Opportunity Information: Apply for HRSA 16 185
Apply for HRSA 16 185
- The HHS-HRSA in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Improving Access to Care: Using Community Health Workers to Improve Linkage and Retention in HIV Care" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.914.
- This funding opportunity was created on May 03, 2016 and posted on May 03, 2016.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 12, 2016. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, 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 (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
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Opportunity Summary:
The grant opportunity "Improving Access to Care: Using Community Health Workers to Improve Linkage and Retention in HIV Care" (HRSA-16-185) is a fiscal year 2016 cooperative agreement from HHS HRSA that funds one organization to operate as a Technical Assistance and Evaluation Center (TAEC) for a three-year national initiative. The central purpose is to expand and strengthen the use of community health workers (CHWs) as part of HIV care teams, with the practical aim of getting more people living with HIV linked to medical care, keeping them in ongoing care, and improving outcomes such as retention and viral suppression. A major emphasis is health equity: the initiative is designed to improve care and outcomes specifically among racial and ethnic minority populations, with attention to groups like African Americans and Latinos and, where relevant, subpopulations such as young men who have sex with men, youth, and people with substance use issues. The initiative is closely tied to the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP), since RWHAP-funded medical provider sites are the primary targets for support and implementation.
Under this model, the TAEC is not just delivering general guidance; it is expected to run a structured, multi-layered support system that helps HIV medical provider sites actually build and integrate CHW programs into a multidisciplinary HIV primary care setting. The TAEC must deliver three main levels of capacity-building: direct technical assistance, broader webinars or webcasts, and at least one learning collaborative made up of multiple learning sessions. Together, these components are meant to move sites from interest and planning to real implementation, while also building long-term organizational capacity so CHW models can continue after the cooperative agreement ends.
A key deliverable is intensive direct technical assistance to up to ten RWHAP medical provider sites. These sites are meant to be located in jurisdictions showing low retention in care and/or low viral suppression rates based on 2014 Ryan White Services Report (RSR) data, particularly among racial and ethnic minority communities. The TAEC selects the sites in consultation with HRSA HIV/AIDS Bureau (HAB) and then administers subawards to those sites to help them develop and implement CHW programs. The sites must show clear need and readiness, demonstrate organizational commitment, and show that they can sustain a CHW model beyond the project period. They also must fully cooperate with the initiative-wide evaluation. The announcement also places boundaries on how subaward funds can be used, noting that selected sites may not use the subaward to cover an entire personnel salary, which encourages sites to build blended and sustainable financing approaches rather than relying solely on the project funds.
Site selection is intended to be deliberate and data-informed. Beyond identified need (low retention or low viral suppression in priority populations), the TAEC is expected to consider geographic distribution across the United States, including both rural and urban settings, so that lessons learned are not limited to one type of community or region. The final criterion is the site s interest and capacity, including its willingness to integrate CHWs into an HIV multidisciplinary team model and participate in a multi-site evaluation. In practice, this means the TAEC is expected to choose sites that both need the support and can realistically implement and maintain a CHW program, generating credible and transferable lessons for the field.
While direct technical assistance is reserved for the selected ten sites, the TAEC also has a broader field-building responsibility through webinars and webcasts. These remote training offerings are meant for any HIV medical provider interested in learning how to start, develop, or strengthen a CHW component, with a clear focus on how CHWs fit into HIV care and treatment teams. This part of the initiative functions as a dissemination channel, spreading knowledge beyond the small group of subaward sites and helping standardize effective approaches across many providers.
The learning collaborative component is designed to go deeper than one-way training. The collaborative approach is built on peer exchange and shared problem-solving, where participating organizations, providers, and CHWs learn from one another by comparing implementation experiences, testing ideas, and identifying practical solutions to common barriers. Topics are expected to include the core elements of building and running CHW programs in HIV settings, how to integrate CHWs into care teams, how to build provider capacity to support CHWs effectively, and how to address real-world challenges while capturing lessons learned. Each learning session is expected to end with concrete action steps for participants to carry out before the next session, so the collaborative becomes an engine for continuous improvement rather than just discussion. The announcement also notes that SMAIF funds may be used to provide stipends to organizations with successful CHW programs to help lead these collaborative efforts, which is a way to elevate proven practitioners and keep the training grounded in what works.
Evaluation is another core responsibility of the TAEC, not an add-on. The TAEC must design and implement an evaluation that assesses both (1) the effectiveness of the TAEC s own activities (direct TA, webinars, and collaboratives) and (2) the effectiveness of the CHW programs developed at the direct TA sites. Because the initiative is multi-site, the evaluation is meant to produce comparable information across different care settings and communities, helping HRSA and the field understand what implementation approaches are most effective and what conditions support better HIV care engagement and outcomes.
Finally, the TAEC must produce a CHW Implementation Guide that captures the initiative s practical outputs and makes them usable for other organizations. The guide is expected to include a collection of available CHW resources, lessons learned from both the learning collaboratives and direct technical assistance, detailed information on the components needed to develop and integrate a CHW program within an HIV primary care model, and an evaluation tool that HIV care and treatment settings can use to assess their CHW programs. In other words, the project is structured to leave behind both trained sites and durable products that can help scale CHW integration nationally.
Administratively, this is a discretionary HRSA opportunity in the health category, using a cooperative agreement mechanism, with one expected award and an original and current closing date of July 12, 2016. Eligible applicants include a wide range of government entities (state, county, city or township, special district, independent school districts), certain tribal organizations, and nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations (excluding institutions of higher education), with additional eligibility details referenced in the full announcement. The overall design reflects a national technical assistance hub model: one funded center supports a targeted set of implementation sites through funding and hands-on support, while also providing scalable training to the broader provider community, generating evaluation findings, and publishing tools that can be used well beyond the three-year project window.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the "Improving Access to Care: Using Community Health Workers to Improve Linkage and Retention in HIV Care" opportunity (HRSA-16-185)?
HRSA-16-185 is a fiscal year 2016 HHS HRSA cooperative agreement that funds one organization to serve as a Technical Assistance and Evaluation Center (TAEC) for a three-year national initiative focused on community health workers (CHWs) in HIV care.
What is the main purpose of this cooperative agreement?
The central purpose is to expand and strengthen the use of CHWs as part of HIV care teams in order to improve linkage to HIV medical care, retention in ongoing care, and outcomes such as viral suppression.
How does health equity factor into the initiative?
Health equity is a major emphasis. The initiative is designed to improve HIV care and outcomes specifically among racial and ethnic minority populations, with attention to groups such as African Americans and Latinos and, where relevant, subpopulations including young men who have sex with men, youth, and people with substance use issues.
How is this initiative connected to the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP)?
The initiative is closely tied to the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program because RWHAP-funded medical provider sites are the primary targets for support and implementation of CHW models under this project.
What is the TAEC expected to do (in practical terms)?
The TAEC is expected to operate a structured, multi-layered support system that helps HIV medical provider sites build and integrate CHW programs into multidisciplinary HIV primary care settings. This includes providing hands-on support to selected sites, broader remote training to the field, and a learning collaborative for peer exchange and shared problem-solving.
What are the three main levels of capacity-building the TAEC must provide?
The TAEC must deliver: (1) direct technical assistance, (2) broader webinars or webcasts, and (3) at least one learning collaborative composed of multiple learning sessions.
How many provider sites can receive intensive, direct technical assistance?
Up to ten RWHAP medical provider sites may receive intensive direct technical assistance through the TAEC.
Which sites are prioritized for direct technical assistance?
Sites are intended to be located in jurisdictions with low retention in care and/or low viral suppression rates based on 2014 Ryan White Services Report (RSR) data, particularly among racial and ethnic minority communities.
Who selects the direct technical assistance sites?
The TAEC selects the sites in consultation with the HRSA HIV/AIDS Bureau (HAB).
What is the role of subawards in this initiative?
The TAEC administers subawards to the selected provider sites to help them develop and implement CHW programs.
Are there restrictions on how subaward funds can be used by selected sites?
Yes. The announcement notes boundaries on subaward spending, including that selected sites may not use the subaward to cover an entire personnel salary. This is intended to encourage blended and sustainable financing approaches rather than relying solely on project funds.
What kinds of readiness or commitment must sites demonstrate to be selected?
Selected sites are expected to show clear need and readiness, demonstrate organizational commitment, indicate an ability to sustain a CHW model beyond the project period, and fully cooperate with the initiative-wide evaluation.
Does geographic distribution matter when choosing sites?
Yes. Beyond need-based criteria, the TAEC is expected to consider geographic distribution across the United States, including both rural and urban settings, to ensure lessons learned are not limited to one type of community or region.
What does it mean for a site to integrate CHWs into a multidisciplinary HIV care team?
In this opportunity, integration means building CHW functions into an HIV primary care team model so CHWs are part of how the care setting supports linkage, retention, and patient outcomes, rather than operating separately from the clinical team.
Can organizations that are not selected as one of the ten direct TA sites still benefit from the project?
Yes. While direct technical assistance is reserved for the selected sites, the TAEC is also responsible for offering webinars and webcasts intended for any HIV medical provider interested in starting, developing, or strengthening a CHW component.
What are the webinars or webcasts expected to cover?
These remote trainings are meant to share practical guidance on how to start, develop, or strengthen CHW components in HIV care, with a clear focus on how CHWs fit into HIV care and treatment teams.
What is the learning collaborative, and how is it different from webinars?
The learning collaborative is designed to be deeper and more interactive than one-way training. It emphasizes peer exchange and shared problem-solving, where participating organizations, providers, and CHWs learn from one another by comparing implementation experiences, testing ideas, and developing practical solutions to common barriers.
What topics are expected to be addressed in the learning collaborative?
Expected topics include core elements of building and running CHW programs in HIV settings, integrating CHWs into care teams, building provider capacity to support CHWs effectively, addressing real-world implementation challenges, and capturing lessons learned.
Do learning collaborative sessions require participants to take action between sessions?
Yes. Each learning session is expected to end with concrete action steps that participants carry out before the next session, supporting continuous improvement rather than discussion-only participation.
Can funds be used to support organizations with successful CHW programs to help lead collaborative efforts?
Yes. The announcement notes that SMAIF funds may be used to provide stipends to organizations with successful CHW programs to help lead learning collaborative efforts, helping keep training grounded in proven practice.
What are the TAEC's evaluation responsibilities?
Evaluation is a core responsibility. The TAEC must design and implement an evaluation that assesses both (1) the effectiveness of the TAEC activities (direct TA, webinars, and collaboratives) and (2) the effectiveness of the CHW programs developed at the direct technical assistance sites.
Why is a multi-site evaluation emphasized?
Because the initiative spans multiple provider sites, the evaluation is intended to generate comparable information across different care settings and communities, helping identify which implementation approaches are most effective and what conditions support improved HIV care engagement and outcomes.
What is the CHW Implementation Guide deliverable?
The TAEC must produce a CHW Implementation Guide that captures practical outputs and makes them usable for other organizations beyond the project sites.
What content is expected in the CHW Implementation Guide?
The guide is expected to include a collection of available CHW resources, lessons learned from learning collaboratives and direct technical assistance, detailed information on components needed to develop and integrate a CHW program within an HIV primary care model, and an evaluation tool that HIV care settings can use to assess their CHW programs.
How many awards are expected under this opportunity?
One award is expected. The model is designed around a single national technical assistance hub (the TAEC).
What kind of funding mechanism is used?
This is a discretionary HRSA opportunity using a cooperative agreement mechanism.
What is the project period for the initiative?
The initiative is described as a three-year national effort, with the TAEC funded to operate across that period.
Who is eligible to apply for the cooperative agreement?
Eligible applicants include a range of government entities (state, county, city or township, special district, independent school districts), certain tribal organizations, and nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations (excluding institutions of higher education). Additional eligibility details are referenced in the full announcement.
What is the closing date listed for this opportunity?
The original and current closing date is July 12, 2016.
What is the overall design or "hub" model behind this project?
The opportunity reflects a national technical assistance hub model: one funded center supports a targeted set of implementation sites through subawards and hands-on assistance, provides scalable training to the broader provider community, generates evaluation findings, and publishes practical tools intended for use beyond the three-year project window.
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