Dental Preventive Clinical Support | HHS 2026 IHS TDCP 0001

Opportunity Information: Apply for HHS 2026 IHS TDCP 0001

The Dental Preventive Clinical Support grant (HHS 2026 IHS TDCP 0001) is an Indian Health Service (IHS) discretionary grant designed to strengthen oral health systems serving American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities by funding regional dental support centers. Rather than paying for direct dental treatment, the program is built around the idea that better outcomes come from improving the capacity, consistency, and quality of the dental programs already delivering care across IHS, Tribal, and Urban (I/T/U) settings. The central approach is to connect and coordinate existing resources and infrastructure across IHS Headquarters, IHS Area offices, and funded support centers so they can address shared challenges in dental prevention and clinical support at scale.

The opportunity has two main priorities. First, funded centers are expected to support, guide, train, and strengthen I/T/U dental programs within their assigned IHS Area(s). In practical terms, this can include workforce and skills development, spreading evidence-based practices, helping programs implement IHS Division of Oral Health (DOH) initiatives, improving preventive workflows, and offering ongoing technical assistance that makes local dental programs more effective and sustainable. Second, the centers must ensure their support translates into documented, measurable improvements in oral health outcomes for the AI/AN patients served. This emphasis on measurable change means applicants should be prepared to track outcomes, show progress over time, and connect support-center activities to real improvements in screening, prevention, care processes, or population-level oral health indicators.

A key point in the program design is that the support center is not meant to function primarily as a clinic. Its job is to support clinical care, not replace it. The work is described as promoting oral health initiatives, providing training, supporting oral health screenings, and supplying materials and tools that help frontline dental programs do their work more effectively. Projects are expected to focus on strengthening dental programs across a defined region or IHS Area, not on a single community or a narrow set of direct services. The most competitive projects will likely be those that show a clear regional strategy, strong collaboration with the IHS DOH and IHS Area partners, and a practical plan for improving and documenting outcomes across multiple participating programs.

Eligibility is geared toward organizations that are part of, or closely connected to, AI/AN health systems. Eligible applicants include federally recognized Native American tribal governments, Native American tribal organizations, and other eligible entities specifically including Urban Indian organizations as defined in federal law (25 U.S.C. 1603(29)) that are currently administering a contract or receiving an award under 25 U.S.C. 1653. For Urban Indian organizations, nonprofit status documentation is required, and applicants should be ready to provide proof as indicated in the opportunity attachments. The administering agency is the Indian Health Service, and the assistance listing (CFDA) number is 93.933.

From a funding standpoint, this opportunity is structured for a limited number of sizable awards intended to support center-level functions. The award ceiling is $440,000, and IHS expects to make around 6 awards. The application closing date listed is October 10, 2025. Overall, the grant is best understood as an investment in regional infrastructure and performance improvement: creating or strengthening support hubs that train and equip I/T/U dental programs, align them with IHS DOH prevention priorities, and produce measurable, reportable gains in oral health for AI/AN patients across the service area.

• The Indian Health Service in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Dental Preventive Clinical Support" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.933.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2025-09-09.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-10-10. (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 $440,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 6 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Others.

Apply for HHS 2026 IHS TDCP 0001

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