Enhance, Manage, and Promote the Medical Reserve Corps Training and Learning Management System via the TRAIN Learning Network (MRC-TRAIN) | EP HIT 21 002

Opportunity Information: Apply for EP HIT 21 002

The grant opportunity titled "Enhance, Manage, and Promote the Medical Reserve Corps Training and Learning Management System via the TRAIN Learning Network (MRC-TRAIN)" is a discretionary cooperative agreement offered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), specifically through the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR). ASPR is the part of HHS responsible for helping the nation get ready for, respond to, and recover from disasters and major public health emergencies. In practice, that means ASPR works side-by-side with a wide range of partners, including hospitals and healthcare coalitions, biotechnology firms, community organizations, and state, local, tribal, and territorial governments, to strengthen preparedness and response capabilities before a crisis happens and to support effective coordination when a crisis does occur.

This opportunity sits within ASPR's Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) program, which is housed in the Office of Emergency Management and Medical Operations. The MRC is a large national volunteer network made up of more than 200,000 volunteers organized into roughly 760 local, community-based units. These units exist to improve local emergency response capacity, reduce community vulnerabilities, and strengthen overall preparedness and resilience. A key feature of the MRC model is that it is local by design: MRC units recruit and organize volunteers who want to contribute their time and skills to preparedness activities, emergency response, and other ongoing public health support efforts. Volunteers are not limited to clinicians; they include medical and public health professionals as well as community members without healthcare backgrounds who can still provide valuable operational and support functions.

A central rationale for the program is that MRC units serve as force multipliers for local jurisdictions. By maintaining trained, organized volunteers who can be activated when needed, communities can supplement staffing during emergencies and reduce dependence on state or federal surge resources. Most MRC units are sponsored by local health departments, but sponsorship can also come from emergency management agencies, local nonprofits, and universities. While ASPR's MRC program office supports the national network, it does not directly control local units. Instead, the program office provides support functions such as technical assistance, coordination, communications, strategy and policy development, cooperative agreements, and training opportunities. It also promotes information sharing across units so that best practices spread through the network and so that ASPR leadership and other partners have better situational awareness of local activities.

Within that broader context, this specific funding opportunity focuses on strengthening the MRC's training and learning management capabilities through the TRAIN Learning Network, referenced here as MRC-TRAIN. In straightforward terms, the purpose is to improve how MRC-related training is maintained, administered, and promoted so that volunteers and units have consistent access to relevant preparedness and response education. Because the instrument is a cooperative agreement, the recipient should expect substantial involvement from the federal program office compared to a standard grant, typically meaning closer collaboration on priorities, deliverables, and implementation details related to managing and improving the training platform and its use across the MRC network.

The funding opportunity number is EP HIT 21 002 and it is associated with CFDA 93.008. The agency anticipates making one award, with an award ceiling of $125,000. Eligibility is broad and includes state governments, private institutions of higher education, individuals, and other entities as described in the notice, with the listing indicating an effectively unrestricted applicant pool subject to any clarifications in the additional eligibility text. The opportunity was created on June 24, 2021, and had an original application closing date of August 25, 2021.

• The Department of Health and Human Services, Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response in the health, other (see text field entitled explanation of other category of funding activity for clarification) sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Enhance, Manage, and Promote the Medical Reserve Corps Training and Learning Management System via the TRAIN Learning Network (MRC-TRAIN)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.008.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jun 24, 2021.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 25, 2021 No Explanation. (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 $125,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, Private institutions of higher education, Individuals, Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification), Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.

Apply for EP HIT 21 002

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