No Wrong Door Community Infrastructure Grants: Scaling Network Lead Entities | HHS 2021 ACL CIP NWPG 0065

Opportunity Information: Apply for HHS 2021 ACL CIP NWPG 0065

The No Wrong Door Community Infrastructure Grants: Scaling Network Lead Entities opportunity (HHS 2021 ACL CIP NWPG 0065) is a discretionary, cooperative agreement grant offered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services through the Administration for Community Living (ACL). It is designed to strengthen the role of Network Lead Entities (NLEs), which sit at the center of community integrated health networks (CIHNs) and act as the organizing and operational backbone that helps residents access a wide range of health and social supports through coordinated community systems.

At its core, the program funds the development and enhancement of NLE capacity to perform key "access functions" that make it easier for people to find and receive services without being bounced between disconnected programs. These functions include information and referral, screening, care coordination, care transitions, eligibility and enrollment support, and person-centered planning. The overall idea is to reduce fragmentation by creating a more seamless experience for individuals and families, ideally allowing them to move through a single, streamlined intake, assessment, and eligibility determination process that connects them to the right mix of services.

The opportunity reflects a broader shift in how community-based organizations (CBOs) are organizing to meet rising demand from the health care sector. Increasingly, hospitals, health systems, accountable care organizations, health plans, and managed care organizations want to partner with community providers to address social needs at a scale that goes beyond what a single CBO can typically cover. As a result, more CBOs are forming networks, and NLEs have emerged to coordinate these networks so they can operate more like a unified system. This grant is intended to help NLEs build "network maturity," meaning the operational readiness, alignment, and infrastructure needed to function as a dependable contracting partner for health care entities and to coordinate services across larger geographies, bigger volumes, and broader scopes of support.

Funding is aimed directly at NLEs to improve their ability to coordinate and streamline access to both health-related and social service options across the community. While the notice emphasizes the goal of contracting with health sector partners, the practical outcome is improved navigation and coordination for individuals, with fewer duplicated processes and fewer barriers to enrollment or service connection. In other words, the grant supports community infrastructure that makes integrated care more feasible, especially when services come from multiple organizations with different eligibility rules and intake procedures.

Eligible applicants are broad and include state, county, and city or township governments; special district governments; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments; tribal organizations (other than federally recognized tribal governments); and nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education). The award ceiling listed is $350,000, and ACL anticipated making about 10 awards under this announcement. The opportunity was created on March 24, 2021, with an original closing date of June 1, 2021, and it is categorized under the Health funding activity area with CFDA number 93.048.

In practical terms, an applicant considering this type of funding would be expected to show how it functions as (or is building into) a Network Lead Entity, how it coordinates a network of CBO partners, and how it will use grant support to strengthen shared processes and infrastructure so health care partners can reliably refer people into the network and trust that screening, eligibility support, coordination, and follow-through will happen consistently. The grant is essentially about scaling community coordination so that access to services feels more like a single front door, even when the services themselves are delivered by many different organizations.

• The Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community Living in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "No Wrong Door Community Infrastructure Grants: Scaling Network Lead Entities" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.048.
• This funding opportunity was created on Mar 24, 2021.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 01, 2021. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $350,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 10 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education.

Apply for HHS 2021 ACL CIP NWPG 0065

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