The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) is accepting required Notices of Intent (NOIs) for the Appropriation Year 2027 Nursing Shortage Reduction Program (NSRP), official RFA #1773, released October 19, 2026. The state program offers applicant-facing financial assistance to qualified Texas institutions operating registered-nursing education programs; this is not a government procurement contract.
First-stage and final application deadlines
A Notice of Intent to Apply is mandatory and must be received by November 13, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. Central Time, using the official NOI form posted on the THECB NSRP program page. THECB first reviews institutional eligibility and decides which NOI submitters may proceed. Only institutions authorized to proceed may submit the full grant application through THECB’s Grants Management System (GMS) by February 5, 2027, at 11:59 p.m. Central Time. The February application deadline does not replace the earlier mandatory November NOI stage. THECB anticipates announcing awards March 1, 2027.
Grant amount and funding tiers
For this award cycle, THECB anticipates approximately 80 grants from an estimated $23,400,000 statewide program funding pool. $23,400,000 is not an individual applicant award. Each applicant’s award is determined using the prescribed nursing graduate-data allocation formula, not an across-the-board fixed award. The RFA allocates approximately $14,000,000 to the Growth Tier, $4,000,000 to the Production Tier, and $5,400,000 to the Faculty Tier. The controlling RFA does not publish a universal individual applicant award maximum. Applicants should not infer one by dividing the total pool by the anticipated award count.
Who can apply
Eligible applicants generally include Texas public or private higher education institutions as defined by state law, or certain previously eligible entities, offering a professional nursing program in good standing with the Texas Board of Nursing. At the time of application, BON program status must be Full Approval or Full Approval with Warning. Programs on Initial Approval, Initial Approval with Warning, Conditional Approval, or Withdrawal of Approval are ineligible. Institutions must submit required CBM001 and CBM009 nursing enrollment and graduate reports. Only one application per eligible institution is allowed; partners may contribute, but the applicant retains all grant obligations.
Qualifying projects and award calculation
NSRP funds support increasing the supply of nurses through enrolling more RN students, evidence-based student recruitment and retention, innovative faculty and clinical teaching arrangements, shared instructional resources, preceptors and part-time clinical faculty, and recruitment and retention of nursing faculty. The Growth Tier uses eligible increases in nursing graduates from FY2025 to FY2026; the Production Tier uses FY2026 RN graduates; the Faculty Tier uses FY2026 master’s-level and doctoral nursing education graduates, based on THECB certified CBM009 data and designated CIP codes. Nonresident distance-learning graduates living outside Texas are excluded from the allocation calculation.
Allowable expenses, prohibitions and reporting
Reasonable, necessary, approved costs may include directly assigned project personnel, scholarships and student aid, recruitment, educational and training activities, teaching equipment and supplies, professional services, student support, and related travel consistent with state grant rules. Indirect costs, costs incurred before or after the authorized period, unrelated salaries, food and beverages, foreign travel, structural construction, major renovations, real property and supplanting other resources are prohibited. All changes to the approved budget require advance written THECB approval in GMS. No fixed required cash-match percentage is established in this RFA; applicants must nevertheless comply with the full state grant terms and funding formula.
Payments and term
After award and a fully executed Notice of Grant Award (NOGA), 50% of approved grant funds is payable at award/start; the remaining 50% is payable only at THECB’s discretion after October 29, 2027, contingent on timely submitted and accepted program and financial reports. Projects run from the later of April 1, 2027 or NOGA execution through March 30, 2029. No grant extension is offered. Expenditures cannot precede an executed NOGA.
Applicant action
Review the complete official THECB AY2027 NSRP RFA #1773 (44-page PDF), verify BON approval and CBM reporting eligibility, and submit the required NOI form through the official THECB NSRP program portal no later than November 13, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. CT. Applicants invited to proceed should complete the authorized application in GMS by February 5, 2027 at 11:59 p.m. CT, including required budgets, project descriptions, approvals and certifications. Official contact: NSRP@highered.texas.gov. Follow subsequent official addenda. Details reviewed October 23, 2026.