Overview

The Department of Health and Human Services awards approximately 60% of the Federal government's grant dollars. HHS awards two types of grants, mandatory and discretionary. Mandatory grants are those that a Federal agency is required by statute to award if the recipient, usually a State, submits an acceptable State Plan or application, and meets the eligibility and compliance requirements of the statutory and regulatory provisions of the grant program. Discretionary grants are those that permit the Federal government, according to specific authorizing legislation, to exercise judgment, or “discretion,” in selecting the applicant/recipient organization, through a competitive grant process. Mandatory and discretionary grants will be discussed further in their subsequent sections.

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In the health area, the Medicaid program, a jointly-funded Federal-State health insurance program, assists States in the provision of adequate medical care for low-income people. Other health programs encompass biomedical research, training of biomedical research scientists and health professionals, support of health professional schools, development and delivery of health services, disease prevention and health promotion programs, and construction of research, educational and health facilities.

HHS social service programs provide support to every group of Americans, including children, youth, families, and the elderly. Social service programs include Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, refugee assistance, enforcement of child support payment orders, foster care and adoption, prevention of child abuse and neglect, Indian tribal services, and Head Start programs.

HHS manages its broad range of grant activities in collaboration with its grant recipient partners and through the coordination of its principal grant-making agencies. These twelve HHS operating divisions administer over 300 grant programs².

The principal grant-making operating and staff divisions (OPDIVs) are:

HHS Grant-Making Operating Divisions (OPDIVs)

Abbreviation	OPDIV
ACF	Administration for Children and Families
AHRQ	Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
AoA	Administration on Aging
ASPE/OS	Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation/Office of the Secretary
CDC3	Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
CMS	Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
FDA	Food and Drug Administration
HRSA	Health Resources and Services Administration
IHS	Indian Health Service
NIH	National Institutes of Health
OPHS/OS	Office of Public Health and Science/Office of the Secretary
SAMHSA	Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

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²Specific grant programs are identified in this report by their Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) program numbers. A list of HHS and other Federal agencies’ grant and other financial assistance programs is available at the General Services Administration’s CFDA website at: http://www.cfda.gov.

³Grant awards made by Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) are included in CDC grant funding data.