Dental Preventive Clinical Support

The Dental Preventive and Clinical Support Center Program is administered by the Indian Health Service (IHS), a federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services dedicated to providing healthcare services to American Indians and Alaska Natives. This program leverages existing resources and infrastructure in partnership with IHS Headquarters, IHS Area resources, and dental support centers to address wide-ranging challenges and opportunities in oral healthcare for Indigenous communities. The primary purpose of this grant program is to enhance, guide, and train IHS, Tribal, and Urban (I/T/U) dental programs within designated regions. Through collaboration with the IHS Division of Oral Health (DOH), the program seeks to ensure that the services provided by dental support centers and I/T/U programs lead to documented and measurable improvements in the oral health of American Indian and Alaska Native patients. The main role of a support center is to bolster clinical care indirectly by promoting oral health initiatives, offering training, supporting oral health screenings, and providing educational materials. This opportunity is designed to focus on systemic and regional dental health program support rather than on providing direct clinical or preventive care to individuals. Effective projects will emphasize improving oral health outcomes through regional engagement and program support, following DOH oral health strategies. By enhancing operational capacity and ensuring consistent implementation of best practices across regions, these centers are expected to achieve measurable improvements in community oral health. The forecasted funding opportunity will be available to Native American tribal governments (federally recognized), Native American tribal organizations other than federally recognized governments, and Urban Indian organizations as defined under 25 U.S.C. 1603(29) that are currently administering a contract or receiving an award under 25 U.S.C. 1653. Urban Indian organizations must be nonprofit entities located in urban centers, governed by an urban Indian-controlled board of directors, and structured to allow for maximum participation of all interested Indian groups and individuals. Proof of nonprofit status will be required. According to the forecast, the estimated post date for this opportunity is August 25, 2025, with an anticipated application due date of September 25, 2025. The estimated award date and project start date are both December 1, 2025. This opportunity is in the forecast stage, meaning that the synopsis and application package are not yet available and the application deadline is subject to change when the official announcement is published. The estimated total program funding is $2,700,000, with six expected awards. No cost sharing or matching is required for applicants. Applicants can access additional information through the IHS Division of Grants Management. Contact details include phone number 301-443-5204 and email address dgm@ihs.gov. The official program description and application resources will be provided on the IHS funding webpage once the opportunity is formally posted.