Minority Research Grant Program

OMHGrants@cms.hhs.gov

The Minority Research Grant Program provides grants to encourage innovative health services research that can directly contribute to the improvement of health outcomes for people from all minority populations, which includes racial and ethnic minorities, people with disabilities, LGBTQ+ individuals, people with limited English proficiency, rural populations, and individuals adversely affected by persistent poverty or inequality.

Research topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

• Cognitive testing and cross-cultural validation of translated standardized demographic and/or social determinants of health questions in kidney dialysis facilities, hospice, or hospitals
• Strategies to address preparedness for, response to, and recovery from public health emergencies, such as COVID-19, and their disproportionate impact on minority groups
• Public health interventions designed to meet the needs of people with disabilities and/or people with limited English proficiency (such as telehealth, exercise, life skills, health coaches, nutrition, and preventive healthcare)
• Developing, adapting, and testing culturally and linguistically tailored programs covered by Medicare, Medicaid, and Marketplace for racial and ethnic minorities, sexual and gender minorities, people with disabilities, and/or individuals residing in rural areas
• Research bias in healthcare algorithms that are relevant to Medicare, Medicaid, and/or Marketplace programs and test best practices to address bias in algorithms
• Research of the impact of COVID-19 disparities on racial and ethnic minority women, infants, and/or children enrolled in Medicaid and CHIP and test interventions that are reimbursable by Medicaid or CHIP to promote health equity
• Drivers of behavioral, social, environmental, or community/population-based studies that create health instability among minority populations
• Research strategies and promising practices to address the compounded inequities of urban and/or rural residents and the intersection of racial and ethnic minorities, disability, language preference, sexual and gender minorities

Eligible applicants are private, public, and state-controlled institutions of higher education, including:

• Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)
• Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs)
• Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs)
• Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs)
• Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions (ANNHs)
• Native American-Serving Non-Tribal Institutions (NASNTIs)
• Predominantly Black Institutions (PBIs)

Award ceiling: $1,000,000
Project period: 2 years
Estimated number of awards: 3

CMS requires that applicants provide cost-sharing equal to at least 1% of the award amount, which may be satisfied through in-kind contributions.

Links to the full announcement and online application process are available through grants.gov. The application instructions will be found on the related documents tab.

While not required, potential applicants are encouraged to email a letter of intent to OMHGrants@cms.hhs.gov by June 13, 2023.