Unlocking Funding Opportunities: Keys to Information and Resources
Holly E. Russo, RN, MS
November 06, 2000
Organizations involved in planning, delivering, tracking and improving health are all finding ways in which toemploy technology in their processes from medical records automation, to distance education, all are participating in improving the health care system in some way for the American people.
Ideas are not lacking….
But the monies needed to implement technology into care processes are limited.
Funding Agencies/Organizations
Government– Most abundant source.
– A great deal of materials and information are available in a variety of formats.
– Information about eligibility and review procedures is readily available.
Foundations– Funding depends on
matching specific interests.
– Some foundations make money available to serve specific populations, or geographic area.
– Tend to respond more quickly to new ideas and unique needs.
Don’t overlook however, Business and Industry Identification of corporations, associations
or organizations that will sponsor an activity or research project is difficult.
Finding a funding source will take time, initiative, and persistence.
Information about review procedures may not be readily available.
Where do you start on your quest for information? A good place is the
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) http:www.gsa.gov/fdac/queryfdac.htm
Funding will vary according to what is appropriated to each of the federal agencies.
Office for the Advancement of Telehealth The goal of this program
is to improve access to quality health care services for rural residents and reduce the isolation of rural practitioners and foster integrated systems of care through the use of technology.
www.hrsa.dhhs.gov/telehealth/grantee.htm
Office of Rural Health Policy Funds are available for
projects to support the direct delivery of health care and related services, to expanding services, or to enhance health care service delivery of specific services rather than the development of organizational capabilities.
Technology Opportunities Program, NTIA, DOC TOP promotes the
widespread availability and use of advanced telecommunications technologies in the public and nonprofit sectors.
www.ntia.doc.gov
National Institute of Standards Technology, DOC, Advanced Technology Program (ATP)
NIST’s Advanced Technology Program supports strategic high-risk in cutting edge technologies through a government/private sector partnership program.
www.atp.nist.gov
Office of Mental Health Research Supports research grants
to study mental health problems and risk associated with rural life; ways that the incidence and prevalence can be assessed and lowered; and ways that service delivery can be made more accessible and delivered more economically in rural areas by using telecommunications.
National Library of Medicine, NIH, DHHS Four Programs
– Internet Connections
– Information Access
– Information Systems
– Small Business Innovation Research Program
National Library of Medicine Programs Internet Connection
– Under this program NLM funds domestic public and private, non-profit institutions engages in health science administration, education, and research.
Information Access Grant– Under this program
NLM funds health institutions which have a need for short term assistance to achieve better access to and delivery of health science information through telecommunications technologies.
NLM Programs Continued
Information Systems Grant Program– Provides funds to
academic health science institutions and large hospitals
Small Business Innovation Research Program– Provides support for
research and development of new technologies, which have the potential to succeed as commercial products.
National Institutes of Health www.nih.gov National Cancer Institute, NIH, DHHS-
Multimedia Technology Grants Informatics for the National Heart Attack
Alert
High Performance Computing and Communications, NII, NLM Supports projects that develop and demonstrate
the use of NII in health care, clinical research and public health—I.e., supports test bed networks for linking hospitals, clinics, physician offices, health professional schools, health science libraries, universities, and/or public health authorities.
See specific applications outlines on the NLM web site
HPPC-Biomedical Applications for the NGI, NLM, NIH Supports projects that demonstrate the use
of the NGI capabilities in health care, pubic health and health education, and biomedical, clinical, practitioners’ offices, health professional schools, health sciences libraries, universities, and/or public health authorities to demonstrate revolutionary applications in health care, health education and medical research.
Agency for Health Care Policy and Research, DHHS Research projects examine the availability,
quality and costs of health care services; ways to improve the effectiveness and appropriateness of clinical practice, including the prevention of disease, and other areas of health services research.
www.ahcpr.gov/
National Science Foundation
NSF invests in research and education projects in science and engineering, including computers, Information science and Engineering, Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences.
www.nsf.gov/home/grants.htm
Defense Advanced Research Projects; Dual Applications Program DUAP introduces dual use research and
development approaches into the military services by developing technologies that are military useful and commercially viable for the direct benefit of military use.
www.darpa.mil/baa
Rural Utility Service (RUS), USDA Distance Learning and Telemedicine Grant
Program– Supports projects to encourage, improve and
make affordable for applicants the use of telecommunications, computer networks, and related technologies for rural communities to improve access to education and/or health care services.
– www.usda.gov/rus/dlt/dml.htm
Foundations
According to Miner & Miner (1999) there are over 43,000 private foundations in the United States.
Annually they award over 8 billion dollars.
Foundations must
Give away 5% of their market value assets or interest income each year, whichever is greater.
Follow the 5% rule or they risk losing their tax-exempt status.
Information about Foundations can be located… First try the Foundation
Center at 1-800-424-9836 or visit the web site http://fdncenter.org/grantmaker/contents.html
Another helpful website in which to locate foundations is the Foundation Finder @
http://lnp/fdncenter.org/finder.html
Council on Foundations web sitehttp://www.cof.org/links
Business and Industry
Business and Industry that may be stakeholders in the problems identified may want to be part of the solution, to serve on advisory boards, and provide financial support.
Don’t overlook any of the possibilities.
Universal Service Fund, Universal Service Administration Company A resource that should be mentioned is funding available
to aid in connectivity charges—The Universal Services Fund.– Monies are used to support the difference between urban and rural
telecommunications costs for eligible services.
– Eligibility is limited to public and non-profit health care providers, post-secondary educational institutions offering health care instruction, teaching hospitals, or medical schools, community health centers of health centers providing health care to migrants, local health departments or agency's, community mental health centers, non profit hospitals, rural health clinics, consortia of health providers consisting of one or more of these entities.
For more info: 1-800-229-5476 or www.rhc.universalservice.org
Other Resources
There are many resources available that have not been discussed—some are in electronic form and others are available in paper format.
Reports, Funding Guides, Handbooks are all helpful in identifying funding opportunities and developing strategies.
Next Steps
Identify potential funding sources in which you meet the established eligibility criteria.
Review what is included under eligible costs by these funders.
Next, create a yearly calendar indicating the dates when applicant guidelines and or Requests for Proposals are to be announced, and when applications are due.
Identify
What has been funded in the past, and by whom.
Look at what others have done, speak to them—many times this leads to new ideas or refinement of original ideas.
Speak to the program officers or lead contacts in the organizations you are interested in.
For additional Information
See Telemedicine and
Telehealth: Opportunities and Funding Sources article made available to you today.