Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Quality Improvement Fund - Improving Access to Dental Services for Children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders (QIF-DNDD)

The Fiscal Year 2026 Quality Improvement Fund for Improving Access to Dental Services for Children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders (QIF-DNDD) is a one-time grant opportunity administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration under the Department of Health and Human Services to enhance dental care access and outcomes for children with neurodevelopmental disorders including autism spectrum and other developmental conditions. Applicants must propose innovative, evidence-based projects to be implemented over a two-year period from September 1, 2026, to August 31, 2028, at an in-scope health center service site. Each award is capped at $2,000,000 with a restricted allowance of up to $250,000 for minor alterations or renovations, which must be completed in the first year and require documented landlord consent if on leased property. Projects must integrate workforce training to build clinical capacity, adopt measurable data collection methods to track access to preventive and treatment services, and include community engagement strategies to inform program design and improvement. All applications must be submitted through Grants.gov by July 8, 2026, adhering to strict formatting guidelines including an 80-page limit for the narrative and budget combined, with specific attachments required such as a project work plan, letters of support, summary of existing contracts, environmental documentation, and floor plans where applicable. Proposals will be evaluated based on three primary factors: Impact (25 points), weighing alignment with goals, data collection, community input, and patient experience measures; Capacity (15 points), assessing prior experience serving children with neurodevelopmental disorders, workforce expertise, and track record in quality improvement; and Support Requested (10 points), examining budget justification, cost reasonableness, and sustainability planning. Awards are granted through a trade-off process prioritizing technical merit over cost, with no cost-sharing required or considered in scoring. Recipients must comply with federal regulations including 2 CFR Part 200, NIST cybersecurity standards, Health IT interoperability requirements under 45 CFR Part 170, and prohibitions on funding for abortion-related or drug-use facilitation activities. Key administrative obligations include submission of monthly and semi-annual reports, a final report within 120 days of project conclusion, participation in HRSA-led data-sharing communities, and ongoing compliance with federal grant and audit standards. All applicants must maintain an active Unique Entity ID in SAM.gov, and subrecipients must align with Health Center Program requirements