FAQ: Advanced Nursing Education Workforce (ANEW)

Funding Opportunity Number: HRSA-23-014

• General questions
• Application completion and submission
• Applicant eligibility
• Use of ANEW funds
• Funding preference

General questions

What is the timeline for this Notice of Funding Opportunity announcement (NOFO)? When will ANEW be offered again?

The ANEW Program NOFO is now open and is accepting applications through April 7, 2023. The FY 2023 ANEW Program has a four-year project period starting July 1, 2023, with a project end date of June 30, 2027.

Funding beyond the first year is subject to the availability of appropriated funds for the ANEW Program in subsequent fiscal years, satisfactory progress, and a decision that continued funding is in the best interest of the federal government.

Can a person be a project director for more than one HRSA grant?

Yes. An individual can serve as a project director for more than one HRSA grant.  

However, they can only receive funding support from the ANEW grant equivalent to the level of effort put forth to execute the ANEW project.

Do subaward partners need a UEI?

No. Only the lead applicant needs to have a UEI number.

How many credits must a trainee take to be classified as full time?

Applicants should use their institutional policy on what is considered full- and part-time to classify enrolled students.

Do I need to identify the Project Director when I submit my application?

Yes, the Project Director must be identified in the application.

However, the Project Coordinator does not have to be identified at the time of submission, but the role should be identified in the application. See pages 14-15 of the NOFO for additional staffing information.

How many Project Directors and/or Project Coordinators can be included in the application?

There may only be one Project Director for the ANEW project. The Project Director must at a minimum be a licensed Registered Nurse, with a master’s or doctoral level degree. HRSA encourages applicants to select Project Directors with demonstrated competence (such as student/faculty/preceptor recruitment, community partnerships, program design), appropriate academic preparation, clinical (APRN) expertise, and experience as an educator.

There is no specific limit on the number of project coordinators. Please note that any salary support paid with grant funds must be equal to the level of effort on the ANEW grant. See pages 14-15 of the NOFO for additional staffing information.

Are students able to obtain a National Provider Identifier (NPI) number while enrolled?

Yes. The CMS website has additional information on NPI numbers. Trainees who receive HRSA funds from the ANEW program must apply for and obtain an NPI number as a condition of their traineeship support.

Can a program (such as a school of nursing) with multiple tracks (NP, CNS, PMHNP and Nurse Midwife) submit a single application that addresses all the programs?

Yes. You must implement an advanced nurse education student traineeship program to support the training of primary care nurse practitioner, clinical nurse specialist, and/or certified nurse midwife trainees who are enrolled full- or part-time to become certified as an NP, CNS, or CNM.

Specialties should include primary care NPs/CNS (adult, family, adult gerontology, pediatric and women’s health), behavioral health NPs (psychiatric/mental health) and certified nurse midwives. Please ensure proposed projects address the goals stated in the NOFO and meet the NOFO requirements.

Application completion and submission

Is the HRSA-23-014 ANEW NOFO open to new applicants only, or will the funding also be available to previous award recipients? Can current or previous ANEW Program award recipients discuss their ANEW Program accomplishments in the HRSA-23-014 ANEW application?

New applicants and current ANEW Program award recipients are eligible to apply to this HRSA-23-014 announcement. There is no preference given to previous award recipients. There is no requirement nor restriction in the NOFO for a current or previous ANEW Program award recipient to discuss or describe current or previous ANEW grant activity.

If we have multiple clinical sites, do we need to submit letters of support for all of them?

You do not need to submit letters of support from all organizations or partners included in the application for this NOFO.

You may choose to provide a letter of support for each organization or department involved in the proposed project, but these will count towards the page limit requirement. We recommend you prioritize letters of support from key partners (a one-page letter is sufficient).

Do Letters of Agreement/Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) count towards the application page limit?

Yes. These attachments count towards the page limit. Disregard this section of “Appendix D: Page Limit Worksheet” as “Letters of Agreement, Memoranda of Understanding, and/or contracts” do count towards the page limit.

Are applicants expected to submit both an MOU and letter of support?

Applicants must provide Letters of Agreement/Memoranda of Understanding (Attachment 4) but do not have to submit Letters of Support (Attachment 7). See page 20 of the NOFO for additional information.

Is there a standard form available to submit a biographical sketch with the application? Will the form be counted in the page limit?

Biographical sketches, not exceeding two pages per person, should include the information outlined on pages 14 and 15 of the NOFO. Biographical sketches must be uploaded in the SF-424 RESEARCH & RELATED Senior/Key Person Profile (Expanded) form that can be accessed in Grants.gov via the ANEW NOFO Application Package under “Mandatory.” Include biographical sketches for persons occupying the key positions.

The biographical sketch is not counted in the page limit.

Does the Standardized Work Plan (SWP) and the BHW Program Specific Data Form count towards the page limit?

No. The SWP and the BHW Program Specific Data Form (Attachment 8) do not count towards the page limit.

How should applicants populate the objectives in the SWP?

You must complete and electronically submit the SWP Form by the application due date as part of the application submitted through Grants.gov. The SWP Form is organized by budget period and must include all activities and deliverables for each objective and program goal, and for each budget year. Applicants must input information for all the budget years included in the project period; the ANEW includes four budget years.

In addition to completing the SWP, applicants should include a brief Workplan narrative including the elements outlined in the Narrative section of the NOFO. See pages 17-18 of the NOFO for additional information about the SWP.

Is a Disparities Impact Statement required?

No. A Disparities Impact Statement is not required. Please disregard this statement on page 8 of the NOFO: “Applicants are expected to develop and upload (in Attachment 1) a disparities impact statement.” It is an error.

On the BHW Program Specific Data Form, should we complete section G. for faculty?

Yes. You should complete section G. for faculty. You can find instructions on how to complete the form in the Grants.gov workspace. This faculty section should be completed by applicants applying for a BHW program where faculty are an applicable or allowable targeted population. Complete the faculty section of the table for all faculty, showing the tenure status and racial/ethnic background of all faculty during the previous three academic years.

When should I report on for Table 1/Graduate Data/ANE Program Specific Data Form?

Select the correct current Fiscal Year (2023) when completing the ANE Program Specific Data Forms in the Grants.gov workspace.

Note: Once the correct fiscal year is selected, the form will auto populate the correct graduate data year required for Table 1 (July 1, 2021 - June 30, 2022).

Applicant eligibility

Who is eligible to apply for the HRSA-23-014 funding opportunity?

Eligible applicants are accredited schools of nursing, nursing centers, academic health centers, state, or local governments, and other private or public nonprofit entities determined appropriate by the Secretary, such as HRSA-supported health centers or Rural Health Clinics. Under an academic-clinical partnership, either partner can apply under this NOFO provided they meet all other eligibility requirements. See pages 3-4 of the NOFO for additional eligibility information.

You must also include accreditation/approval document(s) for at least one key partner. See pages 18-19 of the NOFO for additional accreditation information.

Do you have to be in a Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) to apply?

Applicants for the ANEW funding opportunity do not have to be in a HPSA or a Medically Underserved Community (MUC).

Note: The announcement offers both a funding preference and special consideration for projects that will substantially benefit rural or underserved populations or help meet public health nursing needs in state or local health departments and for applicants that agree to expend the award to train advanced education nurses who will practice in HPSAs.

Are Clinical Nurse Leader programs or Executive Leader programs eligible? Is stipend support allowed for students who are already APRNs and who are interested in our Nurse Educator Certificate program/courses?

No. The ANEW Program requires applicants/award recipients to recruit, train, support, and graduate students, in advanced practice registered nursing programs who will become primary care nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, and/or certified nurse midwives, providing primary care services, mental health and substance use disorder care, and/or maternal health care.

Can the practice partner be a private primary care site?

Yes. You must establish or enhance innovative academic-clinical partnerships that facilitate immersive, clinical training experiences (for example, three – six months) for trainees in community-based settings. See page 7 of the NOFO for additional partnership requirement information.

Use of ANEW funds

How can ANEW funds be used?

You may request a maximum annual budget of $650,000 per year. Annual budget includes traineeship funding and academic-practice program infrastructure funding.

See pages 15-17 of the NOFO for additional trainee support cost and budget information.

Are there specific restrictions on how ANEW funds can be used?

Yes. Allowable costs for traineeship awards can be found on pages 15-16 of the NOFO. In addition, see page 22 of the NOFO for information on funding restrictions.

Can ANEW funds be used to start/develop a new program?

No. ANEW funds are not to be used for program development for a new advanced practice registered nursing program.

The eligibility requirement for the grant does not specifically mention an entry-level master’s program. Does the grant fund the entry to practice year?

To be eligible for ANEW traineeship support, the student/trainee must meet all the following criteria:

• Be a licensed registered nurse (RN)
• Be eligible to work in the United States
• Be enrolled full- or part-time in an advanced nursing education program to become certified as an NP, CNS, or CNM. Specialties supported include primary care NPs/CNS (adult, family, adult gerontology, pediatric and women’s health), behavioral health NPs (psychiatric/mental health) and certified nurse midwives
• Maintain the predetermined academic standards of the recipient institution

Is the traineeship money meant to replace student financial aid or can it be a supplement to financial aid?

No. ANEW grant funds are not to replace or supplant student financial aid. You may use funds to supplement/augment financial aid or other financial support for eligible students.

Can students who are currently enrolled receive ANEW grant funding or only students who enroll during the project period?

Students/trainees can be supported at any point during their continuum of traineeship as long as they meet the eligibility criteria and supporting them aligns with the program goals and program requirements.

Are there any payback requirements for trainees who do not complete the program or are not employed after graduation?

No. There are no payback requirements for trainees who do not complete the program or are not employed after graduation.

Can grant funds be used for paid faculty release time?

No. Release time is not allowed under this grant. Any salary support paid with grant funds must be equal to the level of effort on the ANEW grant. See page 22 of the NOFO for additional details.

Funding preference

Is there an advantage for both underserved and rural application as funding preference?

The ANEW Program provides a funding preference for some applicants for projects that will substantially benefit rural or underserved populations or help meet public health nursing needs in state or local health departments. Applicants receiving the preference will be placed in a more competitive position among applications that can be funded. Applications that do not receive a funding preference will receive full and equitable consideration during the review process. Applicants must meet only one qualification to receive the preference. Applicants may submit information pertaining to more than one qualification if so desired.

The ANEW program also includes special consideration for eligible applicants that agree to expend the award to train advanced education nurses who will practice in Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs).

Why is the data collected in the ANE Program Specific Data Forms?

The data in the ANE Program Specific Data Forms (Tables) are essential in projecting the number of students/trainees to be trained (Table 2), and in making award funding preference determinations (Table 2) in accordance with the authorizing statute. The ANE Program Specific Data Form Tables must be completed electronically and submitted as part of the official electronic application package.

How do I request funding preference or special consideration?

Applicants proposing projects that will substantially benefit rural or underserved populations or help meet public health nursing needs in state or local health departments may request funding preference. Applicants that agree to expend the award to train advanced education nurses who will practice in Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) through their proposed projects may request special consideration.

You can request funding preference or special consideration by doing the following:

• Identify the funding preference(s) or special consideration being requested in the abstract. See page 9 of the NOFO for additional information.
• Complete the ANE Program Specific Data Forms Program Specific Tables. See pages 18, 36-40 of the NOFO for additional information.
• Include a statement that you are eligible for a funding preference or special consideration and identify the preference and include documentation of this qualification in Attachment. See pages 20, 27-29 of the NOFO for additional information.

Medically Underserved Areas (for the Underserved Funding Preference) information can also be obtained using site address through the Find Shortage Areas by Address (hrsa.gov) tool.

Program completer information also can be obtained from the applicant key partner. If the preference is met by information from a key partner, documentation establishing the partnership must also be included in Attachment 4.