Ambulance Service Training & Staffing (AST&S) Grant – “Earn While You Learn”

Status: Application period open.

The Ambulance Service Training & Staffing (AST&S) Grant Program supports Minnesota ambulance services in developing or expanding paid “Earn While You Learn” EMT training programs. These programs help reduce financial barriers, strengthen local EMS staffing, and ensure communities have access to skilled emergency medical responders.

How the AST&S Grant Works 1

2026 Application Cycle

The 2026 application period is now open. Applications are due June 5, 2026. Award notifications are anticipated in July 2026.

Purpose and Outcome of the Grant Opportunity

This grant opportunity is funded through Minnesota Laws 2025, Special Session, Chapter 3, Article 5, Section 3. The purpose of the Ambulance Service Training and Staffing Grant program (AST&S) is to support Minnesota ambulance services in developing or expanding existing “Earn While You Learn” recruitment programs. These programs aim to address critical workforce shortages by making emergency medical technician (EMT) training more accessible and financially feasible for prospective candidates. They allow individuals to receive paid on-the-job training while completing the required education and certification to become EMTs. 

By reducing financial barriers and providing immediate income, this initiative is intended to attract a broader and more diverse applicant pool, accelerate the entry of new EMTs into the workforce, and strengthen the overall stability and readiness of the EMS system to respond to community needs. These grants will provide eligible ambulance services funding for certain costs to train ambulance service employees as EMTs and staff the ambulance service.

Who This Grant is For

Eligibility Criteria

The purpose of this grant program is to support ambulance services that rely significantly on EMTs, thereby strengthening this segment of the EMS workforce pipeline.

To be eligible for a grant under this section, an ambulance service must:

  1. Be licensed under Minnesota Statutes, chapter 144E; and
  2. In the calendar year prior to the year in which the ambulance service first applies for a grant under this section, have had at least 50 percent of its ambulance staffing provided by emergency medical technicians.

To determine compliance with this requirement, the Office of EMS (OEMS) will evaluate ambulance services based on either of the following criteria. A service is eligible if it meets at least one:

  1. Roster-Based Requirement: At least 50 percent of the EMS personnel listed on the service’s eLicense electronic roster are certified at the EMT level.
  2. Response-Based Requirement: At least 50 percent of the EMS responses during the previous calendar year, as reported in the Minnesota State Ambulance Reporting System (MNSTAR), included an EMT listed on the patient care report.

Available Funding

Through this RFP, grants are available to ambulance services selected to offer Earn While You Learn programs through June 30, 2027. AST&S grants include four funding categories. There is $1.5 million available for this grant program. This is a competitive grant, and the number of grantees has not been determined at this time. The total number of applicants and the size of the requests will determine how many grants are awarded.

What the Grant Covers

An ambulance service must use grant money awarded under this section only for one or more of the following:

  1. EMT education program tuition.
  2. EMT certification exam fees.
  3. Background study fees for new EMT employees.
  4. Wage and benefit costs of employees while attending an EMT education program or program-related activities. Wage and benefit costs under this clause must be commensurate with the wages and benefits the ambulance service provides to an entry-level EMT and must not exceed $26 per hour.

The State reserves the right to offer grant amounts that differ from the grant applicant’s request.

Grant Period

The term of the initial AST&S grant period is anticipated to be from July 15, 2026, through June 30, 2027. Grant proposals are not required to last the entire length of the grant cycle.

Options for extensions or continuation awards will be considered at the State’s discretion.

Questions, Technical Assistance, and Information Sessions

All questions regarding this funding opportunity must be submitted by email to finance.oems@state.mn.us.

  1. A virtual Grant Applicant Information Session will serve as an opportunity for applicants to ask specific questions of State staff concerning the project. Attendance at the Grant Applicant Information Session is not mandatory but is recommended.
    • Oral answers given at the Grant Applicant Information Session will be non-binding. Written responses to questions asked at the session will be sent to all identified prospective applicants after the session.
  2. Written questions will be accepted only by email to finance.oems@state.mn.us by Wednesday, May 20, 2026, at 12:00 p.m. Central Time. Written responses will be published on the OEMS Funding Opportunities page within three business days of the Grant Applicant Information Session.
  3. The State will not be held responsible for oral responses to applicants.

Key Dates

Application Submission and Signature

Applications must be received no later than 4:00 p.m. CST on June 5, 2026. Applications must be submitted online through the online form. No paper submissions will be accepted. Late applications will not be accepted.

With the online form, applicants must include the required attachments. The application portal and exhibits listed below are available on the OEMS website. Once completed, they can be uploaded through the online application portal.

Application Content

Mini-Grant AST&S Applications for Awards Less Than $50,000

Applicants must submit the following for the application to be considered complete:

  1. Application with narrative questions. Application.
  2. Exhibit A: Assurances and completed and signed application coversheet. Attachment.
  3. Exhibit B: Budget and Work Plan Template. Attachment.

AST&S Grant Applications for Awards Requesting $50,000 or More

Applicants must submit the following for the application to be considered complete:

  1. Application with narrative questions. Application.
  2. Exhibit A: Assurances and completed and signed application coversheet. Attachment.
  3. Exhibit B: Budget and Work Plan Template. Attachment.
  4. Exhibit C: Capacity Responses. Attachment.
  5. Exhibit D: Certification that the entity is not suspended or debarred by the State of Minnesota or the federal government. Attachment.
  6. Exhibit E: Evidence of Good Standing. Attachment.
  7. Exhibit F: Nonprofit grantee documents, as applicable. Attachment.
  8. Exhibit G: For-Profit Certification Disclosure and required documents, as applicable. Attachment.
  9. Exhibit H: Certification that no current principals have been convicted of a felony financial crime in the last ten years. Attachment.

Incomplete applications will be rejected and not evaluated. Applications must include all required application materials, including attachments. Do not provide any materials that are not requested, as such materials will not be considered or evaluated.

OEMS reserves the right to reject any application that does not meet these requirements.

By submitting an application, each applicant warrants that the information provided is true, correct, and reliable for purposes of evaluation for potential grant award. The submission of inaccurate or misleading information may be grounds for disqualification from the award, as well as subject the applicant to suspension or debarment proceedings and other remedies available by law.

All costs incurred in responding to this grant opportunity will be borne by the applicant.

Seeking Community Reviewers

The Minnesota Office of Emergency Medical Services (OEMS) is seeking volunteers to serve as community reviewers for the Ambulance Service Training & Staffing (AST&S) Grant Program. Reviewers play an important role in evaluating grant proposals and ensuring funding decisions reflect diverse perspectives across Minnesota’s EMS system.

Community reviewers will:

  • Read and evaluate approximately 10 grant proposals in late June 2026.
  • Participate in a remote orientation and scoring session.
  • Spend an estimated 10–20 hours total over a two-week period.
  • Provide independent feedback that helps guide OEMS grant funding recommendations.

Who can serve: Minnesota residents with lived experience or a background in emergency medical services or related areas are encouraged to apply. OEMS seeks reviewers from diverse geographic, cultural, and professional backgrounds to advance equitable and informed decision-making.

Reviewers must:

  • Be Minnesota residents.
  • Have computer and internet access.
  • Not be applicants for the AST&S Grant.
  • Be available to review proposals during the last two weeks of June 2026.

If selected, reviewers will receive orientation and access to assigned proposals through an online review system. All participation occurs remotely.

Apply to become a community reviewer:

2025 AST&S Grant Recipients

The following services submitted proposals under the 2025 AST&S Grant Request for Proposals (RFP):

  • City of Jackson / Jackson Ambulance – $76,719
  • Mayo Clinic Ambulance Service – $83,256
  • Regions Hospital dba HealthPartners Medical Transportation – $292,320
  • Sanford Health Network – $113,885

View the full AST&S RFP Applicants list (PDF)

Questions about the community reviewer process may be directed to melanie.q.riddle@state.mn.us.