Dental Preventive Clinical Support Program | HHS 2020 IHS TDCP 0001

Opportunity Information: Apply for HHS 2020 IHS TDCP 0001

The Dental Preventive Clinical Support Program is an Indian Health Service (IHS) discretionary grant (Funding Opportunity Number: HHS 2020 IHS TDCP 0001; CFDA 93.933) designed to strengthen preventive and clinical dental services for American Indian and Alaska Native patients by building on existing dental resources and infrastructure. The central idea is to fund dental support centers that can work hand-in-hand with IHS Headquarters (HQ) and IHS Area dental leadership to tackle persistent system-wide challenges in dental care delivery, while also taking advantage of opportunities to improve how services are organized, delivered, and measured. The program is explicitly aligned with Department of Health and Human Services priorities around achieving "higher value" health care, meaning better outcomes and demonstrable improvement rather than simply providing more services.

The grant focuses on two main goals. First, funded support centers are expected to provide direct support to IHS/Tribal/Urban (I/T/U) dental programs within their service area through guidance, technical assistance, training, and program enhancement. This can include helping local dental programs adopt stronger prevention practices, improve clinical workflows, strengthen staffing and competency through training, and generally raise the quality and consistency of dental services across multiple sites. Second, the program requires that these efforts translate into measurable improvements in the oral health status of the AI/AN patients served. In other words, the support center is not just a training hub; it is responsible for helping participating programs achieve documented, trackable oral health improvements.

A key expectation is close collaboration and coordination. Applicants are expected to maintain a strong working relationship with the IHS HQ Division of Oral Health (DOH) as well as the Area Dental Director or Area Dental Officer. This relationship is presented as essential to making the support center effective, ensuring the assistance provided matches area priorities, and making sure the work contributes to system-wide oral health goals. The support center model is described as empowering the dental programs it serves, with the assumption that better-supported local programs will deliver better care and produce better patient outcomes. Importantly, the notice emphasizes that improvements must be documented, which signals that performance measurement, evaluation, and reporting are not optional add-ons but core requirements.

Eligibility for FY 2020 funding is limited to specific types of Indian organizations as defined in federal statute (25 U.S.C. 1603). Eligible applicants include Urban Indian organizations (25 U.S.C. 1603(29)), which are nonprofit corporate bodies located in urban centers and governed by an urban Indian-controlled board, with structures that ensure broad Indian community participation. These applicants must submit proof of nonprofit status, such as IRS documentation of 501(c)(3) status. Eligible applicants also include Tribal organizations (25 U.S.C. 1603(26)), as further defined by the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304). This includes the recognized governing body of an Indian tribe or a legally established Indian organization that is controlled or sanctioned by tribal government or democratically elected by the adult members of the community served, and that includes maximum participation of Indians throughout its activities. If an applicant proposes to provide services benefiting more than one tribe, approvals from each tribe are required, and the application must include letters of support and/or tribal resolutions from the tribes to be served.

From an administrative standpoint, this opportunity is offered by the Indian Health Service as a grant instrument under the Health activity category. The award ceiling listed is $250,000. The original application closing date for this specific posting was September 21, 2020, and the opportunity was created on June 23, 2020. Overall, the program is structured to fund regional or area support capacity that improves the performance of multiple dental programs at once, with a clear emphasis on collaboration with IHS leadership and on demonstrating real, measurable gains in oral health outcomes for AI/AN communities.

• The Indian Health Service in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Dental Preventive Clinical Support Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.933.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2020-06-23.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2020-09-21. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $250,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Others.

Apply for HHS 2020 IHS TDCP 0001

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