Extramural Coordinated Funding


UM Submission Instructions: Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students 2026

Sponsor:
Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)
Award Title:
Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students
Amount:
$650,000
HRSA plans to fund awards in five budget periods. Budget periods 2-5 will start July 1. The period of performance is September 1, 2026 to June 30, 2031. Your request for budget years 2 to 5 cannot exceed your year 1 request.
UM Deadline:
07/01/2026
Sponsor Deadline:
07/28/2026
Description:
The SDS program aims to support students from disadvantaged backgrounds to increase their access to a health professions degree. Since 2012, 15,054 students successfully graduated with a degree in a health profession after receiving SDS scholarships. In academic years 2024 to 2025, of those graduates with follow-up data, 45 percent worked or trained in medically vulnerable communities one year after graduation and 27 percent in primary care settings. SDS scholarships help reduce financial obstacles for students from disadvantaged backgrounds, which allows them to practice in rural and vulnerable communities.

Program goal: Strengthen the health professions and nursing workforce by supporting students from disadvantaged backgrounds who are more likely to practice in primary care and in medically vulnerable communities.

Program objectives:
• Increase enrollment and retention of full-time students from disadvantaged backgrounds.
• Increase the number of graduates practicing in primary care.
• Increase the number of graduates working in rural, Tribal, and other medically vulnerable communities.
Number of Applicants University is Allowed to submit:
1 per degree program
Additional Requirements:
None
Sponsor Guidelines:
https://www.grants.gov/search-results-detail/361429 (opens in a new window)
UM Nominations Process:
According to the FOA: "You may submit more than one application under the same Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) if each proposes a distinct project. We will only review your last validated application for each distinct project before the deadline. You may not submit more than one application per health professions degree program. If you submit more than one application, we will only accept the last on-time submission. While multiple applications from an institution are allowed, only a maximum of three per institution may be funded. Collaborative proposals are not allowed."

Applications need to be coordinated through each applicant's respective degree programs.
Peer Review Coordination:
Research and Innovation Office contact email
Status:
Applicants accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. Contact us if interested.
Please note:
To be considered for peer review and internal selection, faculty must follow the above submission guidelines and meet the UM deadline as set by the office coordinating the peer review for this opportunity.

General Information


  • Each posting has information about the external sponsor and opportunity as well as the internal application instructions.
  • Opportunities can be sorted by column headings; just click on the heading to re-sort by that column.
  • When a link redirects you to another site, it opens in a new browser window.
  • If you know of an opportunity that is not on the list, please contact Kristin Mead.

Internal Requirements


  • Sponsor: Name of funder.
  • Award Title: Funding opportunity nameAmount: Range/Maximum dollar amount awarded.
  • UMN Deadline: Submission deadline for internal proposal as determined by the coordinating office.
  • Sponsor Deadline: External deadline identified by the sponsor.
  • Description: General information about the sponsor and the funding opportunity. Usually describes the purpose of the funding opportunity, overview of what the sponsor is looking for, including distinctive criteria. This is not meant to take the place of the sponsor guidelines; please read the sponsor guidelines before deciding to apply.
  • Number of Applicants University is Allowed to Submit: The maximum number of applications the sponsor will allow the university to submit.
  • Additional Requirements: Identifies any special requirements such as cost sharing, partners, etc.
  • Sponsor Guidelines: Link to the sponsor’s funding opportunity website.
  • UMN Nominations Process: Contains specific internal submission requirements including internal proposal instructions, deadline, eligibility, internal nomination process, contact information.
  • Peer Review Coordination: The name and contact email of the office coordinating the funding opportunity. RIO coordinates most limited submissions, but opportunities coordinated by other offices or programs are also posted on this webpage.
  • Status:
    • Open: UM deadline has not passed and the opportunity is open for application.
    • Forecasted: The funder has not yet formally published the opportunity. The deadline has yet to be determined.
    • Archived: The opportunity has been archived by the funder.
    • Spots Remaining: UMN deadline has passed, with some applicant spots still available. Contact collabor@umn.edu if interested
    • First-Come, First-Served: Applicants accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. Contact collabor@umn.edu if interested
    • Contact Us: The internal deadline has passed, but no applicants were selected. Please contact the office coordinating the peer review for more information.
    • In Review: Peer review process is in progress for the opportunity.
    • PI Selected: The PI(s) have been selected as the official UMN nominees.
    • Closed: UMN is no longer accepting applications.

UMN Selection Process


  • Once the internal deadline has passed, if the number of applicants is less than or equal to the number of spots the university is allowed to send forward, the applicants automatically become the UMN nominee(s).
  • If the status of an opportunity is "First-Come, First-Served", there was not time to hold an internal review. Applicants will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.
  • If there are no applicants, the status will change to "Contact Us". At this point, the opportunity changes to a first-come, first-served opportunity.
  • If there are multiple applicants, the office coordinating the nomination will determine the review criteria and coordinate the review process. The status will change to "In Review".
  • Once the review has been completed all parties will be notified via email.
  • Nominees will be provided with an email from RIO (or the designated coordinating office) indicating that they are the university's nominee. This letter should accompany the nominee's proposal.
  • SPA is notified of the university's nominee(s) and the status is updated to "PI(s) Selected".