FAQ: Health Careers Opportunity Program: The National HCOP Academies (HCOP)

Funding Opportunity Number: HRSA-23-003

• Eligibility
• Application process
• Program-specific questions
• Budget

Eligibility

Are schools that offer certificate programs eligible?

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 able to carry out the activities of the program, including community colleges, technical colleges, and tribal colleges.

Applicants must demonstrate in the application how they meet the eligibility criteria and program requirements outlined in the Notice of Funding Opportunity. Applicants from non-academic organizations must also demonstrate that their academic partner community, technical, and/or tribal college(s) is an accredited program, nationally recognized by an accrediting agency, as specified by the U.S. Department of Education, to ensure the HCOP academic requirements are met.

Are Schools of Nursing eligible to apply to HRSA-23-003?

Pursuant to the statutory authority, nursing schools and programs are not eligible to apply for this funding opportunity.

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 able to carry out the activities of the program, including community colleges, technical colleges, and tribal colleges.

Application process

How do we submit the BHW Program Specific Form to include the grants tracking number?

Please submit the BHW Program Specific form as part of the application on grants.gov. Add “12345678” in the Tracking Number field to prevent an error message during submission.

Are multiple applications from a single institution allowed?

Multiple applications from an organization with the same Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) are not permitted. The unique entity identifier in financial assistance is the Dun and Bradstreet Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number, required for System for Award Management (SAM) registration. Schools within an institution with the same DUNS number (even if they are located on separate campuses) will be considered a single institution.

Are non-traditional students and veterans required to have completed an undergraduate degree prior to becoming a part of an HCOP academy?

Applicants targeting non-traditional, adult learners and veterans, as a part of their HCOP program do not need those individuals to have previously obtained degrees. They can focus on HCOP programmatic activities to assist students in matriculating into a health professions degree program.

Are applicants required to complete a BHW Program Specific Form for each discipline targeted?

Applicants targeting multiple disciplines may complete one BHW Program Specific Form with aggregated data. Applicants must explain this information within the Purpose and Needs section of their application and indicate which disciplines they are targeting.

What should you do before you submit your application?

Review your application thoroughly before you submit it via grants.gov. You cannot make edits after submitting it to us.

• Ensure correct spelling and calculations.
• Adhere to page limits and font- and file-type requirements.
• Include all required documents in the order the NOFO specifies.
• Address all the criteria against which we will score your proposal.

Do not wait until the last minute to submit your application.

When should you submit your grant application?

You must submit your application before the deadline. We recommend submitting it well in advance of that deadline.

The application due date under this NOFO is May 24, 2023, at 11:59 p.m. ET. HRSA suggests you submit your application to Grants.gov at least three calendar days before the deadline to allow for any unforeseen circumstances.

Why should you submit your application well in advance of the deadline?

Grants.gov may reject your application due to errors. If that occurs, you must correct the errors and resubmit your application before the deadline.

We will only consider you for funding if Grants.gov validates your application as error-free on or before the deadline date and time.

What is the Standardized Work Plan (SWP)? Does the SWP count toward the page limit?

The SWP form is part of the electronic Grants.gov application package and must be completed online. Standard OMB-approved forms included in the workspace application package in Grants.gov, including the SWP, do not count in the page limit.

Program-specific questions

Are applications required to include all three educational levels—high school, college (community college and baccalaureate), and health professions degree—or may they only include one?

Applications may include one or more of the educational levels as described in the NOFO depending on the capacity of their institution. Applicants are encouraged to propose programs that will capitalize on their strengths and that will most effectively meet the objectives outlined in the notice of funding opportunity.

Do applicants need existing formal written articulation agreements in place within their own institution or partner institutions?

Applicants must have articulation agreements in place within their own institution and/or with partner institutions allowing for students’ matriculation to the next level of education pipeline by the application submission deadline.

Regarding adults or non-traditional learners and veterans, is this target group required to graduate from undergraduate school (community college and/or baccalaureate) or is completion of a certification program allowable?

The HRSA-23-003 notice of funding opportunity focuses on three milestones of education: high school completion; acceptance, retention, and graduation from college; and acceptance, retention, and completion of a health professions degree program. Certificate programs are not eligible for this notice of funding opportunity.

Are the National HCOP Academies awardees allowed a planning year?

The National HCOP Academies will not have a planning year. The project begins September 1, 2023.

Are students who complete two-year allied health degree programs expected to complete either a bachelor’s or a graduate degree?

Applicants are encouraged to have a career ladder option for completion of a bachelor’s or graduate degree in the health professions.

Are scholarships a mandatory component of the National HCOP Academies Grant Program?

Applicants should propose activities in their narrative to meet all program requirements and expectations as outlined in the NOFO. Scholarships do not have to be provided to every student and there is no minimum dollar amount required. Scholarships are only available to students in Allied Health or Health Professions Degree Programs.

Are stipends allowed?

HRSA expects that stipends will still be provided as a valuable participation incentive for disadvantaged population and encourages successful completion of the program.

Is there a maximum stipend amount that can be awarded to students?

The NOFO does not set a minimum/maximum stipend amount as it depends on the educational level activities implemented. Stipend amounts are left to the discretion of the institution (see page 20 of the NOFO).

The NOFO requires a minimum of 25 students per designated educational level. Does this mean 25 undergraduate students and 25 high school students for each separate educational level for a combined total of 50 students?

The HCOP National Ambassadors Program and the HCOP Summer Program has a requirement of a minimum of 25 students from a designated educational level.

Can students in the HCOP National Ambassador Program also participate in the other five structured programs?

The mandatory HCOP National Ambassador Program is a separate program from the other structured programs. Students participating in the HCOP National Ambassador Program cannot participate in the other structured programs.

Is the structured program curricula, specifically the HCOP National Ambassador Program, pre-determined and provided?

Applicants must develop their own curricula based on the criteria outlined in the funding announcement HRSA-23-003 (see pages 8-9 of the NOFO).

Is it possible for a high school student who participated in a Saturday Academy, or a Summer Program continue into the National HCOP Ambassador Program as a college student?

The HCOP student can participate in multiple programs throughout their educational trajectory. The National HCOP Academies is a longitudinal program leading to matriculation into the applicant or partner organization’s two- or four-year college/university, health professions school or employment in rural and underserved communities.

Budget

What information is required in the budget justification?

All budgets must provide sufficient details to fully explain and justify the resources needed to accomplish all program objectives (see pages 19-21 of the NOFO).