Nurse Education, Practice, Quality and Retention (NEPQR)-Registered Nurse Training Program (RNTP) | HRSA 22 168

Opportunity Information: Apply for HRSA 22 168

The Nurse Education, Practice, Quality and Retention (NEPQR) - Registered Nurse Training Program (RNTP) is a federal funding opportunity from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, administered through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). It is designed to strengthen nursing education and clinical practice in ways that directly improve patient care and community health, especially in places that have historically been underserved. The core idea is to better prepare undergraduate nursing students to deliver high-quality, culturally sensitive care while also building practical skills for working with patients whose health is shaped by social and economic conditions.

A central focus of the program is expanding and improving acute care training experiences for nursing students. The opportunity emphasizes increasing the number of students who receive training in acute care settings, not only to build clinical competence, but also to ensure that new nurses are ready to recognize and respond to social determinants of health. In practical terms, this means helping student nurses learn how factors like housing stability, food access, transportation, education, income, language barriers, and systemic discrimination can affect health outcomes, treatment adherence, and a patient s ability to recover or manage chronic conditions. By integrating these realities into acute care training, the program seeks to produce nurses who can deliver more comprehensive care and help connect patients to appropriate supports.

Health equity and health literacy are explicit priorities. The grant is structured to support training approaches that reduce disparities in care and outcomes by ensuring nurses are equipped to communicate effectively, tailor education to patients needs, and deliver care that is respectful and responsive to cultural differences. This includes strengthening the capacity of nursing programs to train students to work effectively with diverse populations and to address inequities that show up in real clinical settings, particularly in underserved communities where access to resources and quality care may be limited.

The RNTP also highlights workforce development for students from underrepresented racial and ethnic minority groups. While the overall goal is to strengthen the undergraduate nursing pipeline, the emphasis on inclusion reflects a broader workforce strategy: improving representation in nursing can support better patient trust, communication, and culturally responsive care, and can help build long-term capacity in communities that experience persistent health disparities. The intended outcome is not just more trained nurses, but nurses whose preparation aligns with the needs of the communities they will serve.

Administratively, this opportunity is a discretionary federal program using a cooperative agreement funding instrument, which typically means HRSA expects substantial involvement beyond simply issuing funds, such as ongoing coordination, guidance, and performance monitoring. The funding opportunity title is Nurse Education, Practice, Quality and Retention (NEPQR) - Registered Nurse Training Program (RNTP), and the funding opportunity number is HRSA 22 168. It falls under the health funding activity category and is associated with CFDA number 93.359. The opportunity was created on July 20, 2022, with an original closing date of August 19, 2022. HRSA anticipated making approximately 28 awards. The listed award ceiling is shown as 0 in the provided source data, which often indicates the ceiling was not specified in that particular summary field or was to be detailed elsewhere in the full announcement.

Eligibility is listed broadly as "Others" with direction to consult additional eligibility text in the full notice for clarification, suggesting that a range of organizations involved in nursing education and training partnerships may have been considered, depending on the full program rules. Overall, the grant is best understood as a targeted investment in nursing education and clinical training systems, aimed at producing a stronger, more equity focused nursing workforce prepared for acute care environments and committed to improving outcomes in underserved areas.

• The Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Nurse Education, Practice, Quality and Retention (NEPQR)-Registered Nurse Training Program (RNTP)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.359.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jul 20, 2022.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 19, 2022. (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 28 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for HRSA 22 168

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