American Indians into Medicine | HHS 2024 IHS INMED 0001

Opportunity Information: Apply for HHS 2024 IHS INMED 0001

The American Indians into Medicine (INMED) grant is a discretionary education and health funding opportunity from the Indian Health Service (IHS) designed to increase the number of American Indian and Alaska Native health professionals who go on to serve Indian communities. The central goal is twofold: encourage American Indian and Alaska Native students to enter health profession career paths, and reduce the academic, financial, social, and institutional barriers that often prevent students from persisting through demanding pre-health and professional training pipelines. In practice, the program supports colleges and universities in building structured pathways that start early, stay connected to Tribal needs, and provide sustained student support all the way through completion of a health career program.

Funded projects are expected to take a comprehensive approach that combines recruitment, preparation, academic assistance, and culturally grounded guidance. Allowable activities include outreach and recruitment efforts aimed at developing a pipeline of future health professionals specifically committed to serving Indian communities. This outreach is expected to extend beyond the university itself and include engagement with elementary and secondary schools, as well as community colleges located on Indian reservations that the applicant program proposes to serve. Applicants must also form and use a program advisory board that includes representatives from the Tribes and communities being served, ensuring the program remains accountable to community priorities and reflects local perspectives on workforce needs, cultural values, and practical service challenges.

The opportunity emphasizes direct academic readiness supports, especially in foundational subjects that commonly determine whether students can successfully transition into health profession tracks. Funded programs may offer summer preparatory or enrichment experiences for Indian students who need stronger preparation in math and science, which are often gatekeeper subjects for medical and allied health fields. Once students are enrolled in a health career course of study, grantees may provide tutoring, counseling, and other structured supports that help with retention, academic performance, and navigation of professional training requirements. Another program expectation is a strong commitment to employing qualified American Indian and Alaska Native staff in the program to the maximum extent feasible; applicants are expected to describe how their institution can meet that hiring expectation and why it is realistic in their context.

A notable priority built into this opportunity is the expectation that funded programs address the opioid crisis, aligning with broader HHS priorities. Applicants are encouraged to integrate education and training elements focused on opioid addiction prevention, treatment, and recovery, so that students are better prepared to respond to substance use challenges that have affected many Tribal communities. This does not replace the broader workforce pipeline purpose of INMED, but it signals that IHS is looking for programs that produce graduates with relevant, current public health and clinical competencies tied to community realities.

Eligibility is limited to public colleges/universities and nonprofit private colleges/universities that offer a medical or allied health program, explicitly excluding nursing-only programs from eligibility under this announcement. The institution must be accredited by an accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education. There is also a geographic limitation tied to avoiding duplication of services: the proposed target population cannot include Indian Tribes in North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Wyoming, or Montana, because those states are already served by the existing University of North Dakota INMED grant program. In other words, applicants must design their target service area and recruitment focus outside those five states.

Key funding details include a Funding Opportunity Number of HHS 2024 IHS INMED 0001, a CFDA (Assistance Listing) number of 93.970, and an award ceiling of $700,000. IHS anticipated making about 4 awards under this announcement. The original application closing date was May 14, 2024, and the opportunity was created on March 5, 2024. Overall, this grant supports institutions that can demonstrate a credible, community-connected plan to recruit American Indian and Alaska Native students into medicine and allied health fields, strengthen academic preparedness, provide ongoing wraparound supports, and graduate professionals ready to serve Indian communities, including with skills relevant to opioid-related prevention and care.

• The Indian Health Service in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "American Indians into Medicine" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.970.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-03-05.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-05-14. (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 $700,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 4 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, Others.

Apply for HHS 2024 IHS INMED 0001

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