Dental Safety Net Grant Program

The Dental Safety Net Grant Program is administered by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) under the authority of Minnesota Statute 145.929. This program provides financial support to eligible nonprofit dental providers who offer oral health services to uninsured, low-income children and adolescents under the age of 21. The goal of the program is to help offset the costs incurred by organizations serving this high-need population, ensuring continuity of care and expanded access to preventive and restorative dental services. The program is open to nonprofit dental provider organizations that are not affiliated with, owned by, or managed by hospitals or medical groups. To qualify, providers must offer free or reduced-cost dental care to children under age 21 from families with incomes below 275 percent of the federal poverty guidelines and must either be eligible for or designated as a Critical Access Dental provider by the Minnesota Department of Human Services. Additionally, more than 80 percent of patient encounters over the past year must have involved uninsured patients or those covered by Medical Assistance or MinnesotaCare. Applicants who currently receive hospital or mental health safety net grants are not eligible. Funding for the FY2026 cycle is estimated at $113,000. Awards will be proportionally distributed based on the number of uninsured patients under the age of 21 served by each eligible provider. Individual award amounts will range from a minimum of $2,230 to a maximum of $33,900. Statutory limits cap any single award at no more than 30 percent of the total appropriation and no less than 2 percent. If the total number of applicants makes meeting the 2 percent floor infeasible, MDH will limit awards to the top 20 providers with the highest volume of uninsured patients. Allowable expenses under the grant include salaries, fringe benefits, supplies, travel, equipment and capital improvements, contracted services, and other direct costs as defined by the applicant. Indirect expenses, fundraising activities, taxes (other than sales tax), political contributions, and bad debt are explicitly ineligible. All expenditures must occur after the grant agreement has been executed and reached its effective date. The Letter of Intent (LOI) must be submitted through the ORHPC Online Grants Portal no later than 4:30 p.m. Central Time on September 29, 2025. The full application, including project narrative and budget, is due by 4:30 p.m. Central Time on November 14, 2025. Only applicants who submit a Letter of Intent by the deadline will be eligible to submit a full application. Applicants are encouraged to attend an informational webinar hosted via Microsoft Teams on August 27, 2025, at 2:00 p.m. Central Time. Materials from the meeting will be made publicly available within 7 business days. Key documentation required at the LOI stage includes qualifying patient encounter data, a signed data attestation form, documentation of reduced-cost care policies, and confirmation of Critical Access Dental provider status or eligibility. Conflict of interest disclosures must also be submitted. Applicants may contact the program via email at health.SafetyNetGrants@state.mn.us or call 651-201-5154 for technical assistance or questions related to the grant application process.

Submit early to avoid technical issues. Attend the informational webinar. Carefully review documentation requirements to ensure eligibility and complete submission.