Healthcare Grants: myth, or opportunity? Victoria Cech, Foundation Director MHA... An Association of Montana Health Care Providers.

Healthcare Grants: myth, or opportunity?Victoria Cech, Foundation DirectorMHA . . . An Association of Montana Health Care Providers

Changes in healthcare grants• Mostly, this is a euphemism for “reductions.”

• HRSA rural networking grants: 15, as opposed to 40, in the last cycle (closed Dec. 6th)

My two cents’ worth --

Grants are changing to reflect a trend toward collaborative approaches to healthcare, population-based approaches to healthcare, and overall cost-reduction. Proposals that impact a single healthcare entity are becoming fewer and smaller.

Changes in Healthcare grants: DLT/USDA grants Distance Learning/Telemedicine grants, US Dept. of Agriculture

DLT 100% grant applications are accepted through a competitive process. The application window is announced annually (typically after the first of the year) through a Notice of Funds Availability (NOFA) in the Federal Register. Applicants are required to provide a minimum 15 percent match. Awards can range from $50,000 to $500,000. 

(Please note: Because no budget authority has been appropriated, applications are not currently being accepted for either 100% loans or loan/grant combinations as described below.)

But, a note:

Overall, telehealth grants, including FCC grants, the USDA DLT grants, and grants through the Office for the Advancement of Telehealth (OAT), continue to have funding and are generally more related to providing service than completely revolutionizing care delivery systems.

NEPQR (Nursing Education, Practice, Quality and Retention) grants through HRSA

• The FY 2014 competition is focused on expanding Interprofessional Collaborative Practice environments where nurses and other professional disciplines work together to provide comprehensive healthcare services for patients and their families. Deadline: 2/3/2014

• The overarching goal of the NEPQR-IPCP program is to support the development of collaborative practice environments that deliver patient and population-centered quality health care that is safe, efficient, effective and equitable.

CMMI Grants (Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation)

• Cost reduction

• Move toward population health, inter-organization approaches, care transitions

But what about private foundations? . . . Many of the same trends! • Murdock TrustHealth and human services in the five states of the Pacific Northwest; larger single hospitals are less competitive

• Robert Woods Johnson FoundationAccess. Affordable Care Act. Accountable Care Organizations. A few of the topics on their website (under “A” – big website – of interest to them.

• KelloggGlobal and community health changes that impact children

Any questions so far . . .?

Where can I find grants?

Federal grants• http://www.grants.gov: select “browse agencies”;

“Department of Health and Human Services,” and then you can enter keywords, scroll through to look for agency opportunities (Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), National Institutes for Health (NIH)

• You can request, on the Grants.gov website, regular updates on new grant opportunities posted by agency, keyword, and other parameters. Then you’ll always have e-mails to read!

Private Grants

The Foundation Center• http://www.foundationcenter.org – a national resource for

private foundation funding, resources for grants seekers, philanthropy news . . . But it’s not all free!

• There are many different services – the Foundation Directory online; the newsletter Philanthropy News Digest;

• IssueLab – whose cover page currently has a huge report on the Affordable Care Act, as well as useful reports on a wide range of social issues and trends. Some of these CAN be downloaded free.

Quote from the ad for the IssueLab’s ACA special collection

The passage of the Affordable Care Act represents an historic change in the way health insurance has been handled in the United States. Though many of the provisions have already come into effect, the final changes are expected to be implemented by early 2014. With political discourse about the act dominating the news media, this collection attempts to shed light on the expected impact on citizens and providers as well as examine how the ACA is expected to affect quality, access, and costs of care.

The collection includes research on the following topics:Implications for Medicaid/MedicareImproving Quality of CareIncreasing Access to CareLowering Costs of CareMaking the TransitionThe Uninsured

More questions?

Strategy and Analysis

Where do we fit in the current healthcare picture?

Are grants a realistic option forus?

What do funders want, and isdelivering that a part of ourMission?

Strategy and Analysis• Do we have partners – and if not can we find some?

• Can we deliver on a funded initiative if we get one?

Which segues into the final topic – how do you put grants seeking, and grants management, systems in place?

Preparing for grants management(sorry, I know it’s corny but I couldn’t resist)

Can you manage the money?

Does your organization have the expertise to keep grant funds separate and accounted for?

Can you track time and effort?

Can you track equipment if you’re purchasing that?

If the grant funds are substantial enough, can you endure an audit?

Can you manage the reporting?

Grants require increasing time and effort to manage.

Outcomes, metrics, and fairly complex tracking and documenting are the norm

Recommendations• A grants office and a grants accountant• If that’s unrealistic, can you work with a fiscal agent?• A grants writer – to manage

• Timelines• Document preparation• Budgeting• Submission

By the way, about submission . . .

To receive consideration, applications must be received by the HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (HHS/OASH), Office of Grants Management (OGM) no later than the applicable due date listed in this announcement (Section IV. 3, Submission Dates and Times) and within the time frames specified in the announcement. All applications for this funding opportunity must be submitted electronically through Grants.gov, and must be received by 5:00 PM Eastern Time on the applicable due date. All applicants must submit in this manner unless they obtain a written exemption from this requirement 48 hours in advance of the deadline by the Director, HHS/OASH Office of Grants Management. Applicants must request an exemption in writing via email from the HHS/OASH Office of Grants Management, and provide details as to why they are technologically unable to submit electronically through Grants.gov portal. Note: failure to have an active System for Account Management (SAM) registration will not be grounds for receiving a waiver to the electronic submission requirement. If requesting a waiver, include the following in the e-mail request: the HHS/OASH announcement number; the organization's DUNS number; the name, address and telephone number of the organization; the name and telephone number of the Project Director; the Grants.gov Tracking Number (GRANTXXXX) assigned to the submissions; and a copy of the "Rejected with Errors" notification from Grants.gov. Send the request to [email protected].

Oh, but there’s more . . .

The HHS/OASH Office of Grants Management will only accept paper applications from applicants that received prior written approval. However, the application must still be submitted by the deadline. No other submission mechanisms will be accepted. Applications which do not meet the specified deadlines will be returned to the applicant unread. See the heading "APPLICATION and SUBMISSION INFORMATION" for information on application submission mechanisms. To ensure adequate time to successfully submit the application, HHS/OASH recommends that applicants register immediately in Grants.gov since the registration process can take up to one month. For information on registering for Grants.gov, refer to http://www.grants.gov or contact the Grants.gov Contact Center 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (excluding Federal holidays) at 1-800-518-4726 or [email protected].

Applicants are strongly encouraged to register multiple authorized organization representatives.

Any last questions . . .?