Health Careers Opportunity Program (HCOP)

Health Careers Opportunity Program (HCOP) is a federal grant from HRSA's Bureau of Health Workforce that funds programs helping economically and educationally disadvantaged students develop the skills needed to enter and graduate from health professions training. Also known as the National HCOP Academies, the program provides up to $640,000 per year over five years, with approximately $12. 8 million available for roughly 20 awardees.

Programs must address nine required activities including recruitment, academic preparation, counseling, mentoring, financial aid, and community outreach. Eligible applicants are health professions education programs that address all nine required HCOP activity areas.

HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF The Health Careers Opportunity Program (HCOP), also known as the National HCOP Academies, strives to develop a more competitive applicant pool to build the health professions.

The Program's goal is to provide students from economically and educationally disadvantaged backgrounds who are interested in pursuing a health profession to develop the needed skills to compete for, enter, and graduate from a health or allied health professions program, graduate program in behavioral and mental health, and/or programs for the training of physician assistants.

HCOP strives to improve retention, matriculation and graduation rates by implementing tailored enrichment programs designed to address the academic and social needs of trainees from disadvantaged backgrounds. It also provides opportunities for community-based health professions training, emphasizing experiences in underserved communities.

HCOP focuses on three key milestones of education: (1) graduation from high school; (2) retention and graduation from college; and (3) acceptance, retention, and completion of a health career’s degree program. The Health Careers Opportunity Program (HCOP), also known as the National HCOP Academies, strives to develop a more competitive applicant pool to build the health professions.

The Program's goal is to provide students from economically and educationally disadvantaged backgrounds who are interested in pursuing a health profession to develop the needed skills to compete for, enter, and graduate from a health or allied health professions program, graduate program in behavioral and mental health, and/or programs for the training of physician assistants.

HCOP strives to improve retention, matriculation and graduation rates by implementing tailored enrichment programs designed to address the academic and social needs of trainees from disadvantaged backgrounds. It also provides opportunities for community-based health professions training, emphasizing experiences in underserved communities.

HCOP focuses on three key milestones of education: (1) graduation from high school; (2) retention and graduation from college; and (3) acceptance, retention, and completion of a health career’s degree program.

EDUCATION - GG Health Education EDUCATION - GA Dental Education HEALTH - LO Mental Health HEALTH - LU Veterans Health Public Health Service Act, Title VII, Part C, Section 739 & 740(c), 42 US Code 293(c) & (d) _These funding amounts do not reflect the award amounts that are displayed on USASpending. gov_ **This listing is funded for the current fiscal year.

** **Fiscal Year 2025:** In Academic Year (AY) 2022-2023, the Health Careers Opportunities Program trained 4,805 students pursuing health careers. A total of 3,649 individuals completed their program. A major component of the Health Careers Opportunities Program is the Ambassadors program, a longitudinal, curriculum-based program designed to assist students from disadvantaged backgrounds through the educational pipeline.

A total of 2,801 students participated in an ambassadors program, 1,370 students completed their program, and 558 earned degrees.

Select program outcomes include helping students progress through and advance to the next stage in the health professions pipeline: • 24 percent of high school graduates with follow-up data were accepted into an associate degree program one year after completing their ambassadors program, and 63 percent were accepted into a bachelor’s degree program.

• 35 percent of bachelor’s degree graduates with follow-up data were accepted into a health professions training program one year after completing their ambassadors program, and 45 percent were pursuing health careers.

Applicants should review the individual HRSA Notice of Funding Opportunity issued under this assistance listing for any required proof or certifications which must be submitted prior to or simultaneous with submission of an application package. 2 CFR 200, Subpart E - Cost Principles applies to this program. 2 CFR 200, Subpart E - Cost Principles applies to this program.

U.S. State Government (including the District of Columbia), Eligible applicants include accredited schools of medicine, osteopathic medicine, public health, dentistry, veterinary medicine, optometry, pharmacy, allied health, chiropractic, podiatric medicine, public and nonprofit private schools that offer graduate programs in behavioral and mental health, programs for the training of physician assistants, and other public or private nonprofit health or educational entities including community, technical and tribal colleges.

HCOP grant programs may only operate in the fifty (50) states, the District of Columbia, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the Republic of Palau, Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Federated States of Micronesia. Federally Recognized Indian Tribal Government and Native American Organizations may apply if they are otherwise eligible.

Unrestricted by Individual Type, Eligible participants of the HCOP grant program must a) meet the definition of economically disadvantaged or be from an “educationally disadvantaged” background and b) express an interest in pursuing a health degree program. Individuals must be U.S. citizens, non-citizen nationals, or foreign nationals who possess a visa permitting permanent residence in the United States.

An individual will be determined to be disadvantaged if he or she comes from a background that has inhibited the individual from obtaining the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to enroll in and graduate from a health professions school or program providing education or training in an allied health profession; or comes from a family with an annual income below a level based on low income thresholds according to family size published by the Bureau of the Census, adjusted annually for changes in the Consumer Price Index, and adjusted by the Secretary for use in health professions programs.

Specific Restrictions Determined at NOFO Level Section 739 provides for assisting individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds to undertake education to enter a health or allied health profession.

Grant funds may be used for: (1) recruitment; (2) facilitating entry; (3) counseling, mentoring and other services; (4) preliminary education and health research training; (5) financial aid information dissemination; (6) primary care exposure activities; (7) development of a more competitive applicant pool; (8) stipends; and (9) scholarships.

Indirect costs under training awards will be budgeted and reimbursed at 8 percent of modified total direct costs rather than on the basis of a negotiated rate agreement and are not subject to upward or downward adjustment. Contact the headquarters or regional location, as appropriate for application deadlines Preapplication coordination is not applicable. Environmental impact information is not required for this program.

This program is excluded from coverage under E. O. 12372.

2 CFR 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards applies to this program. Opportunity Posted Location: Grants.

gov Application Procedures Location: NOFO Procedures for assessing the technical merit of grant applications have been instituted to provide an objective review of applications and to assist the applicant in understanding the standards against which each application will be judged.

Critical indicators have been developed for each review criterion to assist the applicant in presenting pertinent information related to that criterion and to provide the reviewer with a standard for evaluation. Competing applications are reviewed by nonfederal reviewers for technical merit recommendations.

Applications will be reviewed and evaluated against the following criteria: (1) Purpose and Need; (2) Response to Program Purpose; (3) Impact; (4) Organizational Information, Resources and Capabilities; and (5) Support Requested. See the most recent Notice of Funding Opportunity for detailed selection criteria. Notification of award is made in writing (electronic) through a Notice of Award.

From 120 to 180 days. Approximately 120 - 180 days after receipt of applications. Depending on Agency priorities and availability of funding, during the final budget year of the approved project period competing continuation applications may be solicited from interested applicants.

The following 2CFR policy requirements apply to this assistance listing: Subpart B, General provisions Subpart C, Pre-Federal Award Requirements and Contents of Federal Awards Subpart D, Post Federal; Award Requirements Subpart E, Cost Principles Subpart F, Audit Requirements The following 2CFR policy requirements are excluded from coverage under this assistance listing: Additional Information: See notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) and notice of award (NOA) for details.

**Financial Reports:**A Federal Financial Report (SF-425) is required according to the schedule in HRSA’s Application Guide. , Frequency: Determined at Time of Award **Progress/Performance Reports :**The recipient will be required to submit annual performance and progress reports, as well as Quarterly Progress Updates. A final report is due within 120 days after the project period ends.

If applicable, the recipient must submit a Tangible Personal Property Report (SF-428) and any related forms within 120 days after the project period ends. New awards (“Type 1”) issued under this notice of funding opportunity are subject to the reporting requirements of the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (FFATA) of 2006 (Pub. L.

109–282), as amended by section 6202 of Public Law 110–252, and implemented by 2 CFR Part 170. Grant and cooperative agreement recipients must report information for each first-tier subaward of $30,000 or more in federal funds and executive total compensation for the recipient’s and subrecipient’s five most highly compensated executives as outlined in Appendix A to 2 CFR Part 170. (The FFATA details are available online at http://www.

hrsa. gov/grants/ffata. html).

Competing continuation recipients may be subject to this requirement and will be so notified in the Notice of Award. , Frequency: Annually Quarterly Project Closeout/Final Report Additional audit requirements: Refer to the link below for 2 CFR Subpart F Audit Requirements. https://www.

ecfr. gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200/subpart-F Additional audit requirements: In accordance with the provisions of 2 CFR 200, Subpart F - Audit Requirements, nonfederal entities that expend financial assistance of $1,000,000 or more in Federal awards will have a single or a program-specific audit conducted for that year.

Non-Federal entities that expend less than $1,000,000 a year in Federal awards are exempt from Federal audit requirements for that year, except as noted in 2 CFR 200. 501. , Frequency: Determined at Time of Award Recipients are required to maintain grant accounting records 3 years from the date they submit the FFR.

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.

Retention Period: 3 Years **Additional Compliance Requirements:** Statutory formula is not applicable to this assistance listing. Matching requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing. This program has MOE requirements, see funding agency for further details.

Additional Information: See NOFO and NOA for details Domestic Assistance Program that uses Core-Based Statistical Area (CBSA): https://bhw. hrsa.

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