FAQ: Maternity Care Nursing Workforce Expansion (MatCare) Program

Funding Opportunity Number: HRSA-23-120

General

Does the Project Director have to have a master's or doctoral level degree?

The Project Director for the proposed project must at a minimum be a licensed Registered Nurse, with a master's or doctoral level degree with experience in maternal health care.

Applicant eligibility

Can accredited schools of nursing apply to begin a nurse midwifery program?

No. This project is for established accredited nurse midwifery programs.

Are doulas, Certified Midwives (CMs), or Certified Practical Midwives (CPMs) eligible to receive this funding?

No. Eligible beneficiaries of this grant must:

  • Be a licensed registered nurse (RN)
  • Be eligible to work in the United States
  • Be enrolled full-time in an advanced nursing education program to become certified as a CNM
  • Maintain the predetermined academic standards of the recipient institution
Is full-time status determined by the school or by HRSA?

Full time status is determined by the applicant/school.

Can part-time students be supported by this funding opportunity?

No. Beneficiaries must be enrolled full-time in an advanced nursing education program to become certified as a CNM.

We are an approved non-profit organization partnering with an accredited organization. Should we submit their accreditation information as part of this requirement?

Eligible applicants include accredited schools of nursing, nursing centers, academic health centers, state or local governments, and other public or private nonprofit entities determined appropriate by the Secretary, such as HRSA supported health centers or Rural Health Clinics.

The Lead Applicant MUST be accredited or approved and must submit such documentation. Applicants must submit appropriate accreditation or approval documentation to be deemed eligible. Applicants whose academic or clinical/community-based organization accreditation/approval status cannot be verified will be considered nonresponsive and deemed ineligible under this funding notice.

Use of MatCare funds

The NOFO only mentions a project director and project coordinators(s). Can we fund faculty who work only on specific activities under a single objective? If so, are there certain titles we should use for the positions?

The MatCare grant can fund personnel cost that is commensurate with the level of effort they put forth to the grant. The MatCare program requires a project director and a project coordinator and biographical sketches for key personnel.

Does the preceptor cost breakdown fall under participant/trainee support cost?

Participant/Trainee Support Costs can be entered in Section E of the SF-424 R&R form. Stipend support for preceptors who are not employees of the applicant's institution may be supported under Participant/Traineeship support category, or under contractual or consultant categories, as justifiable based on institutional policy.

Is the applicant organization responsible for making direct payments to preceptors?

Award recipients are responsible for paying stipend support to the preceptors.

How should salary for faculty/staff involved in the project be determined?

Salary for faculty/staff involved in the proposed project should be commensurate with the level of effort dedicated to the project. You also should determine if the costs being included are allowable, allocable, reasonable, and appropriate.

Would a certification exam review course be considered an allowable cost?

Allowable costs for this project include:

  • Scholarship to cover the total cost of tuition, books, fees, and health insurance for the duration of the nurse midwifery program to which the traineeship is provided
  • Stipends (reasonable living expenses), travel, and subsistence for the individual participants for the period for which the traineeship is provided

Please refer to the SF-424 for allowable/unallowable costs.

What types of expenses fall under "subsistence"?

Subsistence costs maintain or support trainees at a minimum level. Applicants should determine what expenses would fall under these costs.

Can I use this funding to outfit a space to provide care?

You cannot use funds under this notice to acquire real property, for construction, or to pay for equipment costs not directly related to the purposes of this award. See page 22 of the NOFO for more information.

Statutory funding preference and special consideration

What is the difference between the Statutory Funding Preference and Special Consideration?

The MatCare Program provides a Statutory Funding Preference for some applicants, and applicants receiving the preference will be placed in a more competitive position among applications that can be funded.

Preference shall be given to applicants with projects that meet at least one of the following:

  • Qualification 1: Substantially benefit rural populations
  • Qualification 2: Substantially benefit underserved populations
  • Qualification 3: Help meet public health nursing needs in state or local health departments

The MatCare 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) or Maternity Care Health Professional Target Areas (MCTAs). HRSA staff will review all applications and apply the special consideration to any qualified applicant that demonstrates they meet the criteria.

How do I request funding preference or special consideration?

You can request funding preference or special consideration by:

  • Identifying the funding preference(s) or special consideration being requested in the abstract see pages 26-28 of the NOFO for additional information
  • Completing the ANE Program Specific Data Forms Program Specific Tables see pages 17, 35-39 of the NOFO for additional information
  • Including documentation of this qualification in Attachment see pages 26-28 of the NOFO for additional information

You can use the site address to find information about medically underserved areas (for the Underserved Funding Preference) through the Find Shortage Areas by Address tool.

How can we find the Maternity Care Target Areas (MCTA) or Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSA)?

MCTA or HPSA Eligibility confirmation can be obtained by inserting the address of the practice site for at least one of the graduates/program completers in the Find Shortage Areas tool. See page 28 of the NOFO for more information.

Standardized work plan (SWP)

Does the standardized work plan (SWP) include the entire project period?

Yes. All four years of the project period are required when completing the SWP.

Does HRSA have a sample SWP that applicants can view to ensure we are addressing the detail appropriately?

The SWP form can be found in the Grants.gov workspace (PDF - 102 KB). There is no pre-filled sample available. See page 17 of the NOFO for items that need to be completed in the SWP form.

See the BHW Grantee Standardized Work Plan Submission Video for additional information about completing the SWP.

Does the SWP count toward page limit?

The SWP is a standard OMB Approved form and DOES NOT count in the page limit.

The SWP is mandatory, and applicants MUST COMPLETE the SWP form located in the grants.gov workspace.

Program specific forms

Are both the BHW and the ANE specific forms for Nurse Midwifery students only or all students in the school?

The BHW and ANE specific forms should reflect students that are part of or graduated from the institution's Nurse Midwifery program.

What year should I use to report graduate data when completing the Table 1/Graduate Data on the 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. When you select the correct fiscal year, the form will auto populate the correct graduate data year required for Table 1 (July 1, 2021 – June 30, 2022).

The required data is specified on the form and is also listed in the NOFO on pages 36-37 - Instructions for Completing Table 1: Graduate Data - Rural, Underserved, Public Health Practice Settings and HPSA Data - Graduate Data from 7/01/2021 to 6/30/2022.

If I do not have data to enter on the BHW and ANE program specific forms, do I enter "0" or leave them blank?

You can leave columns blank if you do not have data to enter on the BHW/ANE Program Specific Forms.

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 1) 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.

ALL Applicants MUST complete Table 2 of the ANE Program Specific Data Form. Applicants who are not requesting Funding Preference or Special Consideration do not have to complete Table 1 of the ANE Program Specific Data Form.

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