Opportunity Information: Apply for HHS 2010 ONC BC 006
Apply for HHS 2010 ONC BC 006
- The Office of the National Coordinator in the health recovery act sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, Funding to Beacon Communities" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.727 ARRA Health Information Technology Beacon Communities.
- This funding opportunity was created on May 27, 2010 and posted on May 26, 2010.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 28, 2010. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $30,375,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $18,000,000.00 in funding.
- Eligible applicants include: Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments) Special district governments County governments Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education Public and State controlled institutions of higher education Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized) City or township governments State governments Private institutions of higher education.
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Opportunity Summary:
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) Beacon Community Cooperative Agreement Program (Funding Opportunity Number HHS 2010 ONC BC 006; CFDA 93.727) was a discretionary federal grant opportunity administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC). Its central purpose was to invest in a small number of high-performing, geographically defined health care communities so they could further build out and strengthen health information technology (health IT) infrastructure and health information exchange (HIE) capabilities. The program was designed to showcase a practical, near-term model of what a more connected, data-driven health system could look like, where hospitals, clinicians, and patients are "meaningful users" of health IT and the community can document measurable gains in quality, safety, efficiency, and population health outcomes.
A key feature of this opportunity is that it was not intended for communities starting from scratch. ONC explicitly sought communities that were already national leaders and could credibly serve as demonstration sites. Applicants needed to show advanced adoption of electronic health records (EHRs), strong HIE capacity, and concrete readiness to use health IT as a tool for broader delivery system improvements, including care coordination, workflow redesign, and performance measurement with monitoring and feedback. In other words, the program aimed to accelerate and validate what was already working in mature environments, then translate those lessons into guidance the rest of the country could apply as other regions expanded EHR use and connectivity.
Funding was offered through cooperative agreements, meaning the federal government expected an active partnership role rather than a hands-off grant relationship. The total estimated funding amount was $30,375,000, with individual awards expected to fall between an award floor of $10,000,000 and an award ceiling of $18,000,000. ONC anticipated making awards to approximately two qualified recipients that represented geographic health care communities, and projects were planned to run over a 31-month performance period. There was no cost sharing or matching requirement stated for applicants, which lowered the barrier for eligible organizations to compete while still requiring them to demonstrate significant existing capability and readiness.
Eligibility was broad across public and nonprofit sectors, reflecting the community-wide nature of health IT infrastructure work. Eligible applicants included state, county, and city or township governments; special district governments; federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations; nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education in the "without 501(c)(3)" category); and both public/state-controlled and private institutions of higher education. This range allowed different local governance models, health coalitions, and anchor institutions to serve as the formal applicant, as long as they could legitimately represent and convene the broader health care community needed to execute community-level exchange and improvement activities.
Operationally, the program focused on advancing three interrelated competency areas over the project period: health IT and exchange infrastructure, workflow redesign and care coordination, and quality monitoring with feedback. The expectation was that participating Beacon Communities would not only improve their own systems, but also generate practical, transferable knowledge. ONC emphasized dissemination of lessons learned both within and across participating communities so that other U.S. regions could replicate effective approaches to building and leveraging health IT for health care improvement. The opportunity was posted May 26, 2010 (created May 27, 2010), with an application closing date of June 28, 2010, and it was later archived on September 7, 2010. For support accessing the announcement or general inquiries, applicants were directed to contact ONC as the program office for the Beacon Community Program.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1) What is the ARRA Beacon Community Cooperative Agreement Program?
The ARRA Beacon Community Cooperative Agreement Program (Funding Opportunity Number HHS 2010 ONC BC 006; CFDA 93.727) was a discretionary federal grant opportunity administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC). It was designed to invest in a small number of high-performing, geographically defined health care communities to strengthen health information technology (health IT) infrastructure and health information exchange (HIE) capabilities.
2) What was the main purpose of this funding opportunity?
The central purpose was to accelerate and validate strong, already-mature community health IT and HIE environments and demonstrate practical, near-term models of a connected, data-driven health system. The program aimed for hospitals, clinicians, and patients to be meaningful users of health IT and for communities to document measurable gains in quality, safety, efficiency, and population health outcomes.
3) Who administered the program?
The program was administered by ONC within HHS (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services).
4) What does it mean that this was a "cooperative agreement"?
Funding was offered through cooperative agreements, meaning the federal government anticipated an active partnership role rather than a hands-off grant relationship.
5) Was this opportunity intended for communities that were just starting health IT or HIE work?
No. A key feature was that it was not intended for communities starting from scratch. ONC explicitly sought communities that were already national leaders and could credibly serve as demonstration sites.
6) What types of readiness or existing capabilities were expected from applicants?
Applicants were expected to demonstrate advanced adoption of electronic health records (EHRs), strong HIE capacity, and readiness to use health IT to support delivery system improvements such as care coordination, workflow redesign, and performance measurement with monitoring and feedback.
7) What outcomes or improvements were Beacon Communities expected to show?
The program emphasized communities being able to document measurable gains in quality, safety, efficiency, and population health outcomes, supported by meaningful use of health IT and stronger community-level connectivity.
8) What were the main focus areas or competency areas for projects?
Projects focused on advancing three interrelated competency areas over the project period:
- Health IT and exchange infrastructure
- Workflow redesign and care coordination
- Quality monitoring with feedback
9) How much total funding was estimated to be available?
The total estimated funding amount was $30,375,000.
10) What was the expected size of individual awards?
Individual awards were expected to range from an award floor of $10,000,000 to an award ceiling of $18,000,000.
11) How many awards did ONC expect to make?
ONC anticipated making awards to approximately two qualified recipients that represented geographic health care communities.
12) How long was the project performance period?
Projects were planned to run over a 31-month performance period.
13) Was cost sharing or matching required?
No cost sharing or matching requirement was stated for applicants.
14) Who was eligible to apply?
Eligibility was broad across public and nonprofit sectors. Eligible applicants included:
- State governments
- County governments
- City or township governments
- Special district governments
- Federally recognized tribal governments
- Other tribal organizations
- Nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status
- Nonprofit organizations without 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education in this category)
- Public/state-controlled institutions of higher education
- Private institutions of higher education
15) Did applicants need to represent a specific type of project area?
Yes. ONC anticipated awarding to recipients that represented geographically defined health care communities, reflecting the community-wide nature of health IT infrastructure and HIE work.
16) Could a university or college apply?
Yes. Both public/state-controlled and private institutions of higher education were listed as eligible applicants. The eligibility list also notes that nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status excluded institutions of higher education in that specific category.
17) Why was eligibility broad across government, tribal, nonprofit, and higher education organizations?
The program emphasized community-wide health IT and HIE infrastructure work. The broad eligibility allowed different local governance models, coalitions, and anchor institutions to serve as the formal applicant, as long as they could represent and convene the broader health care community needed to carry out community-level exchange and improvement activities.
18) What was ONC trying to achieve beyond the funded communities themselves?
Beyond improving local systems, Beacon Communities were expected to generate practical, transferable knowledge. ONC emphasized dissemination of lessons learned so other regions could replicate effective approaches as EHR use and connectivity expanded nationwide.
19) When was the opportunity posted and when did it close?
The opportunity was posted May 26, 2010 (created May 27, 2010). The application closing date was June 28, 2010.
20) Is this funding opportunity still active?
No. The opportunity was later archived on September 7, 2010.
21) What identifiers are associated with this funding opportunity?
The opportunity was identified as Funding Opportunity Number HHS 2010 ONC BC 006 and CFDA 93.727.
22) Who could be contacted for support or general questions about the announcement?
Applicants were directed to contact ONC as the program office for the Beacon Community Program for support accessing the announcement or for general inquiries.
23) What kind of health system model did the program aim to showcase?
The program aimed to showcase a practical, near-term model of a more connected, data-driven health system where hospitals, clinicians, and patients are meaningful users of health IT, supported by community-level HIE, and capable of tracking measurable improvements in outcomes and performance.
24) What types of improvement activities were specifically mentioned as expectations?
The opportunity highlighted delivery system improvements enabled by health IT, including care coordination, workflow redesign, and performance measurement with monitoring and feedback.
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