Federal Grants

In the past few years, some federal grant money has been available to states to subsidize or establish high risk pools, to enable people to move from nursing homes to community placements (Money Follows the Person grants), and for various maternal and child health programs.  Grant opportunities appear annually within the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (http://www.cms.hhs.gov/) and Health Resources and Services Administration (http://www.hrsa.gov/).

The Web site www.grants.gov lists federal grant opportunities, which can be sorted by category (e.g., health), agency (e.g., HHS), or keyword.  However, if your state is interested in a particular type of grant that is awarded annually (such as a high-risk pool grant or a money-follows-the-person grant to deinstitutionalize nursing home residents) it is wise to be in touch with the relevant federal agency throughout the year (in these examples, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services award both grants).  This will help the state understand the grant proposal requirements so that the state can prepare to submit a proposal when the funding opportunity is actually posted as "open".  Some grant proposals will require extensive preparation - such as public input on a plan or legislative approval for a proposed program.