Asthma-Safe Homes Program Environmental Services Providers

The purpose of this request for applications is to seek local partner organizations to provide environmental services as part of the Wisconsin Department of Health Services’ (WI-DHS) Asthma-Safe Homes Program. This program is available through a Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) health services initiative (HSI) funded through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS).

WI-DHS will select organizations with capacity to provide environmental home assessment, repair and remediation of asthma trigger sources, and coordination of these environmental management services for children and pregnant individuals with uncontrolled asthma. The Asthma-Safe Homes Program’s target service areas for 2026–2027 are Milwaukee, Racine, Kenosha, Rock, and Brown counties, based on high asthma burden as described below. The grant is expected to begin on October 1, 2026.

Through the HSI, WI-DHS has funding available to improve asthma outcomes and reduce disparities in asthma control for children ages 2-18 years old and pregnant individuals who are diagnosed with asthma and enrolled in Wisconsin BadgerCare Plus (Medicaid or CHIP). There are more than 500,000 children and adults who have asthma in Wisconsin, and asthma remains the most common chronic disease for children with a statewide prevalence of 8.4%.

Asthma disproportionately affects communities of color, with Black and Native American populations having 1.5-2 times the current prevalence as the White population (13% and 15%, respectively, versus 9%). These same populations also experience disparities in asthma control, with only 30% of non-White populations reporting well-controlled asthma compared to 64% of the White population. High rates of uncontrolled asthma result in even more disparate poor health care outcomes among communities of color. In Wisconsin, health care utilization for emergency department (ED) visits and hospitalizations among the Black population are 8 and 5 times higher, respectively, than among the White population; Native Americans have rates over twice that of the White population. Annual household income is another factor that contributes to asthma disparities, with the lowest income group (earning less than $15,000) having over twice the asthma prevalence of those in the highest income group (greater than $75,000).

Social determinants of health such as poor-quality housing, poverty, and other historical and structural factors are known contributors to the disparity in asthma outcomes. This HSI funding opportunity aims to reduce disparities in asthma control and approve asthma outcomes in Wisconsin by promoting access to guideline-based medical management of asthma and healthy living environments.

The target service area for the Asthma-Safe Homes Program includes Milwaukee, Racine, Kenosha, Rock, and Brown counties. These counties have among the highest rates of asthma , including some of the highest numbers of ED visits for asthma among children enrolled in Medicaid.

An eligible organization must meet the following minimum requirements:

• Is located in the state of Wisconsin and provides services in Milwaukee, Racine, Kenosha, Rock, and/or Brown counties
• Is a 501(c)(3) community-based organization, local or tribal health department, local housing department, or local private business; organizations with deep community ties are encouraged to apply
• Has technical and administrative capacity to deliver, or willingness to subcontract with appropriately licensed and insured parties for the full menu of services listed in the Scope of Work section of this document
• Has or plans to hire at least one staff member with Building Performance Institute Healthy Homes Evaluator (HHE) certification or Healthy Home Specialist or equivalent training or is willing to obtain required training at the start of the grant
• Provides culturally and linguistically appropriate services and reflects the community and population served
• Has own financial resources/capacity to provide services prior to invoicing for reimbursement

Applicant organizations and their partners must be inclusive and shall not discriminate based on race, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status in any of its activities or operations.

The following information is required in the application submission:

• Contact and organization name and contact information
• Responses to questions for each selection criteria (see below)
• Anticipated number of homes completed in year
• Supporting documents (uploaded), including:
  • Most recent financial statement to show available capital to finance operations
  • Resumes of the key personnel and job descriptions for any planned key personnel, including the person responsible for the financial management of the grant
  • Three letters of reference from community partners that support the organization’s capacity and commitment to delivering asthma education services to the priority population (i.e., children and families impacted by asthma disparities) – new applicants only

The application will be scored according to the points indicated for the three review criteria below (totaling 100 points). Grants will be awarded to the applications with the highest scores, and the number of grants awarded will depend on available funding.

Selection criteria 1: Applicant capacity and experience (45 points)

• Key personnel (10 points). Applicant describes the roles and responsibilities of each key personnel supporting the program, including persons responsible for providing program oversight, program management, environmental home assessment, repair and remediation services, and financial management of the grant.
• Program administration and oversight (10 points). Applicant describes how they will provide program oversight, staff supervision, and sub-contractor oversight (if applicable) to ensure grant objectives are met.
• Relevant organization experience (15 points). Applicant describes their experience providing environmental home assessment, repair, and remediation services and/or other environmental health, weatherization, and/or housing programs and how intended outcomes were achieved. If a previous Asthma-Safe Homes Program grantee, applicant describes their experience and accomplishments as an Asthma-Safe Homes Program provider.
• Health inclusion & community engagement (10 points). Applicant describes their organization’s history of and ability to authentically engage and positively impact members of the priority populations, including how they will meet cultural and linguistic needs of the community through program services and community engagement.

Selection criteria 2: Qualification statement (45 points)

• Planned approach (15 points). Applicant describes a plan for program start-up and implementation that includes objectives for each major program activity (i.e., environmental home assessment, repair, and remediation of asthma trigger sources and coordination of these environmental management services). If a previous Asthma-Safe Homes Program grantee, applicant describes how they successfully implemented the program in the previous grant year(s), including their ability to reach their target number of homes. If there were barriers to successful program implementation in the previous grant year, applicant discusses their planned approach to address those barriers.
• Environmental home assessment (10 points). Applicant lists any experience, qualifications, and certifications that staff have related to conducting comprehensive environmental home assessments.
• Home repair and remediation (10 points). Applicant lists any experience, certifications, or qualifications that staff or contractors have related to providing home repair and remediation services.
• Program financial management (10 points). Applicant discusses how they will ensure financial stability and accountability throughout the grant period.

Selection criteria 3: Partnerships (10 points)

• Partner description (10 points). Applicant lists and describes the types of partners (within and/or outside the applicant’s organization) and sub-contractors (if applicable) they will work with to deliver or supplement the environmental services provided in this grant opportunity.

DHS reserves the right to reject any and all applications. DHS may negotiate the terms of the grant agreement, including the award amount, with the selected applicant prior to entering into a grant agreement. If grant negotiations cannot be concluded successfully with a recommended applicant, DHS may terminate grant negotiations with that applicant.