Rural Health Network Development Planning Program
🏛 Health Resources and Services Administration (HHS-HRSA)
✓ Free, no account · Source: Grants.gov · Last verified Sep 4, 2026
Can you apply?
This grant is for rural organizations working to build integrated health care networks in underserved communities. Eligible applicants typically include rural hospitals, health centers, clinics, and other rural health care entities that collaborate to form networks. The program funds planning and development activities across the United States. Supported activities include establishing network infrastructure, improving care coordination, expanding service access, and implementing health IT solutions.
Network partners must work together on shared objectives. These include achieving operational efficiencies, expanding access to basic health services, improving quality, and strengthening the rural health system overall.
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Key dates
- Aug 13, 2026 Applications open
- Mar 23, 2027 Application deadline in 199 days
- Jun 1, 2027 Award announced
- Jul 1, 2027 Project start
Program description
The Rural Health Network Development Planning Program supports the planning and development of rural integrated health care networks with specific focus on collaboration of entities to establish or improve local capacity and care coordination in underserved communities. Specifically, the program uses the concept of developing networks as a strategy for linking rural health care network participants together to achieve greater collective capacity to overcome local challenges, expand access and improve the quality of care in the rural communities these organizations serve. The program helps network participants work together on three legislative aims:
• Achieve efficiencies.
• Expand access to, coordinate, and improve the quality of basic health care services and associated health outcomes.
• Strengthen the rural health care system as a whole.
The intent is that rural health networks will do the following:
• Expand access to care.
• Increase the use of health information technology.
• Explore alternative health care delivery models.
• Continue to achieve quality health care across the continuum of care.
Who can apply
Eligible applicants
- 501(c)(3) Public Charity
- City / Municipal Government
- Community Health Center
- County Government
- Hospital
- Private University
- Public K-12 School
- Public University
- Rural Health Clinic
- Small Business (SBA-defined)
- Special District
- State Government
- Tribal Nation
Demographic focus
How to apply
Application links
Key dates & requirements
Required documents
- SF-424 (Application for Federal Assistance)
- Project narrative/description
- Budget and budget justification
- Letters of commitment from network participants
- Organizational documentation (501c3 status, governance structure)
- Proof of rural status/service area documentation
Program contact
- 👤 Nkem Osian
- 📧 nosian@hrsa.gov
- 📞 301-443-2751
Funding track record
Recent awards under CFDA 93.912 from the last 3 years — real organizations that won funding through this same program.
Top 10 Largest Recent Awards
-
$13,620,244
-
$7,524,844
-
$7,250,306
-
$7,048,909
-
$6,904,916
-
$6,880,932
-
$6,621,548
-
$6,522,723
-
$6,315,322
-
$6,206,782
Top States by Funding
- MN 2 awards $20.5M
- MS 4 awards $13.3M
- AR 4 awards $13.1M
- KY 3 awards $12.0M
- LA 3 awards $10.6M
Source: USAspending.gov — federal spending transparency. Data covers last 3 years.
Funding history
Annual funding for this program — Federal obligations (CFDA 93.912). How funding has trended year over year.
| 2024 | $47,951,750 | |
| 2025 | $48,828,443 | |
| 2026 est. | $48,828,443 |
FAQ
Who can apply for this grant?
Rural health care entities including hospitals, clinics, and health centers can apply. Organizations typically work as part of a formal network rather than individually.
Is cost-sharing required?
No. This grant does not require matching funds or cost-sharing from applicants.
What activities are funded?
Planning and development of rural health networks, care coordination systems, health IT implementation, and alternative delivery models are eligible.
What is the typical funding amount?
Awards are typically around $100,000, though exact amounts vary. Total program funding is $1,000,000.
When is the deadline?
The deadline is March 23, 2027. Applicants should verify current deadlines before applying.
💡 Tips for applicants
- Focus your narrative on how network partners will work together to solve specific local health challenges. Describe governance and decision-making structures clearly.
- Include letters of commitment from all network participants. Show genuine partnerships, not loose affiliations.
- Demonstrate understanding of your region's health gaps. Use data on access, quality, and service gaps to justify your network approach.
- Explain concrete deliverables for the planning period. Include timeline and milestones for network development activities.
- Show how your network will sustain itself beyond the planning grant period. Discuss long-term funding strategies and operational plans.
⚠️ Common mistakes
Weak partnership documentation. Applicants fail to show genuine collaboration or submit vague letters of intent from network members.
Unclear problem definition. Proposals lack specific data on local health needs and barriers that the network will address.
No sustainability plan. Applications don't explain how the network will operate and fund itself after the planning period ends.
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