CMS Nursing Home Staffing Campaign Funding Opportunity
Summary
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced a Nursing Home Staffing Campaign (NHSC) through a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). This initiative aims to recruit registered nurses and licensed practical nurses to work in nursing homes or state inspection agencies by offering financial incentives, with applications due March 27, 2026.
What changed
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for its Nursing Home Staffing Campaign (NHSC), seeking applications for cooperative agreements totaling $80,000,000. The program aims to address nursing shortages by providing financial incentives, such as loan repayment and stipends, to registered nurses (RNs) and licensed practical nurses (LPNs) who commit to working in qualifying nursing homes or state oversight roles for three years. Eligible applicants include non-profit organizations and educational institutions.
Entities interested in administering these financial incentives must submit applications by March 27, 2026. The funding is intended to improve the quality of care in nursing homes by increasing the availability of qualified nursing staff. Awarded entities will be responsible for managing the distribution of funds to nurses. This initiative represents a significant effort by CMS to bolster the nursing workforce in critical care settings.
What to do next
- Review eligibility requirements for the Nursing Home Staffing Campaign NOFO.
- Prepare and submit applications for cooperative agreements by the March 27, 2026 deadline.
- Develop plans for administering financial incentives (loan repayment, stipends) to nurses.
Source document (simplified)
Nursing Home Staffing Campaign
Agency: Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services
Assistance Listings: 93.693 -- Nursing Home Staffing Campaign
Last Updated: February 9, 2026 View version history on Grants.gov
Description
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is committed to improving safety and quality of care in the nation’s nursing homes. Nursing home staffing is a critical factor for improving care for nursing home residents.
However, some nursing homes struggle to hire enough nursing staff to meet each resident’s needs. Additionally, state survey agencies, which are responsible for inspecting nursing homes for compliance with federal regulations, have also had challenges hiring nurses to conduct these inspections. The Nursing Home Staffing Campaign (NHSC) is aimed at increasing the availability of nurses to work in the nursing home environment, such as in qualifying nursing homes or in an oversight capacity for a state inspection agency.
This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is focused on helping to recruit registered nurses (RNs) and licensed practical nurses or licensed vocational nurses (LPNs) to work in nursing homes by offering financial incentives. Through this NOFO, CMS is accepting applications for cooperative agreements to entities that will administer financial incentives, such as loan repayment and stipends to RNs and LPNs, to work for three years in a qualifying nursing home or in an oversight role with a state agency.
Eligibility
Eligible applicants
Nonprofit
- Nonprofits non-higher education without 501(c)(3)
- Nonprofits non-higher education with 501(c)(3)
Education
- Public and state institutions of higher education
- Private institutions of higher education
Additional information
Small nonprofit businesses
Faith-based organizations that meet the eligibility requirements
National associations for nursing schools
National associations for nurses
National associations for nursing students
Grantor contact information
Description
Documents
Download all
| File name | Description | Last updated |
| --- | --- | --- |
| cms-2v2-26-001_rev2.pdf | NHSC Notice of Funding Opportunity revised | Mar 18, 2026 03:32 PM UTC |
Link to additional information
--
Closing: March 27, 2026
Application process
This site is a work in progress. Go to www.grants.gov to apply, track application status, and subscribe to updates. View on Grants.gov
Award
$80,000,000
Program Funding
15
Expected awards
$1,760,000
Award Minimum
$20,000,000
Award Maximum
Funding opportunity number:
CMS-2V2-26-001
Cost sharing or matching requirement:
No Funding instrument type:
Cooperative agreement
Opportunity Category:
Discretionary
Opportunity Category Explanation:
-- Category of Funding Activity:
Health
Category Explanation:
--
History
Version:
1
Posted date:
February 9, 2026
Archive date:
April 26, 2026
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