Medication Assistance Program

DHHS Division/Office issuing this notice: Office of Rural Health

Date of this notice: March 17, 2025

Grant Applications will be accepted beginning March 17, 2025

Deadline to Receive Applications: April 17, 2025

Working title of the funding program: Medication Assistance Program

Purpose: Description of the function of the program and reason why it was created:

The Office of Rural Health (ORH) announces the availability of grant funding to identify and fund community organizations in North Carolina that will help uninsured, low-income citizens of all ages evaluate their optimal prescription drug choices and apply for free, discounted, and low-cost drugs through public and private medication assistance programs.

These grant funds, supported through the North Carolina General Assembly, are for helping uninsured, low-income North Carolinians gain access to free and low-cost medications. Safety net organizations who care for underserved and medically indigent patients including community health centers, free and charitable clinics, state designated rural health centers, and health departments offering medication assistance to the uninsured in their community are eligible to apply for this funding.

Provide services of a Prescription Assistance Coordinator (PAC) defined as an individual who assists all uninsured, low-income North Carolinians with identifying their optimal prescription drug options from among public and private programs, and providing direct assistance in obtaining medication using a web-based application that is capable of reporting the following mandatory data:

  • Dollar value of medications received for patients
  • Number of medications received for patients
  • Total number of unduplicated patients served

MAP grantees must use The Pharmacy Connection web-based application to determine eligibility for free or low-cost prescription drug programs offered through pharmaceutical companies. The Pharmacy Connection (TPC) user and license fee of $3,000.00 is a reimbursable line-item expense of this grant. This annual fee, which supports administration, license renewal, invoicing, and payment, is managed by the Foundation for Health Leadership and Innovation (FHLI). The required TPC $3,000.00 fee is pre-populated in the MAP budget template spreadsheet.

All applicants must specify a dispensing plan that will ensure their patients will receive the medications that are procured on their behalf and compliant with the NC Board of Pharmacy policies.

Grant funds must be used exclusively to support the approved project and spent in accordance with the grant agreement and approved project budget.  

Based on the limited amount of funding available, grant funds may be used for PAC salaries, project-related travel, supplies, limited amounts of equipment, and other direct project expenses essential to supporting the PAC. These expenses must be budgeted to the categories and line items identified in the Budget. Salary for staff who are not directly involved in providing prescription assistance services should not be included.

Maximum Award Amount: $28,850
Applicant organizations must ensure that Medication Assistance Program funding does not duplicate or supplant any other funding.

Funding Availability:
ORH anticipates a competitive applicant pool. Funding requests are contingent upon availability of program funding. The highest scoring applicants will receive a two-year award based on applicant scores. ORH expects to receive more requests than can be funded. Therefore, submission of a grant application does not guarantee receipt of an award.  Successful applicants will be required to attend a grant award workshop.

Proposed Project Period or Contract Term:
August 1, 2025 – July 31, 2027

Eligibility:
All safety net organizations that provide or will provide medication assistance programs for uninsured, low-income patients are eligible to apply. This includes:

  • Federally Qualified Health Centers and Look-Alikes (FQHCs)
  • Free and Charitable Clinics
  • Health Departments
  • Hospital-Owned Primary Care Clinics
  • State Designated Rural Health Centers
  • School-Based and School-Linked Health Centers
  • AHEC Clinics
  • Other Non-Profit Community Organizations that provide pharmacy services, direct primary and preventive patient care to low-income, uninsured, underinsured and medically vulnerable populations

Only one application may be submitted per eligible organization. An eligible organization must submit one application rather than applications by service site, “doing business as,” or under separate EINs that are all connected to the same eligible organization.

As a condition of receiving a grant award, successful applicants must:

  • Complete the contract process
  • Submit a monthly expense report for reimbursement in a format specified by ORH
  • Use an electronic financial software application (EXCEL spreadsheets are not acceptable formats)
  • Dispense prescription drugs according to NC Board of Pharmacy dispensing policies
  • Comply with ORH’s policies and procedures for contract development, execution, and management
  • Connect or have a plan to connect to NC HealthConnex
  • (To meet the state’s mandate, a provider is “connected” when its clinical and demographic information are being sent to NC HealthConnex at least twice daily.” For further information, please see the HIEA website.

Application Overview:
Applicants must submit the following information electronically through the on-line application tool:

  1. Organizational Information
  2. Grant Narrative
  3. Budget
  4. Evaluation Criteria

Deadline for Submission:   
Grant applications must be received electronically by the Office of Rural Health by April 17, 2025. 
Only electronic applications will be accepted.

How to Apply:
Applicants must submit their application electronically through the Zengine portal. You must create a profile to access the application. The profile will require creating a username and password. Use the RFA document as guidance for the electronic version of the application.

Access the application portal through this link

Technical Assistance Webinars:

April 7, at 11:00 am
Webinar Recording
Webinar Powerpoint

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April 10, 2025, at 11:00 am
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To obtain further information: Funding Agency Contact/Inquiry Information: Nicole Fields-Pierre: nicole.fields-pierre@dhhs.nc.gov 

For assistance with the application link: Sharema Williams: sharema.williams@dhhs.nc.gov 

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