Centers of Excellence

The goal of this program is to assist eligible schools in supporting programs of excellence in health professions education for underrepresented minority (URM) individuals. The Centers of Excellence (COE) program is a catalyst for institutionalizing a commitment to underrepresented minority (URM) students/faculty and to serve as a national resource and educational center for diversity and minority health issues. Additionally, the COE program will help to strengthen the national capacity to produce a culturally competent healthcare workforce whose diversity is representative of the United States population.

Eligible applicants include designated HBCUs and health professions schools that are accredited schools of allopathic medicine; osteopathic medicine; dentistry; pharmacy; or a graduate program in behavioral or mental health; or other public and nonprofit health or educational entities that meet the required conditions regarding: underrepresented minorities as described in Section 736 of the Public Health Service Act. Native American Centers of Excellence are eligible, as specified in statute. Eligible applicants must also have: (1) a significant number of underrepresented minority individuals enrolled in the schools; (2) been effective in assisting underrepresented minority students of the schools to complete the program of education and receive the degree involved; (3) been effective in recruiting underrepresented minority individuals to enroll in and graduate from the school, including providing scholarships and other financial assistance to such individuals and encouraging underrepresented minority students from all levels of the educational pipeline to pursue health professions careers; and (4) made significant recruitment efforts to increase the number of underrepresented minority individuals serving in faculty or administrative positions at the school.

Procedures for assessing the technical merit of grant applications have been instituted to provide an objective review of applications and to assist the applicant in understanding the standards against which each application will be judged. Critical indicators have been developed for each review criterion to assist the applicant in presenting pertinent information related to that criterion and to provide the reviewer with a standard for evaluation. Competing applications are reviewed by nonfederal reviewers for technical merit recommendations. Applications will be reviewed and evaluated against the following criteria: (1) Purpose and Need; (2) Response to Program Purpose; (3) Impact; (4) Organizational Information, Resources and Capabilities; and (5) Support Requested. See the most recent Notice of Funding Opportunity for detailed review criteria.

Match: none required (federal program listing). This program has MOE requirements, see funding agency for further details. The recipient must agree to maintain non-federal funding for grant activities at a level which is not less than expenditures for such activities during the fiscal year prior to receiving the award.