CSWE Advocacy Update - July 2, 2026

HRSA Opens Applications for Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students Program

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has opened applications for the Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students (SDS) Program, a federal funding opportunity that supports health professions schools to offer scholarships to students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Applications for HRSA-26-096 are due July 28, 2026, by 11:59 p.m. ET. HRSA will also host a technical assistance webinar on July 8, 2026, from 2:00–3:30 p.m. ET.

The current notice identifies eligible health professions programs across a broad range of fields, including medicine, dentistry, nursing, behavioral and mental health, public health, allied health, midwifery, and physician assistant studies. Graduate programs in clinical social work are included under behavioral and mental health.

According to the funding notice, HRSA expects to make approximately 80 awards, with an estimated $51,079,900 available in FY 2026. The listed award range is $1 to $650,000, and there is no cost-sharing or matching requirement.

What’s New in This Solicitation

The new solicitation now opens with a broad statement requiring all proposed activities to comply with current federal law, executive orders, and court decisions. It specifically states that federal funds may not be used to:

• support racial preferences or intentional proxies for race
• deny the biological sex binary
• facilitate illegal immigration
• support other initiatives deemed inconsistent with public safety

The solicitation also includes some new language new language around determining which students qualify as “vulnerable.” The solicitation also references the Make America Healthy Again initiative and incorporates guidance from the Department of Justice (DOJ), among other changes.

Apply on Grants.gov