Public Health Training Centers (PHTC) Program
Can you apply?
This grant is for accredited schools and programs in public health, medicine, nursing, and related health professions that seek to develop or strengthen their capacity to train the public health workforce. Eligible applicants typically include accredited public health schools, medical schools, nursing schools, and other health professional education programs that are operating in the United States. The program supports activities such as curriculum development, faculty recruitment and training, infrastructure improvement, and educational innovations designed to address current and emerging public health workforce needs. Geographic scope is nationwide. Applicants must be institutions of higher education with appropriate accreditation in their respective disciplines and must demonstrate a commitment to expanding and enhancing public health training capacity.
Key dates
- May 13, 2026 Applications open
- Jun 29, 2026 Application deadline in 16 days
- Aug 31, 2026 Award announced
- Sep 1, 2026 Project start
Program description
The Public Health Training Center (PHTC) Program aims to increase the knowledge of the public health workforce through traineeships, specialized training and professional development in partnership with state and local health departments, community-based primary care providers, and related organizations (including non-traditional partners) to address public healthcare needs.
Who can apply
Eligible applicants
- 501(c)(3) Public Charity
- Colleges (all higher ed)
- Community College
- HBCU
- HSI (Hispanic Serving Institution)
- Nonprofits
- Private University
- Public K-12 School
- Public University
- Tribal Nation
- Tribal Organization
Demographic focus
How to apply
Application links
Key dates & requirements
Required documents
- SF-424 (Application for Federal Assistance)
- Project Narrative (detailed description of proposed training activities and workforce development goals)
- Budget and Budget Narrative (itemized costs with justification)
- Institutional Commitment/Letters of Support (from institutional leadership and partner organizations)
- Workforce Needs Assessment (regional and/or national data analysis)
- Evaluation Plan (process and outcome measures with timelines)
- Organizational Capacity and Past Performance documentation
- Curriculum vitae or biosketches of key project personnel
- Accreditation documentation and institutional credentials
Program contact
- 👤 Caroline Ayong
- 📧 cayong@hrsa.gov
- 📞 301-287-0230
Funding track record
Recent awards under CFDA 93.516 from the last 3 years — real organizations that won funding through this same program.
Top 10 Largest Recent Awards
-
$7,705,333
-
$7,182,277
-
$6,554,764
-
$6,554,753
-
$6,488,163
-
$6,437,616
-
$5,991,605
-
$5,439,061
-
$5,438,975
-
$5,438,478
Top States by Funding
- NY 9 awards $25.5M
- MI 7 awards $21.5M
- CA 10 awards $21.1M
- PA 4 awards $14.8M
- IL 6 awards $14.6M
Source: USAspending.gov — federal spending transparency. Data covers last 3 years.
Funding history
Annual funding for this program — Federal obligations (CFDA 93.516). How funding has trended year over year.
| 2024 | $8,000,000 | |
| 2025 | $10,000,000 |
FAQ
What types of institutions are eligible to apply?
Accredited schools and programs in public health, medicine, nursing, dentistry, and other health professions can apply. Applicants must be institutions of higher education with recognized accreditation in their field.
What activities can be supported by this grant?
Funding can support curriculum development, faculty development and recruitment, infrastructure improvements, educational technology, student support services, and workforce training initiatives that strengthen public health education capacity.
Are there matching fund requirements?
Matching requirements vary and should be confirmed in the current Notice of Funding Opportunity. Many HRSA grants require some form of institutional commitment or cost-share.
How competitive is this grant?
This is a moderately competitive federal grant program. Success requires strong institutional commitment, clear workforce needs assessment, and demonstrable plans to sustain improvements beyond the grant period.
What is the typical funding range?
PHTC grants typically provide $300,000 to $1,000,000 annually, though exact amounts are specified in the current Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA).
💡 Tips for applicants
- Conduct a thorough workforce needs assessment specific to your region and institution to demonstrate clear justification for proposed training activities.
- Highlight institutional commitment by securing letters of support from key stakeholders, leadership, and partner organizations; show how the institution will sustain improvements after grant funding ends.
- Focus on addressing documented public health workforce gaps—workforce diversity, rural workforce development, emergency preparedness capacity, and emerging health threats are typically competitive priorities.
- Develop a realistic budget and detailed implementation timeline with measurable outcomes such as number of trainees, curriculum modules completed, faculty trained, and competencies assessed.
- Ensure your evaluation plan includes both process measures (implementation fidelity) and outcome measures (trainee placement, competency attainment, workforce impact) to demonstrate program effectiveness and sustainability.
⚠️ Common mistakes
Applicants often underestimate the importance of demonstrating long-term sustainability planning and institutional commitment beyond the grant period. Weak workforce needs assessments that lack regional or national data analysis, or failure to clearly link proposed activities to identified gaps, frequently result in lower scores. Applications that focus primarily on infrastructure purchases rather than genuine capacity building for workforce development, or that lack detailed evaluation plans with specific, measurable outcomes, are less competitive.
Similar grants
- OPEN Rural Community Health Integration2026 — New York State Department of Health
- OPEN FY26 Bureau of Land Management Rangeland Resource Management – Bureau wide — Bureau of Land Management
- OPEN FY26 Bureau of Land Management Cultural and Paleontological Resource Management – Bureau wide — Bureau of Land Management
- OPEN FY26 Bureau of Land Management Youth Conservation Corps – Bureau wide — Bureau of Land Management
- OPEN Infertility Training Center — Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health