Building Capacity to Implement Rapid Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) Start for Improved Care Engagement in the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program – Implementation Sites | HRSA 20 114

Opportunity Information: Apply for HRSA 20 114

The Building Capacity to Implement Rapid Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) Start for Improved Care Engagement in the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program - Implementation Sites grant (HRSA 20-114) is a discretionary federal funding opportunity from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), focused on helping Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP) providers put "rapid start" HIV treatment into practice. Rapid start generally means shortening the time between an HIV diagnosis (or return to care) and the first HIV medical visit and initiation of antiretroviral therapy, with the overall intent of getting people into care quickly and supporting them to reach viral suppression as early as possible. The opportunity is explicitly tied to the Ending the HIV Epidemic (EHE): A Plan for America initiative and concentrates on communities with the highest HIV burden, particularly low-income populations and racial and ethnic minorities who are often disproportionately impacted by gaps in access, linkage, and retention in care.

The program is designed to fund up to 10 implementation sites that are interested in launching and evaluating rapid start interventions for people who are newly diagnosed with HIV, new to HIV care, or currently out of care. A key theme is that many organizations already have much of what is needed to succeed (staffing base, clinical setting, and some level of operational infrastructure) but have not yet been able to stand up a rapid start model. This funding is meant to close that implementation gap by supporting organizations as they adapt, replicate, and expand proven rapid start approaches within their own workflows. Rather than building entirely new clinics, the emphasis is on leveraging and strengthening existing clinical systems, procedures, and workforce capacity so that rapid start becomes a workable, repeatable part of routine service delivery.

The core goals are practical and outcomes-focused: speed up entry into HIV medical care after diagnosis, improve linkage and re-engagement for people who have fallen out of care, increase retention, and help more clients achieve and sustain viral suppression. HRSA frames this as an effort to improve both the timeliness and the overall rates of access to care, meaning the program is not only concerned with how fast someone starts treatment, but also whether they stay connected to care long enough to benefit from treatment and maintain viral suppression. The expected downstream public health impact is that earlier and more sustained viral suppression can reduce HIV transmission and help lower new infections in high-burden areas.

A major component of this grant is evaluation. HRSA is not only funding implementation; it is also seeking to build evidence about how well rapid start models work in RWHAP settings and which approaches lead to measurable improvements in early engagement, retention, and sustained viral suppression. To ensure evaluation is consistent and comparable across multiple sites, awardees under this announcement must collaborate with a separate Evaluation and Technical Assistance Provider (ETAP) that HRSA planned to fund under a companion notice (HRSA-20-113). The ETAP is expected to lead a multi-site evaluation and to provide technical assistance through several channels, including peer-to-peer learning opportunities. In practical terms, implementation sites should be prepared to share data, participate in common evaluation activities, and engage in structured learning and improvement processes guided by the ETAP.

From an applicant and award structure perspective, the opportunity is a grant with an anticipated award ceiling of $200,000 per award and an expected 10 awards. The funding opportunity was posted on April 15, 2020, with an original closing date of June 15, 2020. It is listed under CFDA 93.928 (RWHAP-related). Eligibility is indicated as "Others," with details intended to be clarified in the full eligibility text of the announcement, which is typical for HRSA competitions that may include specific types of RWHAP recipients, subrecipients, or other qualifying organizations able to implement HIV clinical interventions and meet program expectations.

Overall, HRSA 20-114 is best understood as a targeted implementation-and-learning initiative: it provides modest, focused funding for organizations that are ready to operationalize rapid ART start, expects those organizations to work closely with a centralized evaluation and technical assistance partner, and aims to produce real improvements in early treatment initiation, engagement in care, and viral suppression among underserved populations in the highest-burden communities.

• The Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Building Capacity to Implement Rapid Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) Start for Improved Care Engagement in the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program – Implementation Sites" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.928.
• This funding opportunity was created on Apr 15, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 15, 2020. (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 $200,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 10 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for HRSA 20 114

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