Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students (SDS)

For programmatic issues and technical assistance:
Denise Sorrell
301.443.6752
sdsprogram@hrsa.gov

For business, administrative, or fiscal issues:
Reginal Baker
301.945.3937
rbaker@hrsa.gov

Grants.gov contact center:
800.518.4726
support@grants.gov
Self-service knowledge base

HRSA contact center:
877.464.4772
TTY: 877.897.9910
HRSA contact page

SAM.gov:
866.606.8220
Federal service desk

The Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students (SDS) program promotes diversity among health profession students and practitioners by providing scholarships to full-time students with financial need from disadvantaged backgrounds enrolled in health professions and nursing programs.

Participating schools are responsible for selecting scholarship recipients, making reasonable determinations of need, and providing scholarships that do not exceed the allowable costs. Priority consideration will be given to applicants that work to place graduates in medically underserved communities (MUCs).

Program goals and objectives:

• Improving distribution, diversity, and supply of primary care providers
• Improving and strengthening the health professions and nursing workforce
• Improving healthcare access and quality to MUCs
• Increasing the number of graduates practicing in primary care
• Increased retention of full-time students from disadvantaged backgrounds, including students who are members of racial and ethnic minority groups
• Increasing the number of graduates working in MUC

Eligible applicants are accredited programs or schools of medicine, osteopathic medicine, dentistry, nursing (as defined in section 801 of the PHS Act), pharmacy, podiatric medicine, optometry, veterinary medicine, public health, chiropractic, allied health, a school offering a graduate program in behavioral and mental health practice, or an entity providing programs for the training of physician assistants.

To be eligible, applicants must also be carrying out a program to recruit and retain students from disadvantaged backgrounds, including students who are members of racial and ethnic minority groups. Applicants must demonstrate that the program has achieved success based on the percentage of disadvantaged students who are enrolled and have graduated from the school. At least 20% of their enrolled students and graduates must be disadvantaged.

Types of eligible applicants:

• Public health professions schools
• Nonprofit private health professions schools with or without 501(c)(3) IRS status
• For-profit nursing and physician assistant schools
• Native American tribal governments
• Native American tribal organizations

Award ceiling: $650,000 per year
Number of awards: 85
Project period: 5 years
Total funding available: $51,470,000

Links to the full announcement, application instructions, and the online application process are available through grants.gov.