methodology- Describes your objectives and proposed activities, and provides evidence for how they link to the project purpose and stated needs. This section is worth 15 points.
*Note: Reviewers will specifically evaluate:
- How strong the proposed goals and objectives are and their relationship to the identified project.
- How strong the evidence provided in the application is that the activities described in the application are capable of addressing the problem and attaining the project objectives and contribute to the attainment of the Disparities Impact Statement. This includes describing, as appropriate, tools and strategies for meeting stated needs.
- How well the application provides a logical description of proposed activities, explains why the project is innovative and describes the context for why it is innovative.
- How well the application describes a sophisticated and plausible logic model.
Can an applicant receive additional points for applying for both Focus Area 1 and Focus Area 2? If you focus on only one focus area, can you score same maximum points?
Twenty (20) points is the maximum amount of points an applicant can receive under Criteria 3a Evaluation and Technical Support Capacity. It is up to you to determine if you wish to apply for Focus Area 1 or Focus Area 2 or both. Specific details can be found on pages 27-28 of the NOFO.
Are photos allowed in the application? Not a link but actual photos of a collaborative care clinic?
The NOFO nor SF-424 Application Guide specify. Please understand that there is a 65-page limit, including attachments. You would need to decide how the photo would strengthen the proposal.