Medical Forensic Access Initiative
🏛 Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (HHS-OPHS)
✓ Free, no account · Source: Grants.gov · Last verified Jul 16, 2026
Can you apply?
This grant is for states, tribal communities, healthcare systems, and community-based organizations working to improve access to medical forensic examinations for sexual assault survivors.
Applicants must propose practical, data-driven, and scalable projects. Focus areas include identifying barriers, service gaps, workforce shortages, and geographic gaps. Projects should address wait times and system-level challenges.
No cost-sharing is required. The grant supports research, evaluation, and systems improvement work related to forensic healthcare access for women and girl survivors.
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Program description
This notice solicits applications for practical, data-driven, and scalable projects that support States, Tribal communities, healthcare systems, or community-based organizations in collecting, analyzing, and reporting information related to access to medical forensic examinations for women and girl survivors of sexual assault. Projects funded under this initiative should identify barriers, service gaps, workforce shortages, geographic gaps, wait times, and system-level challenges impacting women and girl survivor access to timely, forensic healthcare services.
Who can apply
Eligible applicants
- 501(c)(3) Public Charity
- City / Municipal Government
- Community Health Center
- County Government
- Nonprofits
- Private University
- Public Authority
- Public K-12 School
- Public University
- Small Business (SBA-defined)
- Special District
- State Government
- Tribal Nation
- Tribal Organization
Demographic focus
How to apply
Application links
Key dates & requirements
Required documents
- SF-424 (Application for Federal Assistance)
- Project Narrative/Statement of Work
- Budget and Budget Narrative
- Organizational capability documentation
- Letters of commitment from key partners
Program contact
- 👤 Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health
- 📧 Gage.Dalton@hhs.gov
- 📞 240-453-883
Funding track record
Recent awards under CFDA 93.088 from the last 3 years — real organizations that won funding through this same program.
Top 10 Largest Recent Awards
-
$11,931,740
-
Hatch Inc IN$7,500,000
-
$2,229,058
-
$2,086,136
-
$2,082,715
-
$1,957,594
-
$1,911,541
-
$1,710,837
-
$1,500,000
-
$1,500,000
Top States by Funding
- MA 3 awards $14.2M
- IN 2 awards $9.0M
- VA 5 awards $6.8M
- TX 6 awards $6.1M
- PA 3 awards $3.2M
Source: USAspending.gov — federal spending transparency. Data covers last 3 years.
Funding history
Annual funding for this program — Federal obligations (CFDA 93.088). How funding has trended year over year.
| 2024 | $13,897,243 | |
| 2025 | $3,829,125 | |
| 2026 est. | $8,100,000 |
FAQ
Who can apply for this grant?
States, tribal communities, healthcare systems, and community-based organizations can apply. Your organization should have capacity to collect, analyze, and report on forensic examination access data.
What should my project focus on?
Identify barriers and gaps in access to medical forensic exams for survivors. Address workforce shortages, geographic gaps, wait times, and system-level challenges affecting timely service delivery.
Is cost-sharing required?
No cost-sharing is required for this grant. All eligible activities can be fully funded.
What funding range should I expect?
Awards typically range from $500,000 to $1,000,000 per project. Budget narratives should align with your proposed scope.
When is the deadline?
The deadline is July 27, 2026. This is a fixed deadline, not rolling acceptance.
💡 Tips for applicants
- Start with a clear problem statement. Document specific barriers to forensic exam access in your target area or system.
- Use data throughout your proposal. Include local wait times, service gaps, workforce numbers, and geographic disparities you plan to address.
- Focus on scalability and sustainability. Reviewers want projects that can be replicated or expanded beyond the initial funding period.
- Engage stakeholders early. Partner with survivor advocates, healthcare providers, and law enforcement to strengthen credibility.
- Plan for evaluation and reporting. Include concrete metrics and timelines for collecting and sharing findings with state/federal partners.
⚠️ Common mistakes
Applications lack baseline data on current access barriers. Proposals without clear metrics or measurable outcomes often score poorly. Weak stakeholder partnerships or unclear sustainability plans reduce competitiveness.
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