Public Health

The Center for Collaborative Heat Monitoring will support community science observations and data collection on extreme heat so communities can observe, monitor and evaluate factors influencing heat risk at a local scale. The center will be based at the Museum of Life and Science in Durham, N.C. with additional technical support from CAPA Strategies, Utah State University, and AQUEHS Corp. The center will also include three additional geographically dispersed sites, each serving a different region of the U.S. This will enable work to engage regional communities and connect with existing networks for public education and engagement. In addition to the Museum of Life and Science, these hubs include the Arizona Science Center, the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry and the Museum of Science in Boston. The center will build on eight years of NIHHIS efforts to map urban heat islands in over 80 U.S. and international communities.

The goals of the Center for Collaborative Heat Monitoring include:

A novel applied participatory action research approach to equitably support communities in co-creating new knowledge about extreme heat
Delivery and integration of decision-support data, information, and knowledge through comprehensive models to quantitatively evaluate heat distribution and exposure across heat-imperiled communities to community members, policymakers, and the Center for Heat Resilient Communities
Supporting communities by enhancing expertise, agency, and self-determination to make decisions on how to prepare for and mitigate heat
Increasing literacy and community support for ongoing on-the-ground work about the hazards posed by extreme heat and climate change to meaningfully reduce the amount of heat mortality in the U.S.
It is important to note that the Center for Collaborative Monitoring will be accepting applications from all types of U.S. communities- not just urban communities. Rural communities, Tribal Nations, U.S. territories, and states that have not previously undergone heat mapping are especially encouraged to apply.

Principal investigators for the project include:

Mr. Max Cawley, Director of Climate Research and Engagement, North Carolina Museum of Life and Science (Lead Principal Investigator)

Dr. David Sittenfeld, Director of the Center for the Environment, Museum of Science, Boston (Principal Investigator)

Dr. Vivek Shandas, Founder and Advisor, Climate Adaptation Planning and Analytics (CAPA) Strategies (Principal Investigator)

Dr. Wei Zhang, Assistant Professor of Climate Science, Utah State University (Principal Investigator)

Dr. Daniel Mendoza, Founder and CEO, AQUEHS, Corp (Principal Investigator)

Questions regarding the application can be sent to info@collaborativeheatmonitoring.org and nihhis@noaa.gov.

This Notice of Funding Opportunity Announcement (NOFO) solicits resource grant applications for projects that will provide accurate, useful, usable, and understandable health information to populations that experience health disparities and their health care providers. This NOFO supports the development of resources that can be used to improve health and well-being and that lead to reductions in health disparities. Access to accurate, useful, usable, and understandable health information is an important factor when managing health and health care. Proposed projects should harness the capabilities of information technology and medical or health libraries to disseminate clear, evidence-based health-related information in formats used by individuals and their health care providers. Proposed projects should emphasize the development and deployment of new information resources or services, or expand and improve an existing resource or service, to meet the needs of populations experiencing health disparities and to promote health equity.

Resource Project Objectives
The G08 program supports resource projects that use information technology to improve the organization and management of health-related information, with a broad range of usability, user and personal access factors considered. Strategies proposed to achieve NLM’s G08 programmatic goals should be scalable, sustainable, generalizable and have the potential to provide useful information to communities that experience health disparities and those who provide health care for these communities, including doctors, nurse practitioners, midwives, hospitals, health centers, and clinics.

Applications submitted to this notice of funding opportunity must provide evidence that the intended audience is a population with health disparities or a health care provider for one of these populations. A population that experiences health disparities must have a significant disparity in the overall disease incidence, prevalence, morbidity, mortality, or survival rates in the population compared to the health status of the general population. Proposals that do not address a health disparity will be withdrawn for non-responsiveness.

In planning, applicants must include evidence of a collaboration with a medical or health library to ensure that materials developed have generalizability and are capable of being disseminated through medical or health libraries and their instrumentalities. Applicants are expected to present evidence of their demonstrated commitment to the needs of communities that experience health disparities. This NOFO requires the inclusion of a resource evaluation plan and evidence of resource sustainability. An evaluation plan that measures the value of the resource, usability, and user experience, should be provided in the application. Evaluations that meet the definition of a clinical trial are not allowed under this funding mechanism and will be withdrawn for non-responsiveness.

Topics that are responsive to this grant program include, but are not limited to:
Developing or upgrading health information resources or services to meet the information needs of groups that experience health disparities.
Providing health information resources or services to community organizations who serve populations that experience health disparities.
Developing novel information strategies to facilitate the implementation of innovative patient-centered care and precision medicine for diverse communities.
Developing information resources that enable persons from populations that experience health disparities to make informed decisions regarding research participation, such as providing culturally tailored clinical trial education materials.
Facilitating the use of library resources to identify population needs related to types and forms of information, including information visualizations, displays and interfaces to access information, to assist in making health-related decisions.
Applications Not Responsive to the NOFO
The following types of projects are non-responsive to the scope of NLM's Information Resource Grants to Reduce Health Disparities and Promote Health Equity program:

Projects that do not address a population that experiences health disparities.
Projects that do not include a medical or health library.
Evaluations that meet the NIH definition of a clinical trial.
Installation of online library catalogs.
Electronic health record systems, single-purpose or closed clinical information systems such as a stand-alone laboratory system or picture archiving system (PACS).
Digitization of print materials.
Projects that duplicate NLM products and databases such as biomedical literature indexing projects.
Non-responsive applications will not be reviewed.

Consult with the scientific contact to discuss responsiveness of your project.

See Section VIII. Other Information for award authorities and regulations.

What does this program do?
This program provides affordable funding to develop essential community facilities in rural areas. An essential community facility is defined as a facility that provides an essential service to the local community for the orderly development of the community in a primarily rural area, and does not include private, commercial or business undertakings.

Who may apply for this program?
Eligible borrowers include:

Public bodies
Community-based non-profit corporations
Federally-recognized Tribes
What is an eligible area?
Rural areas including cities, villages, townships and towns including Federally Recognized Tribal Lands with no more than 20,000 residents according to the latest U.S. Census Data are eligible for this program.

How may funds be used?
Funds can be used to purchase, construct, and / or improve essential community facilities, purchase equipment and pay related project expenses.

Examples of essential community facilities include:

Health care facilities such as hospitals, medical clinics, dental clinics, nursing homes or assisted living facilities
Public facilities such as town halls, courthouses, airport hangars or street improvements
Community support services such as child care centers, community centers, fairgrounds or transitional housing
Public safety services such as fire departments, police stations, prisons, police vehicles, fire trucks, public works vehicles or equipment
Educational services such as museums, libraries or private schools
Utility services such as telemedicine or distance learning equipment
Local food systems such as community gardens, food pantries, community kitchens, food banks, food hubs or greenhouses
For a complete list see Code of Federal Regulations 7 CFR, Part 1942.17(d) for loans; 7 CFR, Part 3570.62 for grants.

What kinds of funding are available?

Low interest direct loans
Grants
A combination of the two above, as well as our loan guarantee program. These may be combined with commercial financing to finance one project if all eligibility and feasibility requirements are met.
What are the funding priorities?

Priority point system based on population, median household income
Small communities with a population of 5,500 or less
Low-income communities having a median household income below 80% of the state nonmetropolitan median household income.
What are the terms?

Funding is provided through a competitive process.

Direct Loan:

Loan repayment terms may not be longer than the useful life of the facility, state statutes, the applicants authority, or a maximum of 40 years, whichever is less
Interest rates are set by Rural Development, contact us for details and current rates
Once the loan is approved, the interest rate is fixed for the entire term of the loan, and is determined by the median household income of the service area and population of the community
There are no pre-payment penalties
Contact us for details and current interest rates applicable for your project
Grant Approval:

Applicant must be eligible for grant assistance, which is provided on a graduated scale with smaller communities with the lowest median household income being eligible for projects with a higher proportion of grant funds. Grant assistance is limited to the following percentages of eligible project costs:Maximum of 75 percent when the proposed project is:
Located in a rural community having a population of 5,000 or fewer; and
The median household income of the proposed service area is below the higher of the poverty line or 60 percent of the State nonmetropolitan median household income.
Maximum of 55 percent when the proposed project is:
Located in a rural community having a population of 12,000 or fewer; and
The median household income of the proposed service area is below the higher of the poverty line or 70 percent of the State nonmetropolitan median household income.
Maximum of 35 percent when the proposed project is:
Located in a rural community having a population of 20,000 or fewer; and
The median household income of the proposed service area is below the higher of the poverty line or 80 percent of the State nonmetropolitan median household income.
Maximum of 15 percent when the proposed project is:
Located in a rural community having a population of 20,000 or fewer; and
The median household income of the proposed service area is below the higher of the poverty line or 90 percent of the State nonmetropolitan median household income. The proposed project must meet both percentage criteria. Grants are further limited.
Grant funds must be available
Are there additional requirements?

Applicants must have legal authority to borrow money, obtain security, repay loans, construct, operate, and maintain the proposed facilities
Applicants must be unable to finance the project from their own resources and/or through commercial credit at reasonable rates and terms
Facilities must serve rural area where they are/will be located
Project must demonstrate substantial community support
Environmental review must be completed/acceptable
How do we get started?

Contact your local office to discuss your specific project
Applications for this program are accepted year round
Program resources are available online (includes forms needed, guidance, certifications)
Request a Unique Entity ID number if your organization doesn’t already have one. It should not take more than a few business days to get your number.
Register your organization with the System for Award Management (SAM) if you aren’t already registered. The registration is free, but you need to complete several steps.

What does this program do?
Also known as the Section 504 Home Repair program, this provides loans to very-low-income homeowners to repair, improve or modernize their homes or grants to elderly very-low-income homeowners to remove health and safety hazards.

Who may apply for this program?
To qualify, you must:

Be the homeowner and occupy the house
Be unable to obtain affordable credit elsewhere
Have a household income that does not exceed the very low limit by county
For grants, be age 62 or older
What is an eligible rural area?
Utilizing the USDA Eligibility Site you can enter a specific address for determination or just search the map to review general eligible areas.

How may funds be used?

Loans may be used to repair, improve or modernize homes or remove health and safety hazards
Grants must be used to remove health and safety hazards
How much money can I get?

Maximum loan is $40,000
Maximum grant is $10,000
Loans and grants can be combined for up to $50,000 in assistance
What are the terms of the loan or grant?

Loans are termed for 20 years
Loan interest rate is fixed at 1%
Full title service is required if the total outstanding balance on Section 504 loans is greater than $25,000
Grants have a lifetime limit of $10,000
Grants must be repaid if the property is sold in less than 3 years
Is there a deadline to apply?

Applications for this program are accepted through your local RD office year round

What does this program do?

This program provides funding for clean and reliable drinking water systems, sanitary sewage disposal, sanitary solid waste disposal, and storm water drainage to households and businesses in eligible rural areas.

Who may apply?

This program assists qualified applicants who are not otherwise able to obtain commercial credit on reasonable terms. Eligible applicants include:

Most state and local governmental entities
Private nonprofits
Federally-recognized tribes
What is an eligible area?

Areas that may be served include:

Rural areas and towns with populations of 10,000 or less -- check eligible addresses
Tribal lands in rural areas
Colonias
What kinds of funding are available?

Long-term, low-interest loans
If funds are available, a grant may be combined with a loan if necessary to keep user costs reasonable.
How may the funds be used?

Funds may be used to finance the acquisition, construction or improvement of:

Drinking water sourcing, treatment, storage and distribution
Sewer collection, transmission, treatment and disposal
Solid waste collection, disposal and closure
Storm water collection, transmission and disposal
In some cases, funding may also be available for related activities such as:

Legal and engineering fees
Land acquisition, water and land rights, permits and equipment
Start-up operations and maintenance
Interest incurred during construction
Purchase of facilities to improve service or prevent loss of service
Other costs determined to be necessary for completion of the project
See 7 CFR Part 1780.7 and 1780.9 for a complete list
What is the loan term and rate?

Up to 40-year payback period, based on the useful life of the facilities financed
Fixed interest rates, based on the need for the project and the median household income of the area to be served
Contact us for details and current interest rates applicable for your project

Are there additional requirements?

Borrowers must have the legal authority to construct, operate and maintain the proposed services or facilities.
All facilities receiving federal financing must be used for a public purpose.
Partnerships with other federal, state, local, private and nonprofit entities that offer financial assistance are encouraged.
Projects must be financially sustainable.

What does this program do?
Also known as the Section 504 Home Repair program, this provides loans to very-low-income homeowners to repair, improve or modernize their homes or grants to elderly very-low-income homeowners to remove health and safety hazards.

Who may apply for this program?
To qualify, you must:

Be the homeowner and occupy the house
Be unable to obtain affordable credit elsewhere
Have a household income that does not exceed the very low limit by county
For grants, be age 62 or older
What is an eligible rural area?
Utilizing the USDA Eligibility Site you can enter a specific address for determination or just search the map to review general eligible areas.

How may funds be used?

Loans may be used to repair, improve or modernize homes or remove health and safety hazards
Grants must be used to remove health and safety hazards
How much money can I get?

Maximum loan is $40,000
Maximum grant is $10,000
Loans and grants can be combined for up to $50,000 in assistance
What are the terms of the loan or grant?

Loans are termed for 20 years
Loan interest rate is fixed at 1%
Full title service is required if the total outstanding balance on Section 504 loans is greater than $25,000
Grants have a lifetime limit of $10,000
Grants must be repaid if the property is sold in less than 3 years
Is there a deadline to apply?

Applications for this program are accepted through your local RD office year round

What does this program do?
This program provides affordable funding to develop essential community facilities in rural areas. An essential community facility is defined as a facility that provides an essential service to the local community for the orderly development of the community in a primarily rural area, and does not include private, commercial or business undertakings.

Who may apply for this program?
Eligible borrowers include:

Public bodies
Community-based non-profit corporations
Federally-recognized Tribes
What is an eligible area?
Rural areas including cities, villages, townships and towns including Federally Recognized Tribal Lands with no more than 20,000 residents according to the latest U.S. Census Data are eligible for this program.

How may funds be used?
Funds can be used to purchase, construct, and / or improve essential community facilities, purchase equipment and pay related project expenses.

Examples of essential community facilities include:

Health care facilities such as hospitals, medical clinics, dental clinics, nursing homes or assisted living facilities
Public facilities such as town halls, courthouses, airport hangars or street improvements
Community support services such as child care centers, community centers, fairgrounds or transitional housing
Public safety services such as fire departments, police stations, prisons, police vehicles, fire trucks, public works vehicles or equipment
Educational services such as museums, libraries or private schools
Utility services such as telemedicine or distance learning equipment
Local food systems such as community gardens, food pantries, community kitchens, food banks, food hubs or greenhouses
For a complete list see Code of Federal Regulations 7 CFR, Part 1942.17(d) for loans; 7 CFR, Part 3570.62 for grants.

What kinds of funding are available?

Low interest direct loans
Grants
A combination of the two above, as well as our loan guarantee program. These may be combined with commercial financing to finance one project if all eligibility and feasibility requirements are met.
What are the funding priorities?

Priority point system based on population, median household income
Small communities with a population of 5,500 or less
Low-income communities having a median household income below 80% of the state nonmetropolitan median household income.
What are the terms?

Funding is provided through a competitive process.

Direct Loan:

Loan repayment terms may not be longer than the useful life of the facility, state statutes, the applicants authority, or a maximum of 40 years, whichever is less
Interest rates are set by Rural Development, contact us for details and current rates
Once the loan is approved, the interest rate is fixed for the entire term of the loan, and is determined by the median household income of the service area and population of the community
There are no pre-payment penalties
Contact us for details and current interest rates applicable for your project
Grant Approval:

Applicant must be eligible for grant assistance, which is provided on a graduated scale with smaller communities with the lowest median household income being eligible for projects with a higher proportion of grant funds. Grant assistance is limited to the following percentages of eligible project costs:Maximum of 75 percent when the proposed project is:
Located in a rural community having a population of 5,000 or fewer; and
The median household income of the proposed service area is below the higher of the poverty line or 60 percent of the State nonmetropolitan median household income.
Maximum of 55 percent when the proposed project is:
Located in a rural community having a population of 12,000 or fewer; and
The median household income of the proposed service area is below the higher of the poverty line or 70 percent of the State nonmetropolitan median household income.
Maximum of 35 percent when the proposed project is:
Located in a rural community having a population of 20,000 or fewer; and
The median household income of the proposed service area is below the higher of the poverty line or 80 percent of the State nonmetropolitan median household income.
Maximum of 15 percent when the proposed project is:
Located in a rural community having a population of 20,000 or fewer; and
The median household income of the proposed service area is below the higher of the poverty line or 90 percent of the State nonmetropolitan median household income. The proposed project must meet both percentage criteria. Grants are further limited.
Grant funds must be available
Are there additional requirements?

Applicants must have legal authority to borrow money, obtain security, repay loans, construct, operate, and maintain the proposed facilities
Applicants must be unable to finance the project from their own resources and/or through commercial credit at reasonable rates and terms
Facilities must serve rural area where they are/will be located
Project must demonstrate substantial community support
Environmental review must be completed/acceptable

What does this program do?
This program provides affordable funding to develop essential community facilities in rural areas. An essential community facility is defined as a facility that provides an essential service to the local community for the orderly development of the community in a primarily rural area, and does not include private, commercial or business undertakings.

Who may apply for this program?
Eligible borrowers include:

Public bodies
Community-based non-profit corporations
Federally-recognized Tribes
What is an eligible area?
Rural areas including cities, villages, townships and towns including Federally Recognized Tribal Lands with no more than 20,000 residents according to the latest U.S. Census Data are eligible for this program.

How may funds be used?
Funds can be used to purchase, construct, and / or improve essential community facilities, purchase equipment and pay related project expenses.

Examples of essential community facilities include:

Health care facilities such as hospitals, medical clinics, dental clinics, nursing homes or assisted living facilities
Public facilities such as town halls, courthouses, airport hangars or street improvements
Community support services such as child care centers, community centers, fairgrounds or transitional housing
Public safety services such as fire departments, police stations, prisons, police vehicles, fire trucks, public works vehicles or equipment
Educational services such as museums, libraries or private schools
Utility services such as telemedicine or distance learning equipment
Local food systems such as community gardens, food pantries, community kitchens, food banks, food hubs or greenhouses
For a complete list see Code of Federal Regulations 7 CFR, Part 1942.17(d) for loans; 7 CFR, Part 3570.62 for grants.

What kinds of funding are available?

Low interest direct loans
Grants
A combination of the two above, as well as our loan guarantee program. These may be combined with commercial financing to finance one project if all eligibility and feasibility requirements are met.
What are the funding priorities?

Priority point system based on population, median household income
Small communities with a population of 5,500 or less
Low-income communities having a median household income below 80% of the state nonmetropolitan median household income.
What are the terms?

Funding is provided through a competitive process.

Direct Loan:

Loan repayment terms may not be longer than the useful life of the facility, state statutes, the applicants authority, or a maximum of 40 years, whichever is less
Interest rates are set by Rural Development, contact us for details and current rates
Once the loan is approved, the interest rate is fixed for the entire term of the loan, and is determined by the median household income of the service area and population of the community
There are no pre-payment penalties
Contact us for details and current interest rates applicable for your project
Grant Approval:

Applicant must be eligible for grant assistance, which is provided on a graduated scale with smaller communities with the lowest median household income being eligible for projects with a higher proportion of grant funds. Grant assistance is limited to the following percentages of eligible project costs:Maximum of 75 percent when the proposed project is:
Located in a rural community having a population of 5,000 or fewer; and
The median household income of the proposed service area is below the higher of the poverty line or 60 percent of the State nonmetropolitan median household income.
Maximum of 55 percent when the proposed project is:
Located in a rural community having a population of 12,000 or fewer; and
The median household income of the proposed service area is below the higher of the poverty line or 70 percent of the State nonmetropolitan median household income.
Maximum of 35 percent when the proposed project is:
Located in a rural community having a population of 20,000 or fewer; and
The median household income of the proposed service area is below the higher of the poverty line or 80 percent of the State nonmetropolitan median household income.
Maximum of 15 percent when the proposed project is:
Located in a rural community having a population of 20,000 or fewer; and
The median household income of the proposed service area is below the higher of the poverty line or 90 percent of the State nonmetropolitan median household income. The proposed project must meet both percentage criteria. Grants are further limited.
Grant funds must be available
Are there additional requirements?

Applicants must have legal authority to borrow money, obtain security, repay loans, construct, operate, and maintain the proposed facilities
Applicants must be unable to finance the project from their own resources and/or through commercial credit at reasonable rates and terms
Facilities must serve rural area where they are/will be located
Project must demonstrate substantial community support
Environmental review must be completed/acceptable

What does this program do?

This program provides funding for clean and reliable drinking water systems, sanitary sewage disposal, sanitary solid waste disposal, and storm water drainage to households and businesses in eligible rural areas.

Who may apply?

This program assists qualified applicants who are not otherwise able to obtain commercial credit on reasonable terms. Eligible applicants include:

Most state and local governmental entities
Private nonprofits
Federally-recognized tribes
What is an eligible area?

Areas that may be served include:

Rural areas and towns with populations of 10,000 or less -- check eligible addresses
Tribal lands in rural areas
Colonias
What kinds of funding are available?

Long-term, low-interest loans
If funds are available, a grant may be combined with a loan if necessary to keep user costs reasonable.
How may the funds be used?

Funds may be used to finance the acquisition, construction or improvement of:

Drinking water sourcing, treatment, storage and distribution
Sewer collection, transmission, treatment and disposal
Solid waste collection, disposal and closure
Storm water collection, transmission and disposal
In some cases, funding may also be available for related activities such as:

Legal and engineering fees
Land acquisition, water and land rights, permits and equipment
Start-up operations and maintenance
Interest incurred during construction
Purchase of facilities to improve service or prevent loss of service
Other costs determined to be necessary for completion of the project
See 7 CFR Part 1780.7 and 1780.9 for a complete list
What is the loan term and rate?

Up to 40-year payback period, based on the useful life of the facilities financed
Fixed interest rates, based on the need for the project and the median household income of the area to be served
Contact us for details and current interest rates applicable for your project

Are there additional requirements?

Borrowers must have the legal authority to construct, operate and maintain the proposed services or facilities.
All facilities receiving federal financing must be used for a public purpose.
Partnerships with other federal, state, local, private and nonprofit entities that offer financial assistance are encouraged.
Projects must be financially sustainable.

NOTE: California is currently participating in a pilot program that increases the program limits. Grants are available up to $10,000 (up from $7,500) and loans are available up to $40,000 (up from $20,000) with a maximum of $50,000 (up from $27,500) assistance. Contact our staff to learn more.

What does this program do?
Also known as the Section 504 Home Repair program, this provides loans to very-low-income homeowners to repair, improve or modernize their homes or grants to elderly very-low-income homeowners to remove health and safety hazards.

Who may apply for this program?
To qualify, you must:

Be the homeowner and occupy the house
Be unable to obtain affordable credit elsewhere
Have a household income that does not exceed the very low limit by county
For grants, be age 62 or older
What is an eligible rural area?
Utilizing the USDA Eligibility Site you can enter a specific address for determination or just search the map to review general eligible areas.

How may funds be used?

Loans may be used to repair, improve or modernize homes or remove health and safety hazards
Grants must be used to remove health and safety hazards
How much money can I get?

Maximum loan is $40,000
Maximum grant is $10,000
Loans and grants can be combined for up to $50,000 in assistance
What are the terms of the loan or grant?

Loans are termed for 20 years
Loan interest rate is fixed at 1%
Full title service is required if the total outstanding balance on Section 504 loans is greater than $25,000
Grants have a lifetime limit of $10,000
Grants must be repaid if the property is sold in less than 3 years
Is there a deadline to apply?

Applications for this program are accepted through your local RD office year round