Health Careers Opportunity Program: The National HCOP Academies

Background
The Health Careers Opportunity Program (HCOP): National HCOP Academies, authorized by Section 739 of the Public Health Service Act, aims to assist students from disadvantaged backgrounds to enter and successfully complete health profession schools. The program prepares students to meet admissions requirements for the next level of their education and receive a health professions degree or certificate. The goals include improving recruitment, matriculation, retention, and graduation rates by implementing tailored enrichment programs designed to address the academic and social needs of students from disadvantaged backgrounds and providing opportunities for community-based experiential health professions training, emphasizing experiences in underserved communities.

Grant Details
The National HCOP Academies will fund programs that work to improve recruitment, matriculation, retention, and graduation rates by implementing tailored enrichment programs that address the academic and social needs of trainees from disadvantaged backgrounds. It also provides opportunities for community-based experiential health professions training, emphasizing experiences in underserved communities. A funding preference is available to applicants who partner with several public or private health or educational entities to establish, enhance, and expand educational programs that produce a competitive applicant pool of individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Eligibility Requirements
Eligible applicants include accredited schools of medicine, osteopathic medicine, public health, dentistry, veterinary medicine, optometry, pharmacy, allied health, chiropractic, podiatric medicine, public and nonprofit private schools that offer graduate programs in behavioral and mental health, programs for the training of physician assistants, and other public or private nonprofit health or educational entities including community colleges, technical colleges, and tribal colleges.
Nursing schools and programs are not eligible to apply for this funding opportunity.

Period of Performance
The period of performance is from September 1, 2023 through August 31, 2028 (5 years).

Grant Value
$13,500,000 is estimated to be available annually to fund approximately 21 recipients. Each award can be up to $650,000 per year subject to the availability of appropriated funds.

Place of Performance
Eligible entities must be located within the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the Republic of Palau, Republic of the Marshall Islands,
and the Federated States of Micronesia.