Nursing Workforce Diversity (NWD) Program | HRSA 25 071

Opportunity Information: Apply for HRSA 25 071

The Nursing Workforce Diversity (NWD) Program (Funding Opportunity Number HRSA-25-071; CFDA 93.178) is a discretionary grant opportunity offered by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to expand nursing education access and success for people from disadvantaged backgrounds. A central emphasis is supporting racial and ethnic groups that are underrepresented among registered nurses, with the broader goal of strengthening the nursing pipeline and helping the nursing workforce better reflect and serve the communities that rely on it. The program description points applicants to the Bureau of Health Workforce Glossary for the official meanings of key eligibility-related terms such as "disadvantaged background" and "underrepresented minority."

The program is designed around comprehensive, evidence-based strategies that improve how nursing education programs recruit, educate, retain, and graduate students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Rather than focusing on a single intervention, the opportunity highlights the value of building more inclusive and culturally aligned learning environments, meaning programs are expected to use approaches that better fit students lived experiences and reduce barriers that can push students out of the nursing pathway. In practice, this can include structured academic support, mentorship and advising, targeted retention activities, and other proven supports that help students persist through rigorous nursing coursework and clinical training.

Eligible applicants are domestic organizations, not individuals. HRSA allows a wide range of U.S.-based entities to apply, including public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status, nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status, and government entities at multiple levels. Specifically listed government applicants include state governments; local governments such as counties, cities, towns, or townships; special district governments; and independent school districts. Tribal eligibility is also included, with Native American tribal governments and Native American tribal organizations identified as eligible. The notice defines "domestic" broadly to include entities located in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the freely associated states (the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau).

From an administrative standpoint, this is a grant (Funding Instrument Type: Grant) in the health funding activity category. The posting indicates an original application closing date of March 18, 2025, and HRSA expects to make around 40 awards. The data provided lists an award ceiling of 0, which typically signals that the ceiling may not be specified in the summary field and applicants should rely on the full Notice of Funding Opportunity for definitive funding limits, budgets, and any caps or constraints. The opportunity was created on December 19, 2024.

Overall, this opportunity is best understood as HRSA support for organizations that can demonstrate practical, evidence-informed plans to widen entry into nursing education and improve completion outcomes for students from disadvantaged backgrounds, while also strengthening institutional capacity to deliver nursing education in a way that is inclusive, culturally responsive, and aligned with student needs.

• The Health Resources and Services Administration in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Nursing Workforce Diversity (NWD) Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.178.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-12-19.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-03-18. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 40 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Others.

Apply for HRSA 25 071

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