Funding Opportunity Number: HRSA-20-117
I. Eligibility and Application Submission
III. Priorities and Preferences
IV. Budget and Grants Management Questions
Eligibility and Application Submission
Future funding
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Do you expect this to be the only Nursing Workforce Diversity (NWD) program competition held this year? When do you expect the NWD program to be competed again?
The NWD program grant competitions are based on Congressional appropriations. Guidance for future years is not available.
Please check our website as well as Grants.gov for updates on our funding opportunities.
Accreditation
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Is national nursing accreditation required to apply to this program?
Yes. National nursing accreditation is required.
You must provide documentation of current accreditation by a recognized body or bodies or by a state agency approved for such purpose by the U.S. Department of Education.
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We are in the process of working towards national accreditation. Is application eligibility limited to programs with national accreditation or is approval from our state Board of Nursing sufficient?
A new nursing program that is not eligible for accreditation due to an insufficient period of operation at the time of application shall be accredited if the Secretary of Education finds there is reasonable assurance after consulting with State approval or accrediting bodies that the program will meet the accreditation requirements.
Please submit the Letter of Reasonable Assurance from the U.S. Department of Education with the application.
Refer to the Newly Established Programs of Nursing Accreditation requirements listed in the Attachment 9 description in NOFO.
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Are clinical practice partners required to have accreditation?
No. It is not a requirement for this NOFO.
Eligibility
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Are graduate degree nursing programs eligible to apply or is this program only for undergraduate degree nursing programs?
The NWD-E2 program supports registered nursing education at all levels.
If you are choosing to focus on graduate level nursing programs, participants must meet the project participant criteria as well as be from a disadvantaged background, including racial and ethnic minorities among registered nurses.
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I am interested in applying to the NWD-E2 program to assist with my nursing education and reduce the burden of my student loans, how do I apply?
Individuals are not eligible to apply for NWD grant awards.
Visit the HRSA Loans & Scholarships website for additional information.
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Are current NWD award recipients eligible to apply for the NWD-E2 program?
Yes. Current NWD awardees may apply to the NWD-E2 program.
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Is being Historically Black College or University (HBCU) a requirement for this grant?
Being a HBCU is not a requirement for this grant program.
The NWD-E2 program has a funding priority in which priority points will be granted to HBCUs that meet the specifications listed in Section V.2. the NOFO
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Can this grant could be used to start a certified nurse assistant class or is this funding just for nursing?
Project participants must be:
- Enrolled in an accredited nursing program
- A citizen of the United States
- A non-citizen national of the United States
- A foreign national who possesses a visa permitting permanent residence in the United States
Application submission
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Was the NWD-E2 NOFO Technical Assistance webinar recorded? How do I access it?
Yes. You may access the TA webinar on the Nursing Workforce Diversity-Eldercare Enhancement (NWD-E2) Program website.
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I am having difficulty finding the full announcement for HRSA-20-117. Can you provide a link to this material?
You can access the NOFO on the Nursing Workforce Diversity-Eldercare Enhancement (NWD-E2) Program website.
It is also available on the Grants.gov website.
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Is there an application submission extension available due to COVID-19?
You may request an extension if your organization is unable to submit an application by the published NOFO deadline due to justified circumstances (such as impacts from COVID-19).
Refer to the SF-424 Application Guide (PDF - 625 KB) on pages 14-15 and 48.
Note: HRSA's Division of Grants Policy (DGP) in the Office of Federal Assistance Management is the only office authorized to grant extensions.
You must contact the DGP via email at DGPWaivers@hrsa.gov and provide a brief explanation and your earliest estimated date of submission.
Please check the HRSA COVID-19 website for further details.
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Could you tell us what systems a planned sub-recipient needs to be registered in at the time of submission?
Sub-recipients are required to have an active System for Award Management (SAM) and Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number.
New applicants are able to submit an application without a valid SAM registration.
For further details go to the HRSA COVID-19 website.
Programmatic Questions
Project Personnel
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The NOFO states that applicants must identify only one Project Director (PD), who must be a licensed registered nurse. Are Co-PDs allowed? Are there specific qualifications for that person?
Yes. Co-PDs are allowed.
The PD position may not be split between two Co-PDs. One person must identify as the PD, with the ability to designate Co-PDs as necessary for the proposed project.
The Co-PD must be a licensed Registered Nurse to be a Co-PD.
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How is the partnership liaison defined? Is this a person or an institution?
The partnership liaison is an individual designated as a formal facilitator to foster:
- Communication and strategic partnerships between academia
- Clinical practice, and
- Community
Target populations
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Is this grant specifically for elder workforce in rural areas? How are you defining rural, by population or number of healthcare facility providers or locations?
The NWD-E2 program strengthens the eldercare workforce in rural communities where there are health care disparities related to access and delivery of care.
Please use the Rural Health Grants Eligibility Analyzer to determine whether a geographical area is rural as determined by the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy
The BHW Health Workforce Glossary is also available as a reference for further definition.
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The NOFO speaks to rural and underserved areas. Is this grant only for rural areas or can it be for underserved urban areas?
The NWD-E2 program seeks to equip nursing students to deliver care to elderly populations in rural and underserved areas.
The didactic and clinical training curricula must integrate the care of elderly populations in rural areas and underserved areas.
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Does the curriculum and training have to address rural and underserved? Does the training site have to be located physically in a rural or underserved area?
No. It does not have to be located in a rural area.
Eligible entities must be able to prepare their nursing workforce to provide eldercare in rural areas.
Priorities and Preferences
Funding Factors
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Do you have to be a HBCU to apply for funding priority number two?
Yes. For Funding Priority Two.
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Does Funding Priority One include the poverty rate of all populations or just the poverty rate among elderly in the state?
Funding Priority One: Poverty and Elderly Population Rates will be given to training programs serving one or more communities that have
- A poverty rate exceeding 32 percent and a median household income below $34,000 a year a year as reported by the U.S. Census Bureau’s Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates program for 2017
- Located in a State with an elderly population that exceeds 15 percent of the total State’s population as reported by the U.S. Census Bureau for 2018
Note: The U.S. Census Bureau’s Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates program produces single-year estimates of income and poverty for all U.S. states and counties.
Please visit the U.S. Census Bureau’s Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates program website.
Clinical Priorities
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Can an application focus on more than one clinical priority?
Yes. Applicants are encouraged to select and address one or more of the HHS and HRSA clinical priorities, as applicable to the propose project.
Budget and Grants Management Questions
Allowable costs
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Does the funding mechanism provide budgetary support for recruitment of underserved students?
Yes. The recruitments of students is an allowable cost under this NOFO.
Budget Ceiling Amount
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Is the ceiling amount that can be requested a total of $500,000 per year or $500,000 total for the two years of the award?
You may request up to $500,000 per budget period. Each budget period consists of 12-month intervals
The project period consists of the total time of the approved project. The NWD-E2 project period is two years.
Applicants may request up to $500,000 for each budget year within the two-year project period for a total of $1,000,000.
Other Technical Assistance Questions
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What are the major HRSA workforce diversity grants?
Visit the HRSA Find Funding website for a complete list of funding opportunities.