AUTHORIZATION:

Public Health Service Act, Title VII, Section 738(b), 42 U.S.C. 293, as amended; Health Professions Education Partnerships Act of 1998, Public Law 105-392.

OBJECTIVES:

The purpose of the Minority Faculty Fellowship Program is to assist eligible entities in increasing the number of underrepresented minority faculty at health professions schools. The applicant school shall demonstrate its ability to: (1) identify, recruit, and select under-represented minority individuals who have potential for teaching, administration, or conducting research at health professions schools; (2) provide such individuals with the skills necessary to enable them to: (a) secure a tenured faculty position, or its equivalent, according to the policies of the school; (b) learn pedagogical skills and program administration; (c) design and conduct research; (d) write grants; and (e) prepare articles prepare articles suitable for publication in peer reviewed journals; (3) provide services designed to assist such individuals in their preparation for an academic career, including provision of counselors; and 4) enable the fellow to provide health services to rural and/or medically underserved populations.

TYPES OF ASSISTANCE:

Direct Payments for Specified Use Place Cursor Here for Definition

Project Grants Place Cursor Here for Definition

USES AND USE RESTRICTIONS:

FLRP - Funds will be used to repay qualifying health professions educational loans consisting of principal and interest on loans incurred by the applicant while enrolled in a school in return for serving a minimum of least 2 years as a full-time or part-time faculty member at one of the following accredited health profession schools: medicine, nursing, osteopathic medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, podiatric medicine, optometry, veterinary medicine, public health, or a school that offers a graduate program in clinical psychology, and certain allied health programs. MFFP - To be able to receive an MFFP grant under section 738 (b) of the Public Health Service Act, an entity should provide an assurance in the application that: (1) Amounts received under the grant will be used to award a fellowship to the individual only if the individual meets the requirements outlined in the Fellow Eligibility Criteria. (2) Each fellowship award will include a stipend in an amount not exceeding 50 percent of the regular salary of a faculty member not to exceed 3 years of training; an allowance for other expenses such as travel to professional meetings and costs related to specialized training.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:

Applicant Eligibility:   FLRP - Individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds who (1) have a degree in medicine, osteopathic medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, podiatric medicine, optometry, veterinary medicine, nursing, graduate public health, selected allied health or graduate behavioral and mental health; (2) are enrolled in an approved graduate training program in one of the health professions listed above; (3) are enrolled as full-time students in accredited institutions described above and in the final course of study or program leading to a degree from the institution. MFFP - Eligible applicants are accredited health profession schools of allopathic and osteopathic medicine, nursing, dentistry, veterinary medicine, optometry, allied health, public health, podiatric medicine, pharmacy, and schools offering graduate programs in behavioral and mental health. To be eligible to receive the grant the applicant shall: (1) Provide assurance that such applicant will make available (directly through cash donations) $1 for every $1l of Federal funds received under section 738 of the Public Health Service Act. (2) provide an assurance that institutional support will be provided for the individual for the second and third year at a level that is equal to the total amount of institutional funds provided in the year in which the grant or contract was awarded. (3) provide an assurance that the individual that will receive the fellowship will be a member of the faculty of the applicant school. (4) provide an assurance that the individual that will receive the fellowship will have, at a minimum, appropriate advanced preparation (such as a master's or doctor degree) and special skills necessary to enable such individuals to teach and practice.

Beneficiary Eligibility:   FLRP - Individuals who are from disadvantaged backgrounds. MFFP - Fellowship recipients must meet the following conditions: (1) Must fall under the definition of underrepresented minority individuals' (URM). URM is defined as racial and ethnic populations who are under-represented in the designated health profession discipline relative to the number of individuals who are members of the population involved. This definition would include Black or African American, American Indian or Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, Hispanic or Latino, and any Asian other than Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Korean, Asian Indian or Thai. (2) the fellow must be a U.S. citizen, non-citizen national, or foreign national who possesses a visa permitting permanent residence in the United States, except in the case of programs specifically designed for support of foreign nationals. Individuals on temporary or student visas are not eligible to receive PHS fellowship or training grant support.

Credentials/Documentation:   Applicants should review the individual HRSA Guidance documents issued under this CFDA program for any required proof or certifications which must be submitted prior to or simultaneous with submission of an application package. This program is excluded from coverage under OMB Circular No. A-87.

Pre-application Coordination:   Preapplication coordination is required. Environmental impact information is not required for this program. This program is excluded from coverage under E.O. 12372.

Application Procedure:   This program is excluded from coverage under OMB Circular No. A-102. OMB Circular No. A-110 applies to this program. HRSA requires all applicants to apply electronically through Grants.gov.

All qualified applications will be forwarded to an objective review committee. Based on the advice of the objective review committee, the HRSA program official with delegated authority is responsible for final selection and funding decisions.

Award Procedure:   FLRP - FLRP awards are based on a percentage of the eligible applicant's total debt. Payments are made to individuals via electronic direct deposit. MFFP - Based upon the availability of funds, notice of awards are issued to the eligible schools which in turn distribute the awards to the fellow(s).

Deadlines:   Contact the headquarters or regional office, as appropriate, for application deadlines.

Range of Approval/Disapproval Time:   

Two to three months after application due date.

Appeals:   

Not Applicable.

Renewals:   

Not Applicable.

	back to top

ASSISTANCE CONSIDERATIONS:

Formula and Matching Requirements:   

This program has no statutory formula. Matching Requirements: Percent: 50.%. FLRP - The employing institution is required for each year of service to make payments in an amount equal to the amount of principal and interest payments made by the Secretary. These payments must be in addition to the recipient’s salary the individuals otherwise would receive. However, the Secretary may waive this requirement if it is determined that it would impose an undue financial hardship on the institution involved. A consideration for waiver will be based on required documentation submitted by the institution which must include financial statements to support hardship. MFFP: Applicants must: (1) provide assurance that such applicant will make available (directly through cash donations) $1 for every $1 of Federal funds received under section 738 of the Public Health Service Act; (2) provide an assurance that institutional support will be provided for the individual for the second and third year at a level that is equal to the total amount of institutional funds provided in the year in which the grant or contract was awarded; (3) provide an assurance that the individual who will receive the fellowship will be a member of the faculty of the applicant school; and (4) provide an assurance that the individual who will receive the fellowship will have, at a minimum, appropriate advanced preparation (such as a master's or doctoral degree) and special skills necessary to enable such individuals to teach and practice. This program does not have MOE requirements.

Length and Time Phasing of Assistance:   

FLRP - Assistance is availabe during the time specified in the contract. MFFP support is limited to a 3-year project period. See the following for information on how assistance is awarded/released: Grantees drawdown funds, as necessary, from the Payment Management System (PMS). PMS is the centralized web based payment system for HHS awards. FLRP - Awards are based on a percentage of the eligible applicant's total debt. Payments are made to individuals via electronic direct deposit.

POST ASSISTANCE REQUIREMENTS:

Reports:   FLRP recipients are required to annually provide documentation demonstrating that funds were used to repay educational loans. No cash reports are required. Grantees are required to submit a Uniformed Progress Report annually to the Division of Diversity and Interdisciplinary Education, Bureau of Health Professions. No expenditure reports are required. No performance monitoring is required.

Audits:   In accordance with the provisions of OMB Circular No. A-133 (Revised, June 27, 2003), "Audits of States, Local Governments, and Non-Profit Organizations," nonfederal entities that expend financial assistance of $500,000 or more in Federal awards will have a single or a program-specific audit conducted for that year. Nonfederal entities that expend less than $500,000 a year in Federal awards are exempt from Federal audit requirements for that year, except as noted in Circular No. A-133.

Records:   Grantees are required to maintain grant accounting records for 3 years after the date they submit the FSR. If any litigation, claim, negotiation, audit, or other action involving the award has been started before the expiration of the 3-year period, the records shall be retained until completion of the action and resolution of all issues which arise from it, or until the end of the regular 3-year period, whichever is later.

FINANCIAL INFORMATION:

Account Identification:  

75-0350-0-1-550.

Obligations:   (Project Grants) FY 15 $1,104,410; FY 16 est $1,190,000; and FY 17 est $1,190,000

Range and Average of Financial Assistance:  

FLRP - Range for FY15 $3,668 to $59,853; Average: $52,590.

	back to top