How to Apply for a HHS Grant
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has approximately 300 grant programs, most of which are administered in a decentralized manner by several agencies. Each agency is responsible for publishing and distributing announcements to the public about the availability of funding for its grant programs. These program announcements, except for those prepared by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and some discretionary grant programs administered by the Health Resources amd Services Administration (HRSA), are published in the Federal Register. Due to the specialized nature of NIH's applicant community and its large volume of announcements, the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts is the vehicle used to announce its funding opportunities. HRSA relies on its Preview guide to profile many of its discretionary grant programs rather than publishing individual program announcements in the Federal Register. The Preview guide is, however, published in the Federal Register, as well as being available in hardcopy and electronic formats and provides contacts for more detailed informtion about individual grant programs and application kits.
The Federal Register and NIH Guide are published respectively, on a daily and weekly basis in electronic formats. The HRSA Preview is published periodically during the year. Electronic access to the NIH Guide, and the HRSA Preview guide are available on-line through the GrantsNet (see: "Search for Funding Opportunities" at http://www.hhs.gov/grantsnet/searchfunding.htm).
Prospective applicants should consult these publications for finding information on grant program availability and the deadlines for submitting applications to the sponsoring Federal agency. Each grant program announcement lists a specific contact within the grant-making agency. This person or office can answer any questions about the program, as well as provide application forms.
The Department of Agriculture maintains an Internet site linked to announcements for funding opportunities published in the Federal Register, relating to programs that focus on rural areas. This site, "Notice of Funding Availability" can be accessed via GrantsNet, under the section "Search for Funding" or directly at the following Internet address:
One may also wish to search the electronic version of the Federal Register to locate specific program announcements for those funding areas of interest. The Internet address for accessing the electronic version of the Federal Register is as follows:
http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/aces/aces140.html
Last Revised: August 8, 2001