Oral Health Program: Grants to School-Based Restorative Dental Clinics
School-based restorative grant funding
In 2023, the Wisconsin Oral Health Program awarded grants to school-based restorative dental clinics that are working to ensure that children served by Wisconsin Seal-A-Smile programs have access to and receive the restorative dental care they need. Funded clinics will be funded through Wisconsin Seal-A-Smile or be working in collaboration with a Wisconsin Seal-A-Smile-funded program. Per Wis. Stat. §250.10(1m)(b) $100,000 is allocated each fiscal year for school-based restorative dental services.
Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) selects funded clinics through a grant award process every three years. Clinics are awarded funding for each fiscal year of the grant based on meeting grant deliverables. Awards must be used to support school-based restorative dental services provided at participating schools.
School-based restorative dental clinic funded 2024-2026
DentaMed Healthcare is the school-based restorative grantee for state fiscal years 2024-2026.
Important dates
February 1: Each year – Mid-year progress report due
July 31: Each year – Final progress report due
July 1, 2023—June 30, 2024: Period of Performance for Year 1 (FY24) Award
July 1, 2024—June 30, 2025: Period of Performance for Year 2 (FY25) Award (pending satisfactory Year 1 progress)
July 1, 2025—June 30, 2026: Period of Performance for Year 3 (FY26) Award (pending satisfactory Year 2 progress)
July 14, 2026: Final invoicing due - (no carry-over or extensions available)
GEARS
Grant Enrollment, Application and Reporting System (GEARS) is replacing CARS (Community Aids Reporting System) as the system we use for processing contracts and reimbursing expenses for local agencies/grantees.
Recorded trainings
Nonprofit Dental Clinic Learning Sessions with D4 Practice Solutions DHS: The Wisconsin Oral Health Program partnered with D4 Practice Solutions to create a training series on dental clinic operation and management for safety net dental clinics. Available trainings include:
- A Practical Approach for Oral Health Integration
- Basics of Dental Practice Transformation
- Creating the Plan for Dental Program Sustainability
- Managing for Success—Safety Net Dental Programs
- Managing Quality When Time and Resources are Scarce
- Practical Applications of TeleDentistry
- Program Evaluation for Dental Programs
- Work Hard Get Paid
DHS has awarded $100,000 in grants to school-based restorative dental clinics to ensure that children served by Wisconsin Seal-A-Smile programs have access to and receive the restorative care they need. By using mobile dental equipment set up directly in a school or a mobile unit stationed on-site at the school, funded programs will provide restorative care to children with early and urgent dental needs, thereby reducing the number of children with untreated dental decay.
School-based restorative dental clinics are eligible.
Per Wis. Stat. §250.10(1m)(b) $100,000 is allocated each fiscal year for school-based restorative dental services. Eligible school-based restorative dental clinics must be funded through Wisconsin Seal-A-Smile or be working in collaboration with a Wisconsin Seal-A-Smile-funded program and must provide school-based restorative services at multiple schools with licensed dentist(s) providing restorative care to students at school sites.
Current grant timeline
March 2023: Grant funding opportunity (GFO) released, questions due, questions/responses posted to DHS website
May 8, 2023: Application Materials due by 5 p.m. CST—Current application period is closed.
May 26, 2023: Notification of Awards (estimated)
July 1, 2023 – June 30, 2024: Period of Performance for Year 1 (FY24) Award
July 1, 2024 – June 30, 2025: Period of Performance for Year 2 (FY25) Award (pending satisfactory Year 1 progress)
July 1, 2025 – June 30, 2026: Period of Performance for Year 3 (FY26) Award (pending satisfactory Year 2 progress)
Next GFO anticipated release—March 2026
DHS selects funded clinics through a grant award process every three years. Clinics are awarded funding for each fiscal year of the grant based on meeting grant deliverables. Eligible awards may range between $25,000 and $100,000, and must be used to support school-based restorative dental services. Depending on the number of applications received, between one and four awards are expected.
New applications will not be accepted prior to the next GFO being released.