Distance Learning and Telemedicine Grants
🏛 Rural Utilities Service
Can you apply?
This grant is for organizations providing distance learning or telemedicine services in rural areas. Eligible applicants include state and local governments, federally recognized tribes, nonprofits, cooperatives, and private companies serving rural communities. The program prioritizes projects in areas with limited broadband or healthcare access.
Geographic focus is rural areas across the United States, including tribal lands. Projects must demonstrate how distance learning or telemedicine will improve educational or healthcare outcomes in underserved regions.
Supported activities include infrastructure development, equipment purchase, training programs, and service delivery. Applicants must show technical capacity and a sustainable funding plan for ongoing operations.
⚖️ Cost sharing / matching required — applicants must contribute their own funds.
This grant is for organizations providing distance learning or telemedicine services in rural areas. Eligible applicants include state and local governments, federally recognized tribes, nonprofits, cooperatives, and private companies serving rural communities. The program prioritizes projects in areas with limited broadband or healthcare access.
Geographic focus is rural areas across the United States, including tribal lands. Projects must demonstrate how distance learning or telemedicine will improve educational or healthcare outcomes in underserved regions.
Supported activities include infrastructure development, equipment purchase, training programs, and service delivery. Applicants must show technical capacity and a sustainable funding plan for ongoing operations.
Program description
Authorized by 7 U.S.C. 950aaa, the DLT Program provides financial assistance to enable and improve distance learning and telemedicine services in rural areas. DLT grant funds support the use of telecommunications-enabled information, audio and video equipment, and related advanced technologies by students, teachers, medical professionals, and rural residents. These grants are intended to increase rural access to education, training, and health care resources that are otherwise unavailable or limited in scope.
The regulation for the DLT Program can be found at 7 CFR part 1734. All applicants should carefully review and prepare their applications according to instructions in the FY 2026 DLT Grant Program Application Guide (Application Guide) and program resources. This Application Guide will be made available here and on the program website at https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/distance-learning-telemedicine-grants. Expenses incurred in developing applications will be at the applicant’s own risk.
Who can apply
Eligible applicants
- 501(c)(3) Public Charity
- City / Municipal Government
- Cooperative
- County Government
- Nonprofits
- Private University
- Public K-12 School
- Public University
- Small Business (SBA-defined)
- Special District
- State Government
- Tribal Nation
Demographic focus
Details
This grant is for organizations providing distance learning or telemedicine services in rural areas. Eligible applicants include state and local governments, federally recognized tribes, nonprofits, cooperatives, and private companies serving rural communities. The program prioritizes projects in areas with limited broadband or healthcare access.
Geographic focus is rural areas across the United States, including tribal lands. Projects must demonstrate how distance learning or telemedicine will improve educational or healthcare outcomes in underserved regions.
Supported activities include infrastructure development, equipment purchase, training programs, and service delivery. Applicants must show technical capacity and a sustainable funding plan for ongoing operations.
How to apply
Application links
Key dates & requirements
Required documents
- SF-424 (Application for Federal Assistance)
- Project Narrative describing need, approach, and outcomes
- Detailed budget and budget narrative
- Letters of support from community partners or local government
- Broadband availability assessment (if infrastructure-focused)
- Sustainability and operations plan
- Organizational capacity documentation
Program contact
- 👤 Scott D Steiner Supervisory Electronics Engineer
- 📧 dltinfo@usda.gov
- 📞 2027208820
Funding track record
Recent awards under CFDA 10.855 from the last 3 years — real organizations that won funding through this same program.
Top 10 Largest Recent Awards
-
$34,885,420
-
$34,748,254
-
$31,039,614
-
$30,970,030
-
$25,000,000
-
$24,996,065
-
$24,957,845
-
$24,920,329
-
$24,248,616
-
$22,230,053
Top States by Funding
- AK 10 awards $227.7M
- MO 4 awards $49.4M
- MI 6 awards $44.9M
- OK 8 awards $44.9M
- CA 6 awards $39.1M
Source: USAspending.gov — federal spending transparency. Data covers last 3 years.
Funding history
Annual funding for this program — Federal obligations (CFDA 10.855). How funding has trended year over year.
| 2024 | $83,342,332 | |
| 2025 | $69,867,954 | |
| 2026 est. | $37,767,000 |
FAQ
What types of organizations can apply?
States, local governments, tribes, nonprofits, cooperatives, and private companies are eligible. Applicants must serve rural areas with demonstrated need.
Are there geographic restrictions?
Projects must be located in rural areas. USDA defines rural based on population and distance from urban centers.
What activities does the program support?
Eligible activities include broadband infrastructure, telemedicine equipment, distance learning platforms, staff training, and service expansion in rural regions.
How competitive is this grant?
RUS grants are moderately to highly competitive. Strong applications demonstrate community need, technical feasibility, and long-term sustainability.
What is the typical funding range?
Grant amounts vary widely. Check the current NOFO for specific maximum awards and any matching requirements.
💡 Tips for applicants
- Document the rural community's need through census data, healthcare provider shortages, or broadband gap analysis. Show specific problems your project solves.
- Include letters of support from local government, schools, health providers, or community leaders. Real stakeholder commitment strengthens competitiveness.
- Develop a detailed budget and sustainability plan showing how the project will operate after grant funding ends. Funders want lasting impact.
- If broadband infrastructure is involved, coordinate with other federal broadband programs to avoid duplication and leverage complementary funding.
- Build partnerships with existing service providers, educational institutions, or healthcare systems. Collaboration demonstrates feasibility and expands reach.
⚠️ Common mistakes
Many applications fail because they don't adequately document rural need or broadband gaps in their service area. Weak sustainability plans suggesting complete dependence on grant funding hurt competitiveness. Projects lacking community partnerships or local buy-in are less likely to succeed.
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