Up to $50 Million Available to State and Jurisdictions for Medical Reserve Corps

​The Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response’s (ASPR) Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) Program today announced up to $50 million in American Rescue Plan funding is available to states, territories, tribes, public/private partnerships, and other public entities to expand the work of the network. MRC will accept applications for the State, Territory and Tribal Nations, Representative Organizations for Next Generation (MRC-STTRONG) Awards through April 30, 2023. 

“MRC units across the country have been integral in helping their local communities respond to the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response Dawn O’Connell. “Many units took on new missions, conducted new training, and continue to adapt plans to meet their communities’ evolving needs. The funding notice ASPR is issuing today will ultimately help the network continue to grow as it has over the past two decades.”

MRC units bolster their community’s preparedness and emergency response infrastructures by providing supplemental personnel when needed, thus making those local communities less likely to be reliant on state and national resources. Most MRC units are sponsored by local health departments; other types of sponsoring organizations include emergency management agencies, local non-profits, and universities. 

“MRC volunteers have been a force multiplier for local emergency responses,” said MRC Program Director Dustun Ashton. “In fact, state partners estimated the value of MRC volunteer efforts for COVID-19 at more than $131 million between March 2020 and March 2022. These new grant awards can help meet community health, health emergency preparedness, and health equity needs. With this funding, Jurisdictions can foster MRC unit growth and engagement in their communities for decades to come.”

Local MRC volunteers are trained as part of a team and work within their community’s health, preparedness, and response infrastructures to help meet local medical and public health needs during emergencies. MRC volunteers also promote preparedness in their communities to improve everyday health and reduce potential public health risks and vulnerabilities.

Applicants must download the application package associated with this funding opportunity from grants.gov. All applications must be submitted electronically by 11:59 PM ET on April 30, 2023. For more information on eligibility and how to apply visit aspr.hhs.gov/MRC. 

About HHS and ASPR:

HHS works to enhance and protect the health and well-being of all Americans, providing for effective health and human services and fostering advances in medicine, public health, and social services. ASPR, an operating division of HHS, leads the department in preparing the nation to respond to and recover from adverse health effects of emergencies, supporting communities' ability to withstand adversity, strengthening health and response systems, and enhancing national health security. 

About MRC:

The MRC is a national network of 300,000 volunteers organized into approximately 750 local community-based groups which are committed to improving local emergency response capabilities, reducing vulnerabilities, and building community preparedness and resilience. MRC units organize and utilize local volunteers who want to donate their time and expertise to prepare for and respond to emergencies and to support steady-state preparedness initiatives. MRC volunteers include medical and public health professionals as well as other community members without healthcare backgrounds.  

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