Oral Health Program: Grants to Dental Clinics
Increasing access to care grant funding
In 2023, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) awarded $5.1 million in grants to 14 non-federally qualified health center safety net dental clinics to increase access to dental care in our state. Grant awards total $1,700,000 annually and range from $59,000 to $150,000 per clinic over three years. Grantees serve a significant number of Wisconsin residents who are low-income uninsured and/or underinsured. In addition to serving their communities, grantees will participate as work sites for the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development Youth Apprenticeship program. Listed below are the dental access grantees for state fiscal years 2024-2026.
Dental access clinics funded 2024-2026
| Date | Description |
|---|---|
| February 1—each year | Mid-year progress report due |
| July 31—each year | Final progress report due |
| July 1, 2023 — June 30, 2024 | Period of Performance for Year 1 (FY24) Award |
| July 1, 2024—June 30, 2025 | Period of Performance for Year 2 (FY25) Award (pending satisfactory Year 1 progress) |
| July 1, 2025—June 30, 2026 | Period of Performance for Year 3 (FY26) Award (pending satisfactory Year 2 progress) |
GEARS
Grant Enrollment, Application and Reporting System (GEARS) is replacing CARS (Community Aids Reporting System) as the system we use for processing contracts and reimbursing expenses for local agencies/grantees.
Recorded trainings
Nonprofit Dental Clinic Learning Sessions with D4 Practice Solutions DHS: The Wisconsin Oral Health Program partnered with D4 Practice Solutions to create a training series on dental clinic operation and management for safety net dental clinics. Available trainings include:
- A Practical Approach for Oral Health Integration
- Basics of Dental Practice Transformation
- Creating the Plan for Dental Program Sustainability
- Managing for Success—Safety Net Dental Programs
- Managing Quality When Time and Resources are Scarce
- Practical Applications of TeleDentistry
- Program Evaluation for Dental Programs
- Work Hard Get Paid
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) awards grants to nonprofit dental clinics to increase access to dental care in Wisconsin. The grant awards enable the selected clinics to serve more children and families in need, including Medicaid members, people who have low income, people with disabilities, and people who are uninsured. Per Wis. Stat. § 146.66, at least nine nonprofit dental clinics shall be funded each fiscal year.
Nonprofit dental clinics are eligible.
Per Wis. Stat. § 146.66, at least nine nonprofit dental clinics shall be funded each fiscal year. Nonprofit dental clinics must be located in Wisconsin and meet additional eligibility requirements per Wis. Stat. § 146.66(2).
| Date | Description |
|---|---|
| January 2023 | Grant funding opportunity (GFO) released, questions due, questions/responses posted to DHS website |
| March 13, 2023 | Application Materials due by 5 p.m. CST — Current application period is closed. |
| April 17, 2023 | Notification of Awards (estimated) |
| July 1, 2023 – June 30, 2024 | Period of Performance for Year 1 (FY24) Award |
| July 1, 2024 – June 30, 2025 | Period of Performance for Year 2 (FY25) Award (pending satisfactory Year 1 progress) |
| July 1, 2025 – June 30, 2026 | Period of Performance for Year 3 (FY26) Award (pending satisfactory Year 2 progress) |
Next GFO anticipated release—January 2026
DHS selects funded clinics through a grant award process every three years. Clinics are awarded funding for each fiscal year of the grant based on meeting grant deliverables. Grantees receive the same annual award amount for each eligible year.
New applications will not be accepted prior to the next GFO being released.