Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students

Background
The Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students (SDS) program is administered by the Bureau of Health Workforce under the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). Its mission is to increase diversity in the health professions and nursing workforce by providing financial awards to eligible health professions schools. The goal of the grant is to support students from disadvantaged backgrounds who have financial need, including those from racial and ethnic minority groups. This initiative aims to enhance their access to health profession degrees.

Grant Details
The SDS program provides funding for health professions schools to award scholarships to eligible students. Key tasks include:

1) Providing scholarships that may be used for tuition, educational expenses, and living expenses;
2) Ensuring that scholarships do not exceed $50,000 per academic year for dental students and $40,000 for other health and nursing students;
3) Prioritizing students facing severe financial hardship;
4) Maintaining a commitment to recruit and retain students from disadvantaged backgrounds;
5) Providing clinical training placements in primary care or medically underserved communities;
6) Participating in evaluations designed to assess program effectiveness.

Eligibility Requirements
Eligible applicants include accredited schools of medicine, osteopathic medicine, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, physical therapy, podiatric medicine, optometry, veterinary medicine, public health, chiropractic, or allied health programs. Non-profit and for-profit institutions as well as Native American tribal organizations are also eligible. Applicants must demonstrate a commitment to recruiting and retaining students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Period of Performance
The period of performance spans five years from July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2030. Funding will be provided in five 12-month budget periods.

Grant Value
The total expected funding available for FY 2025 is approximately $51,470,000 with an estimated number of awards being around 85 grants. Each grant can provide up to $650,000 per year.

Place of Performance
The grant activities will be performed across various accredited health professions schools located within the United States.