The Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students (SDS) program increases diversity in the health professions and nursing workforce by providing awards to eligible health professions schools for use in awarding scholarships to students from disadvantaged backgrounds who have financial need, including students who are members of racial and ethnic minority groups.
Donor Name: Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)
State: All States
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Scholarship
Deadline: 02/19/2025
Size of the Grant: $500,000 to $1 million
Grant Duration: 5 Years
Details:
The SDS program aims to support students from disadvantaged backgrounds to increase their access to a health profession’s degree. Since 2012, 15,054 students successfully graduated with a degree in health professions after receiving SDS scholarships. In academic years 2022 to 2023, of those graduates with follow-up data, 59 percent of graduates worked or trained in medically underserved communities one year after graduation, and 30 percent in primary care settings.
Program Goals
- Improving distribution, diversity and supply of primary care providers.
- Improving and strengthening the health professions and nursing workforce.
- Improving health care access and quality to medically underserved communities (MUCs).
Program Objectives
- Increasing the number of graduates practicing in primary care.
- Increased retention of full-time students from disadvantaged backgrounds, including students who are members of racial and ethnic minority groups.
- Increasing the number of graduates working in MUCs.
Funding Information
- Expected total available funding in FY 2025: $51,470,000.
- Funding range per award: Up to $650,000 per year for each health professions program.
Grant Period
July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2030.
Types of Eligible Organizations
If otherwise eligible, the following types of domestic organizations may apply.
- Public health professions schools
- Non-profit private health professions schools
- Non-profit health professions schools having a 501(c)(3) IRS status
- Non-profit health professions schools with an IRS status other than 501(c)(3)
- For-profit nursing and physician assistant schools
- Native American tribal governments
- Native American tribal organizations
“Domestic” means the 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau.
Student Eligibility
To receive support under this program, a student must be:
- Enrolled (or accepted for enrollment) at an eligible health professions or nursing school as a full-time student in a program leading to a degree in a health professions or nursing.
- From a disadvantaged background, which can be met by showing the student is from an economically, educationally or environmentally disadvantaged background.
- Have a financial need for a scholarship, per the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
- A U.S. citizen or non-citizen national.
- An individual lawfully admitted for permanent residence to the United States.
- Any other person defined as a “qualified alien” under section 431(b) of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, Pub. L. 104-193, as amended.
For more information, visit Grants.gov.
