#FUNDING. Here are a list of grant and other funding opportunities with potential for telehealth applications that have been recently announced or whose deadlines have been extended. We will be adding to this list periodically as more opportunities are announced!
- FCC Wireline Competition Bureau COVID-19 Telehealth Program: $200 million has been appropriated by Congress as part of the CARES Act to provide immediate assistance to health care providers wanting to provide connected care services to patients in response to the pandemic. Applicants must be nonprofit and public eligible health care providers. The online application portal opened on Monday April 13 and applications will be received and reviewed on a rolling basis until all of the funds have been expended.
- Rural Communities Opioid Response Program – Implementation: RCORP is a multi-year initiative by HRSA aimed at reducing the morbidity and mortality of substance use disorder (SUD), including opioid use disorder (OUD), in high-risk rural communities. The application deadline for the grant has been extended and applications are now due May 26, 2020.
- PCORI COVID-19 Targeted PCORI Funding Announcement: The objectives of this funding announcement are to (1) strengthen the understanding of different approaches to improve the impact of COVID-19 on individuals, communities, healthcare providers, and healthcare systems; and (2) provide evidence to inform clinical and public health responses, decision making, and planning. This announcement has three targeted priority areas: (1) Adaptations to health care delivery, (2) Impact of COVID-19 on vulnerable populations, and (3) Impact of COVID-19 on healthcare workforce well-being, management, and training. Applications are due May 26, 2020 by 5 PM.
- HRSA Telehealth Network Grant Program: The funding opportunity is aimed towards promoting rural Tele-emergency services with an emphasis on tele-stroke, tele-behavioral health, and Tele-Emergency Medical Services (Tele-EMS). The application deadline for the grant has been extended and applications are now due June 15, 2020.
- Rural Tribal COVID-19 Response Program. This HRSA initiative is intended to assist tribes, tribal organizations, urban indian health organizations and health service providers to tribes in light of COVID-19. Funding can be used for establishing testing sites purchasing test kids, implementing telehealth strategies/activities and more. Applications are due May 6, 2020.
- Pfizer COVID-19 Competitive Grant Program: Pfizer will provide financial support for two types of grants. Category A: Independent Medical Education Grants to support educational programs for healthcare providers focused on the recognition, diagnosis, treatment and overall care management of patients with COVID-19. Category B: Quality & Process Improvement Grants to support hospitals or healthcare systems so that they may evaluate and improve their systems-if-care for COVID-19 patients. Funds can be used for staff training or clinical process improvement. Applications are due May 22, 2020.
- Rural Maryland Council Grant Program. The Maryland Agriculture Education and Rural Development Assistance Fund provides capacity-building funds to rural nonprofit service providers, including rural health care organizations. Letters of Intent are due on May 29, 2020.
- Telehealth Focused Rural Health Research Center Program: This NOFO will fund two Telehealth Focused Rural Health Research Centers, one evaluation-focused and one evidence-focused. The application deadline for the grant has been extended and applications are now due June 1, 2020.
- HRSA Rural Telementoring Training Center Program: The purpose of this program is to train academic medical centers and other centers of excellence (COEs) to create or expand technology-enabled collaborative learning and capacity building models (such as Project ECHO, ECHO-like models, and other emerging models in the field). The RTTC will develop and share freely accessible tools and resources that are adaptable to culturally and regionally diverse populations to provide training nationwide to facilitate the dissemination of best practice specialty care to primary care providers and care teams in rural and underserved areas. Applications are due June 17, 2020.
- USDA Distance Learning & Telemedicine Grants: Due to the COVID-19 National Emergency, USDA is providing an additional window for those who cannot complete applications prior to the first application deadline. The DLT Program provides financial assistance to enable and improve distance learning and telemedicine services in rural areas. Applications for the second funding window may be submitted between April 14, 2020 – July 13, 2020.
- Virginia Health Care Foundation Health Safety Net Grants: Most VHCF grants work to increase access to primary care for uninsured Virginians and those who live in areas with limited access to care. VHCF grants can be used to fund innovative approaches to communities’ primary care needs or to replicate one of VHCF’s Models that Made It. Applications are due July 17, 2020.
- CARES Act Provider Relief Fund: The bipartisan CARES Act provides $100 billion in relief funds to hospitals and other healthcare providers on the front lines of the coronavirus response. This funding will be used to support healthcare-related expenses or lost revenue attributable to COVID-19 and to ensure uninsured Americans can get testing and treatment for COVID-19.
- Novartis US COVID-19 Community Response Fund: The Novartis US Foundation has developed a fund to support local initiatives and communities impacted by the outbreak. Applicants must be verified 501(c)(3) organizations. Funding can be used to strengthen healthcare infrastructure, establish digital platforms for COVID-19 related data collection, remote delivery of healthcare and effective dissemination of public health information and for creating or enhancing new community health programs specific to pandemic response. Priority will be given to efforts focused on geographies where Novartis has a physical presence.
A Few Grantwriting Tips:
- Read Successful Grant Applications!
- Many funders provide copies of successful proposals and/or detailed project summaries on their program websites. If you are unable to locate this information, you can always reach out to the funder to ask if they have examples of previous proposals.
- Samples of successful cover letters, letters of inquiry, proposals, and budgets can be found on the Grant Space by Candid site.
- Write To the Scoring Criteria:
- Most funders will have a section where they make know the scoring criteria. Make sure you respond to each element of the scoring criteria. Make it as obvious as you can where in your narrative you are responding to each element of the scoring criteria. It never hurts make it stand out by creating a section title in bold using the verbiage from the scoring criteria or simply including the exact verbiage from each element of the scoring criteria in italics or in bold right before responding to it. Your goal is to make it as easy as possible for a grant reviewer to identify that you have been responsive and not to frustrate the grant reviewer by making them hunt high and low for your response. Remember that sometimes reviewers are reading multiple proposals in one sitting. Make it easy for them!
- Write Clearly and Succinctly:
- Don’t assume that the reviewer of your proposal knows anything about your program or initiative. Lay it out clearly, but succinctly. Often a picture or diagram is much better than pages of text. A long narrative does not necessarily increase your changes of funding. Clarity and responsiveness to the questions being asked and the scoring criteria are the most important elements. Sometimes a table or chart lays things out more clearly than pages of text as well.
- Remember that a proposal should look and sound professional. You want to leave the the reviewer and the funder with the impression that you know what you are doing and are capable of carrying out all the elements of what you are proposing effectively and efficiently. A well place anecdote is fine to include, but should not be the main focus of your narrative.
- Identify two or three persons willing to read and critique your proposal before you submit it. Build in enough time to allow for this review and edit process. Have them do two reviews. First provide them with the scoring criteria and have them read through to make sure they fully understand what you are proposing and to ensure that you have adequately addressed each element of the scoring criteria. It is best to find someone who is not familiar with your program. Remember, you want to make sure your writing is clear enough for someone who has no idea what you do to actually understand it. Next, have them review it again for grammar and typographical/spelling errors. It is very difficult to review for both content and editing at the same time. Nail the content first, and then work on the final format, grammar and spelling edits.
- Make sure you adequately provide a justification for your budget. For example, if you are budgeting to buy 10 laptop computers, you need to make sure the reader knows why you need 10 laptops, what the cost of each laptop is estimated to be, and how your arrived at that per laptop cost!
- Finally, don’t be afraid to ask questions. If you are reading the grant guidance document and don’t understand what the funder wants, contact the program officer to find out.
- A Few Additional Resources:
- Webinar: Grant Writing 101
- Online Course: Grant Writing: How to Find Funds and Write a Winning Proposal
