Rural Health Transformation Program – Transforming Rural Healthcare Delivery, Community Care Infrastructure
Can you apply?
This grant is for rural primary care and behavioral health providers in Illinois seeking to transform healthcare delivery. Eligible applicants include federally qualified health centers (FQHCs), rural health clinics, primary care practices, and behavioral health organizations serving rural communities. The program supports implementation of integrated care models, team-based approaches, and health IT infrastructure improvements. Activities include standing up evidence-based integrated care, enhancing care coordination, embedding new provider types (CHWs, peer support professionals, doulas), and building clinical connections between primary and specialty care.
This grant is for rural primary care and behavioral health providers in Illinois seeking to transform healthcare delivery. Eligible applicants include federally qualified health centers (FQHCs), rural health clinics, primary care practices, and behavioral health organizations serving rural communities. The program supports implementation of integrated care models, team-based approaches, and health IT infrastructure improvements. Activities include standing up evidence-based integrated care, enhancing care coordination, embedding new provider types (CHWs, peer support professionals, doulas), and building clinical connections between primary and specialty care.
Program description
The Rural Health Transformation (RHT) Program was designed to empower states to strengthen rural communities by improving healthcare access, quality, and outcomes through transforming the healthcare delivery ecosystem.
Illinois’ Rural Health Transformation Program will support rural communities across the State of Illinois in improving healthcare access, quality, and outcomes by transforming healthcare delivery. This program will support rural primary care and behavioral health providers to develop the infrastructure, staffing, and workflows necessary for implementing integrated models of care. This may include standing up evidence-based, integrated models of care, implementing regionalized, enhanced care coordination and health system navigation models; building clinical connections between rural primary care providers and specialists; embedding primary care providers and services in outpatient behavioral health settings; embedding new provider types, such as CHWs (Community Health Workers), peer support professionals, and doulas into care teams; and enhancing health IT infrastructure to improve integration and coordination, population health management, and/or AI-enabled clinical decision supports.
All RHT applicants must complete the Euna application. Once the completed application is received and approved, the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services will collaborate with each subaward to complete the grant award process.
Stevens Amendment Acknowledgment
This funding opportunity is supported by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $193,418,216.21 with 100 percent funded by CMS/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by CMS/HHS, or the U.S. Government
As the first point of contact for the patients they serve, primary care and outpatient behavioral health settings serve as the optimal foundation for building innovative and integrated models of care in rural communities. The intent of this initiative is to strengthen primary care and behavioral health infrastructure and embed team-based, integrated models of care that can address primary care, behavioral health, and root causes of disease holistically. By investing in these models, rural health systems can reduce fragmentation, improve access, and deliver comprehensive, person-centered care that meets the unique needs of rural populations and shift care to lower cost settings.
Through this Non-Discretionary Funding Information (NDFI) the state has identified Illinois Primary Health Care Association (IPHCA) and Community Behavioral Health Association (CBHA) as the direct recipient of this award. The recipients will provide targeted funding to rural primary care and behavioral health providers to develop the infrastructure, staffing, and workflows necessary for implementing integrated, team-based models of care. Funds will be used to support the implementation of integrated physical and behavioral health services, collaborative care arrangements between primary care and behavioral health providers, innovative care teams that leverage new provider types (e.g., community-health workers), and the development of regional partnerships between key providers of health and social services in rural communities, including, but not limited to schools, specialists, hospitals, emergency departments and urgent care centers, local health departments, community-based providers, and pharmacies. This program utilizes federal CMS Rural Health Transformation (RHT) Program 2 Total amount of funding expected to be awarded through this NDFI to $26,000,000 in year 1 $98,000,000 in total across Budget Periods 1-5, subject to continued funding and program approval. Funding in future years is subject to CMS’s continuation, review, and award of future Rural Health Transformation Program funding. The release of this NDFI does not obligate HFS to make an award. Federal Assistance Listing: 93.798. Administered by the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services via the Illinois GATA Catalog of State Financial Assistance (CSFA 478-00-3980).
Who can apply
Eligible applicants
- Community Health Center
- FQHC (Federally Qualified Health Center)
- Mental Health Clinic
- Rural Health Clinic
Demographic focus
Details
This grant is for rural primary care and behavioral health providers in Illinois seeking to transform healthcare delivery. Eligible applicants include federally qualified health centers (FQHCs), rural health clinics, primary care practices, and behavioral health organizations serving rural communities. The program supports implementation of integrated care models, team-based approaches, and health IT infrastructure improvements. Activities include standing up evidence-based integrated care, enhancing care coordination, embedding new provider types (CHWs, peer support professionals, doulas), and building clinical connections between primary and specialty care.
How to apply
Application links
Required documents
- Euna application (state-specific system)
- Project narrative describing integrated care model
- Letters of commitment from regional partners
- Organizational capacity documentation
- Implementation timeline and workflow details
- Budget narrative justifying staffing and infrastructure investments
Program contact
- 👤 Dani Mendez
Funding track record
Recent awards under CFDA 93.798 from the last 3 years — real organizations that won funding through this same program.
Top 10 Largest Recent Awards
-
$281,319,361
-
$272,174,856
-
$233,639,308
-
$233,509,359
-
$223,476,949
-
$221,898,008
-
$218,862,170
-
$218,529,075
-
$216,276,818
-
$213,008,356
Top States by Funding
- TX 1 awards $281.3M
- AK 1 awards $272.2M
- CA 1 awards $233.6M
- MT 1 awards $233.5M
- OK 1 awards $223.5M
Source: USAspending.gov — federal spending transparency. Data covers last 3 years.
FAQ
Who can apply for this funding?
Rural primary care and behavioral health providers in Illinois. Funding flows through designated intermediaries (IPHCA and CBHA) who then distribute to eligible providers.
What is the funding amount available?
$26,000,000 expected in year 1, with $98,000,000 total across five budget periods, subject to continued funding approval.
What activities are supported?
Integrated physical and behavioral health services, collaborative care arrangements, innovative care teams with new provider types, and regional partnerships between health and social service providers.
Is there a cost-sharing requirement?
No cost-sharing or matching funds are required for this program.
When is the deadline?
The deadline is June 9, 2026. Applicants must complete the Euna application system and receive departmental approval.
💡 Tips for applicants
- Focus your proposal on how integration reduces fragmentation and shifts care to lower-cost settings in your rural community.
- Clearly identify which new provider types (CHWs, peer support, doulas) you will embed and how they strengthen your care model.
- Emphasize regional partnerships and clinical connections between primary care, behavioral health, specialists, and social service providers.
- Use the Euna application system early to allow time for the Illinois Department to review and approve before the final deadline.
- Highlight how your integrated model addresses root causes of disease and delivers person-centered care to your rural patient population.
⚠️ Common mistakes
Applications fail when proposals lack clear integration between primary and behavioral health or don't show how teams will reduce fragmentation. Weak regional partnership descriptions hurt competitiveness; specify which organizations will collaborate and their roles. Insufficient detail on staffing, workflows, and implementation timeline makes applications non-competitive.
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