New Funding Opportunity – Apply Today!
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently announced the Connecting Kids to Coverage (CKC) Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). The Outreach and Enrollment Cooperative Agreement program provides funding to reduce the number of children who are eligible for, but not enrolled in, Medicaid and CHIP, and to improve retention of eligible children, parents, and pregnant women who are enrolled in the program.
This CKC NOFO makes available $66.4 million ($8.29 in AI/AN grants funds and $58 million for broader grants) in cooperative agreements, up to $3 million, for a five-year period of performance to achieve these goals. Applications are due March 7, 2025.
You can learn more about these grants and eligibility here. Interested applicants are encouraged to join one of two informational webinars on January 28, 2025 or February 13, 2025 and can register here.
Upcoming Observances
Organizations can tie national observances, like the ones listed below, into Medicaid and CHIP outreach and enrollment efforts.
- January: National Birth Defects Awareness Month
- January 23: Maternal Health Awareness Day
- February: National Children’s Dental Health Month
- February: Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month
- February 7: Give Kids A Smile Day
- February 9: National Toothache Day
Nearly 4 million kids in the United States do not have essential health coverage. As we kick off 2025, we encourage our Campaign Notes subscribers to consider conducting outreach and enrollment activities to help eligible but uninsured kids enroll in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) –and to help keep the more than 37 million children currently enrolled in the programs covered in the year ahead. From monthly observances like National Children’s Dental Health Month in February, Mental Health Awareness Month in May, and Back-to-School season in August, to year-round initiatives such as giving families peace of mind, rural health outreach, and immunizations, the Connecting Kids to Coverage National Campaign has a variety of materials to utilize in your outreach.
Explore Campaign Resources
The Campaign’s Outreach Tool Library features videos, posters, newsletter templates, draft social copy, and more about Medicaid and CHIP, and encourages enrollment for eligible families in your community. All materials are available in English and Spanish, with many also available in over 20 other languages. Plus, certain materials can be customized to include your organization’s information and logo. As you’re planning for 2025 outreach, we encourage you to incorporate these materials and help connect families to comprehensive health coverage.
Enroll Anytime, Renew Annually
Medicaid and CHIP offer year-round enrollment, which means families don’t have to remember an enrollment deadline. It is critical, though, that families know to renew their coverage yearly. To help families avoid a gap in coverage, the Campaign developed resources – including social copy and images, email signatures, and palm cards – that are specific to annual renewals.
Reach Families Through Text
ne of the most direct ways to reach families in your community is through mobile text messaging. More than 98% of Americans own a cellphone and 95% of individuals in low-income households own a cellphone. This means that many of the families that have Medicaid and CHIP coverage can receive text messages. If your organization is interested in using text messages to remind families about enrolling in and the benefits of Medicaid and CHIP, you can find sample text messages related to mental health care, flu shots, and regular well-child visits on the Outreach Tool Library.
The Campaign also partners with Bright By Text, an organization that shares free tips with parents based on their child’s age and location. Parents can sign up for English, Spanish, or Arabic language texts. The Campaign encourages your organization to share this free resource with families. If your organization is currently using text message in your outreach and enrollment efforts, let us know at connectingkids@cms.hhs.gov – we welcome hearing from you!
Stay Connected with the Campaign
- Share our Campaign materials. Our ever-growing, multi-lingual Outreach Tool Library features a variety of targeted resources to use in your outreach and enrollment efforts, available in multiple formats.
- Contact us. To get more involved with the Campaign, contact us via email at ConnectingKids@cms.hhs.gov.
- Follow the Campaign on X (formally Twitter). Remember to re-tweet or share our messages from @IKNGov with your social network and be sure to use our #Enroll365 and #KidsEnroll hashtags in your posts.
Subscribe to the “Campaign Notes” eNewsletter
The Connecting Kids to Coverage National Campaign eNewsletter “Campaign Notes” is distributed throughout the year and provides updates on Campaign activities. If a friend or colleague forwarded this email to you, we invite you to sign up to receive this eNewsletter directly to your inbox.