Regional Data Models Funding (Minnesota Public Health Infrastructure Fund)

Regional Data Models Funding (Minnesota Public Health Infrastructure Fund) is sponsored by Minnesota Department of Health (MDH). Strengthens regional capacity to access, collect, analyze, manage, share, and use data to inform public health practice by building and sustaining regional data models.

Regional Data Models Funding - MN Dept. of Health Transforming Minnesota's Public Health System Home: System Transformation Framework of Foundational Responsibilities Definitions, Criteria, and Standards for Fulfillment Minn.

Infrastructure Fund and Local Innovation Projects Governance Groups and Communities of Practice Tribal Public Health Capacity and Infrastructure FPHR Grant: Funding for Foundational Responsibilities Reports, Fact Sheets, Resources News & Blog: Public Health System Transformation Update Center for Public Health Practice Transforming Minnesota's Public Health System Home: System Transformation Framework of Foundational Responsibilities Definitions, Criteria, and Standards for Fulfillment Minn.

Infrastructure Fund and Local Innovation Projects Governance Groups and Communities of Practice Tribal Public Health Capacity and Infrastructure FPHR Grant: Funding for Foundational Responsibilities Reports, Fact Sheets, Resources News & Blog: Public Health System Transformation Update Center for Public Health Practice Transforming the Public Health System in Minnesota Contact the Joint Leadership Team and Staff Transforming the Public Health System in Minnesota Contact the Joint Leadership Team and Staff Regional Data Models Funding Community health boards and Tribes are invited to apply collaboratively for regional data model funding through the Minnesota Public Health Infrastructure Fund.

These funds are intended to strengthen regional capacity to access, collect, analyze, manage, share, and use data to inform public health practice by building and sustaining regional data models. Applications will be accepted and reviewed on a quarterly basis. Groups are encouraged to apply for funding when they are ready.

Eligibility and other requirements Frequently asked questions Roadmap: How to develop a regional data model Minnesota Regional Data Model Request for Applications (PDF) : The application itself resides in the REDCap form Regional Data Model Application ; you can find information about this funding opportunity and the application questions below for your reference and planning purposes.

Application Score Sheet Guide (PDF) : This evaluation criteria and scoring sheet provides information on the criteria with which all regional data model applications will be evaluated. Webinar Slides: Regional Data Models Funding Overview, March 2026 (PDF) : This webinar provides a background on regional data models, and information about the regional data models funding opportunity available to community health boards.

All due dates end at 11:59 p. m. June 30, 2026 : Proposals due for projects to begin October 1, 2026.

September 30, 2026 : Proposals due for projects to begin January 1, 2027. December 31, 2026 : Proposals due for projects to begin April 1, 2027. March 30, 2027 : Proposals due for projects to begin April 1, 2027.

The purpose of these funds is to increase local public health capacity to meet the assessment and surveillance foundational public health responsibility by sharing staffing, knowledge, and skills across jurisdictions through planning, implementing, evaluating, and sustaining regional data models.

In its 2021 session, the Minnesota Legislature passed a budget that included $6 million annually for the Commissioner of Health to provide funding for community health boards and Tribal governments to build foundational public health capacity across the state and pilot new organizational models.

MDH consulted with the State Community Health Services Advisory Committee (SCHSAC) in the fall of 2021 and winter of 2022 before releasing the first round of grants. In 2023, SCHSAC, informed by the Joint Leadership Team, approved recommendations for the second round of grant funding. In 2025, SCHSAC approved the recommendation to earmark a portion of Minnesota Public Health Infrastructure Fund for regional data models.

Regional data models have been developed and piloted since the inception of the Minnesota Public Health Infrastructure Fund, and have shown success in increasing a region’s capacity to meet the assessment and surveillance capability within the foundational public health responsibilities. MDH is interested in funding and sustaining regional data models to ensure data capacity statewide. Up to $1.

6 million of the annual Minnesota Public Health Infrastructure Fund can be allocated to regional data models each year. Up to 8 regions across the state can be funded, and each region can receive up to $200,000 per year. MDH will review applications and award contracts so that grant periods align with the state fiscal year whenever possible.

For the purposes of this application, “region” is defined as multiple Community Health Boards and/or Tribes that work together across jurisdictions. MDH will not determine geographical boundaries for a region and encourage participating parties to work together to identify best fit for the group’s collective needs and capacity.

Applicants may choose to work within a predetermined region, such as Local Public Health Association or State Community Health Services Advisory Committee regions, but are not limited to these boundaries and are encouraged to think about new configurations that meet their needs. Eligibility and other requirements Community health boards and Tribes are eligible to apply.

Funds will support projects that implement or sustain a regional data model. A regional data model creates a shared infrastructure to support data access, collection, use, management, and sharing. Data models go beyond datasets and dashboards—they provide the staffing, knowledge, expertise skills, and the necessary infrastructure to increase an entire region's ability to utilize data.

The way a region’s data model is organized will be unique to the needs of the participating jurisdictions. A region may decide a hub-and-spoke model would best serve its needs, or a shared services model would be better.

Successful regional data models have included the following core elements: Focused on creating or increasing capacity to meet the assessment and surveillance foundational public health responsibility through regional staffing, knowledge, skills, and resources. Creates infrastructure for regional sharing and collaboration where each community health board and/or Tribe benefits and has a voice.

Is responsive to the regions' unique context, needs, and relationships. Builds or complements ongoing, successful partnerships, while leveraging regional strengths and assets to eliminate disparities in regional data capacity. A group of community health boards and/or Tribes should collaborate to complete this application to access funding to support a regional data model.

Only one form should be completed per region. You will need to determine the project’s fiscal host by time of contract negotiation. Minnesota Department of Health will not create or enforce any predetermined regional boundaries.

You are encouraged to assess the needs and interest among the participating entities and your communities. Participating community health boards and Tribes and a regions’ geographical boundaries can be adjusted over time. The intent of these funds is to ensure that any community health board or Tribe that wants to be a part of a regional data model, has the opportunity to do so.

MDH will work with community health boards and Tribes to ensure statewide coverage as needed. That said, if a community health board or Tribe is part of more than one application, they will be asked to choose only one Region to be part of. This application will ask generally about your purpose and plan for implementing a regional data model.

Because each region has different needs related to data capacity, the region will work with MDH Center for Public Health Practice staff to plan and submit an initial project plan eight (8) weeks after effective date of contract and adapt that plan throughout the course of the project, as conditions and information change. Each funded project will formally enter into a five (5)-year grant agreement.

The grant agreement will address the conditions of the award, including implementation for the project. Grantee should read the grant agreement, sign, and once signed, comply with all conditions of the grant agreement. Work that begins prior to a fully signed grant agreement will not be reimbursed.

The funded applicant will be legally responsible for assuring implementation of the work plan and compliance with all applicable state requirements including worker's compensation insurance, nondiscrimination, data privacy, budget compliance, and reporting.

Expectations during the grant agreement Selected grantees will be required to: Participate in regular check-ins with staff from the MDH Center for Public Heath Practice by phone/video. Participate in in-person and/or virtual grantee meetings. Be responsive to other evaluation activities to be determined by the MDH Center for Public Health Practice (e.g., occasional written reports, interviews, focus groups, or other activities).

Share information about their work and their lessons learned with others. Submit invoices quarterly. Applicants are required to submit a budget estimate for the first year of the project.

Instructions are embedded into the REDCap form Regional Data Model Application . Grant recipients will be required to submit an annual budget estimate for each year of the grant agreement. Budgets, like workplans, can be adjusted throughout the course of the project.

Grantees will need to provide information about proposed subcontracts in accordance with the Financial Guide for MDH Grants to community health boards.

Incentives and gift cards Taxes, except sales tax on goods and services Lobbyists, political contributions Bad debts, late payment fees, finance charges, or contingency funds Cost of membership dues for state or national affiliated organizations Budget revisions are required whenever there is a change of 10% or more in any line item. Grantees do not need prior approval to move funds that are less than 10% of a budget line item.

There is no match requirement for this funding. Questions : Questions about the funding opportunity, application process, and office hours can be directed to the Center for Public Health Practice at health. ophp@state.

mn. us . Application form : Regional Data Model Application More information on regional data models : Find more information about regional data models, including past informational webinars: Regional Models to Collect, Use, and Share Local Population Health Data .

Frequently asked questions Are there any MDH expectations for number of partners in a region? The participating local public health agencies and the jurisdictions they serve are defined as the “region." MDH will not determine number of partners for a region and encourage participating parties to work together to identify best fit for the group’s collective needs and capacity.

Applicants may choose to work within a predetermined region such as Local Public Health Association or State Community Health Services Advisory Committee regions but are not limited to these boundaries and are encouraged to think about new configurations that meet their needs. In order to reach statewide coverage through eight regional models, a region must include two or more community health boards. How do we get ready to apply?

What should we be doing? A foundational element of regional data models is relationships. The first step is to begin having conversations with other community health boards that may be interested in sharing staffing, knowledge, skills, and resources to meet the assessment and surveillance foundational capabilities.

We encourage you to explore partnerships within and outside pre-existing regions. As you are having conversations with partners, begin to identify data strengths, assets, priorities, needs, opportunities, and capacity gaps. It’s also essential to determine readiness and capacity to participate.

Developing an infrastructure for sharing data resources across jurisdictions is a highly engaged process. While we encourage conversations to begin through a needs assessment lens, once you have partners identified and committed to a process, you can include more formal assessment plans in your application. We recognize that many community health boards have limited capacity.

We encourage partners that are interested, but don’t feel that they have the capacity or readiness to fully engage in this process, to connect with community health boards that feel ready and able to take the lead on the work and indicate their future interest in participation. As the regional data model is developed and matured, partners can be onboarded when they and the regional data model partners are ready.

Regional data models provide a unique opportunity for governmental public health to work collaboratively to update and upgrade the ways we access, collect, analyze, use, manage and share data across our system.

There’s so much to learn from regional data models that can inform system transformation efforts such as developing and sharing best practices, identifying challenges and opportunities for systems change, and piloting and testing new approaches. Some systemwide data challenges will not be automatically addressed through regional data models.

For example, some data access and sharing challenges will require collaboration and systems change work in addition to the work taking place through regional data models. Groups with shared leadership and representation such as the Joint Leadership Team and the SCHSAC Local Public Health Data Modernization Workgroup are well positioned to take on these challenges. Are attachments allowed in the REDCap application?

Is there a way to include attachments? There is not a place to add attachments in the regional data model application in REDCap. Please answer all questions in the given text boxes.

Roadmap: How to develop a regional data model Alt text: How to develop a regional data model Identify regional partners Develop leadership structure Create partner engagement structure Current data capacity across region Develop systems and processes Pilot data model on key data streams or data priorities Provide technical assistance or data services Identify opportunities for improvement