Health Equity Data Access Program (HEDAP)
🏛 Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services
✓ Free, no account · Source: Grants.gov · Last verified Jul 15, 2026
Can you apply?
This grant is for researchers conducting health services research using CMS data to study health disparities. Eligible applicants include universities, research institutions, and individual researchers with institutional affiliation who propose projects focused on minority health, disability, LGBTQ+ communities, rural populations, and other underserved groups. The program funds six "seats" (individual user access) in the CMS Virtual Research Data Center for 36-month projects.
Proposals must use CMS restricted data (Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP) to identify and evaluate health disparities. Research topics include physical health, oral health, behavioral health, population health, and social determinants of health. The program encourages innovative, intersectional approaches that examine overlapping health inequities across multiple population groups.
Projects should enhance researcher capacity to understand and utilize CMS data for future work. No cost-sharing is required. The award of approximately $90,000 per seat provides access to the VRDC platform and associated support.
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Program description
The Health Equity Data Access program (HEDAP) provides funding for six (6) “seats” in the CMS Virtual Research Data Center (VRDC). The VRDC assists researchers in gaining access to CMS restricted data for minority health research. Seats, in this context are defined as an individual user with VRDC access. These researchers will conduct health services research on health care topics such as physical health, oral health, behavioral health, population health, and social determinants of health focusing on, but not limited to, racial and ethnic minority groups; people with disabilities; members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) community; individuals with limited English proficiency; individuals residing in rural areas; and individuals (including children, youth, and families) adversely affected by persistent poverty or inequality. The HEDAP supports specific applied research projects that relate to creative and innovative methods utilizing CMS data to identify, document, assess, and evaluate health disparities among Medicare and Medicaid and CHIP enrollees.
The project should enhance the capacity of the researcher to understand and utilize CMS data in future research projects. Additionally, HEDAP encourages cutting-edge proposals that explore intersectionality. “Intersectionality” means that people belong to more than one group and, therefore, may have overlapping health and social inequities, as well as overlapping strengths and assets.
Results of the HEDAP will provide CMS and its partners, (e.g. Quality Improvement Organizations, Hospital Engagement Networks, and other stakeholders) with actionable information on the subgroups of enrollees. This will aid the efforts of CMS and its agents to identify and eradicate health disparities in underserved populations.
VRDC seat access will be funded for a period of 36 months each, based on the availability of funds.
Who can apply
Eligible applicants
- 501(c)(3) Public Charity
- Colleges (all higher ed)
- Private University
- Public University
- Researcher (independent)
Demographic focus
How to apply
Application links
Key dates & requirements
Required documents
- SF-424 (Application for Federal Assistance)
- Project Narrative/Proposal (specific page limit unknown)
- Budget and Budget Justification
- Institutional affiliation verification
- Data security and confidentiality plan (for VRDC access)
Program contact
- 👤 HEResearch@cms.hhs.gov
- 📧 HEResearch@cms.hhs.gov
- 📞 HEResearch@cms.hhs.gov
Funding track record
Recent awards under CFDA 93.695 from the last 3 years — real organizations that won funding through this same program.
Top 10 Largest Recent Awards
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$90,000
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$90,000
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$90,000
Top States by Funding
- DC 1 awards $0.1M
- KS 1 awards $0.1M
- MO 1 awards $0.1M
Source: USAspending.gov — federal spending transparency. Data covers last 3 years.
FAQ
Who is eligible to apply for HEDAP?
Researchers with institutional affiliation at universities and research institutions can apply. Individual researchers must be affiliated with an eligible organization. Your project must focus on health disparities among underserved populations using CMS data.
What can the funding be used for?
The award funds one "seat" (user access) in the CMS Virtual Research Data Center for 36 months. This enables research using CMS restricted data on Medicare, Medicaid, and CHIP enrollees.
What types of research topics are supported?
Approved topics include physical health, oral health, behavioral health, population health, and social determinants of health. Projects must focus on racial and ethnic minorities, people with disabilities, LGBTQ+ individuals, rural residents, and other underserved populations.
How competitive is this program?
Only six seats are available annually, making this highly competitive. Strong proposals demonstrate innovative methods, intersectional approaches, and clear potential to inform CMS policy and reduce health disparities.
What is the award amount and duration?
Each seat provides approximately $90,000 in VRDC access and support. Funding is provided for 36 months, subject to availability of funds.
💡 Tips for applicants
- Frame your research question around specific health disparities. Use data to show current gaps in understanding for your target population. Avoid vague proposals about "health equity in general."
- Demonstrate familiarity with CMS data sources. Explain which Medicare, Medicaid, or CHIP datasets you'll use and why they're appropriate for your research questions.
- Emphasize intersectionality in your approach. Show how your project examines overlapping inequities (e.g., race AND disability, not just one characteristic).
- Include a clear capacity-building plan. Explain how this project will strengthen your team's ability to use CMS data in future research beyond this 36-month period.
- Address actionability and policy relevance. Explain how your findings will help CMS, QIOs, or other stakeholders identify and address specific health disparities in real populations.
⚠️ Common mistakes
Proposals that focus on health disparities generically without specifying which population groups and which CMS data sources will be used. Projects that lack a clear plan for how the VRDC access and findings will advance the researcher's future work capacity. Applications that do not demonstrate understanding of intersectionality or that treat multiple health inequities as separate issues rather than overlapping challenges.
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