Minnesota Department of Health is accepting FY2027 Dental Safety Net Grant applications from eligible nonprofit dental providers serving uninsured and publicly insured patients. A required Letter of Intent is due October 16, 2026 at 4:30 PM Central Time. Applicants that submit a timely LOI and are determined eligible will then submit the full project narrative and budget by December 14, 2026 at 4:30 PM Central Time through the ORHPC Online Grants Portal.
Funding
MDH estimates $113,000 annually for this cycle. Awards are formula-based and proportional to each eligible provider’s share of uninsured patients under age 21 served. No single eligible provider will receive less than 2% or more than 30% of the appropriation. MDH estimates awards from $2,260 to $33,900. No match is required. The grant period is expected to run from February 1 through December 31, 2027.
Eligibility
Applicants must be nonprofit dental provider organizations that are not affiliated with, owned by, or managed by a hospital or medical group; offer free or reduced-cost oral health care to low-income patients under age 21 with family incomes below 275% of federal poverty guidelines who lack oral-health insurance; are eligible to become or are designated Critical Access Dental providers by Minnesota DHS; and demonstrate that more than 80% of annual dental patient encounters are with patients who are uninsured or covered by Medical Assistance or MinnesotaCare. MDH has clarified that the greater-than-80% encounter test has no patient age limit. Current Mental Health Safety Net or Hospital Safety Net grantees are ineligible.
Allowable Costs
Eligible expenses may include salaries, fringe, supplies, travel, equipment and capital improvements, contracted services, and defined other direct project costs. Indirect costs are not allowed. Other ineligible expenses include donation solicitation, most taxes, lobbying or political contributions, bad debts, late fees, finance charges, and contingency funds. Costs may not be incurred until the grant agreement is fully executed and effective.
Required LOI Materials
The Letter of Intent must include organization and project information plus required supporting documents: qualifying patient-encounter data, the Dental Qualifying Data Attestation, documentation of the organization’s free or reduced-cost care policy, documentation of Critical Access Dental provider status or eligibility, and the conflict-of-interest disclosure. Applicants that clear the LOI and eligibility review will later complete the project narrative, work plan, and budget.
Submission
Both the LOI and later full application are submitted electronically through the Minnesota Department of Health ORHPC Online Grants Portal. The controlling FY2027 Notice of Grant Opportunity, current program page, qualifying-data attestation, budget worksheet, and any posted questions and answers should be reviewed before submission.
Atlas Analysis
Atlas Opportunity Score: 78/100. This is a narrow but actionable safety-net dental opportunity with a verified no-match structure, a clear two-stage process, and express allowability for equipment and capital improvements. The principal constraints are highly specific statutory provider eligibility and a relatively modest formula-based award ceiling. N9+ Fit: 45/100 conditional. Equipment and capital are expressly allowable, but any device or technology expense must be directly tied to the applicant’s project and the grant purpose of improving access and defraying care costs for uninsured low-income patients under age 21. QC Healthcare Fit: 20/100 conditional. Any role must be applicant-specific and procurement-compliant. Dr. Miltie direct-applicant fit is 0/100 because applicants must be qualifying nonprofit dental provider organizations.