Background:

The Atrius Health Equity Foundation is pleased to release this Request for Proposals to fund Family Nurse Practitioner Residency Programs in Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) in Eastern Massachusetts. The purpose of this funding opportunity is to increase access to high quality primary care, thereby improving health equity and wellbeing in communities experiencing low life expectancy.

Primary care providers play a crucial role in both preventative care and chronic disease management for all ages of individuals receiving care in community health centers. Primary care supply is associated with decreased mortality, yet Massachusetts is facing critical challenges in primary care access.

To strengthen the primary care workforce, particularly the workforce caring for medically underserved communities, the Foundation is investing in establishing residency training programs for Family Nurse Practitioners (FNPs) at FQHCs in Eastern Massachusetts. Residency training programs support recently graduated nurse practitioners through precepted clinical hours, mentoring and didactic learning, and have been shown to improve competence, confidence and retention.

In total, the Foundation anticipates awarding up to six grants through this opportunity to launch new FNP Residency Programs in FQHCs. Applicants may request up to $350,000 each in aggregate, to be used over the period of the grant (2.9 years). 

Eligibility Requirements:

Applicants must be:

• An organization that is tax exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

• Headquartered in and serving a community of Eastern Massachusetts (defined as Essex, Middlesex, Suffolk, Norfolk, Bristol, Plymouth, Barnstable, Dukes and Nantucket Counties).

• An independent Federally Qualified Health Center; hospital-licensed health centers are not eligible for funding under this opportunity.

• Physically based in and serving a community with low life expectancy (please see Appendix).

• Not currently operating an accredited Family Nurse Practitioner Residency Program.

If you have questions about eligibility, please contact us at grants@atriusfoundation.org.

How to Apply:

Please carefully review the RFP materials and submit your application via our grants portal by 12 PM ET on July 31, 2025. The link to our grants portal will be available on this page by July 1, 2025.

During the application process applicants may send questions to grants@atriusfoundation.org. We will publish questions and our responses on our website. Please consult our website and FAQs prior to sending an inquiry as the answers to many questions may be found there.