The Maryland Department of Health (MDH) is issuing Requests for Applications (RFA) for a grant program designed to help local fire departments and volunteer fire companies access innovative cancer screening technologies.
Through the Maryland Volunteer and Professional Firefighters Innovative Cancer Screening Technologies Program, the Department’s Prevention and Health Promotion Administration (PHPA) will provide grants to support the procurement and administration of cancer screening tests that are not commonly offered as part of routine physical examinations or covered by insurance.
MACo supported SB 849 which enhanced funding for the Professional and Volunteer Firefighter Innovative Cancer Screening Technologies Program in the 2025 legislative session.
The funding opportunity is intended for career and volunteer fire departments interested in expanding access to innovative cancer screening options for firefighters.
The Request for Applications (RFA) is available through the eMaryland Marketplace Advantage (eMMA). The Notice of Availability, issued by the Department, confirms that interested applicants should access eMMA to review the full solicitation and application specifications.
Applications must be submitted by 2 PM on November 20, 2026.
The solicitation can be accessed through eMMA by searching for PHPA 4166/BPM058949. Questions regarding the solicitation should be directed to Nikita Real at Nikita.Real@maryland.gov.
Click here to view the Notice of Availability.
Click here to read the Request for Applications (RFA).
In the 2026 legislative session, the Maryland General Assembly passed SB 579 which mandates that counties provide no-cost preventive cancer screenings to each firefighter who volunteers with a volunteer fire company. Counties may satisfy this requirement by either providing a no-cost annual examination that includes preventive cancer screenings consistent with IAFF guidelines or by applying for the Innovative Cancer Screening Technologies grant.
As previously covered by MACo, in the 2025 legislative session legislators passed SB 374, this bill required counties that employ career firefighters to provide coverage for preventive cancer screenings. The bill prohibited cost-sharing requirements such as copayments, coinsurance, or deductibles. This bill was amended so that a county can satisfy the mandate by either providing no-cost annual medical exams to its firefighters, including cancer screenings that follow the latest guidelines from the International Association of Fire Fighters, or by applying for a state grant to fund innovative cancer screening technologies, such as multicancer early detection blood tests.