Iowa Rural Residency Program

The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, through its Division of Public Health, is offering funding under the Iowa Rural Residency Program to support the development and sustainability of rural medical residency programs across the state. This initiative is designed to address healthcare workforce shortages in rural Iowa by expanding access to graduate medical education and strengthening clinical training infrastructure in underserved communities. The program is administered as a competitive request for proposals and aims to increase the number of physicians trained in rural settings, ultimately improving access to care and health outcomes in these areas. The primary objective of this funding opportunity is to establish or expand accredited rural residency programs or rural training tracks within existing accredited programs. Eligible applicants include accredited graduate medical education institutions, hospitals, community-based organizations, and other qualified entities capable of designing, implementing, and sustaining rural residency training programs. Programs must be in specified specialties, including obstetrics and gynecology, internal medicine, psychiatry, or general surgery. Applicants may either serve as the sponsoring institution or partner with an accredited sponsor to develop a compliant program structure. Funding is structured to support program planning, accreditation processes, infrastructure development, and long-term sustainability. Allowable uses include personnel costs such as program directors and administrative staff, training site development, equipment, and operational expenses directly tied to residency program implementation. Indirect costs are permitted within specified limits, and certain expenses, such as major renovation projects, are explicitly disallowed. The funding also supports the development of sustainability plans, including identifying long-term financing sources such as Medicare, Medicaid, and private funding. The application process requires submission through the IowaGrants electronic system and includes multiple required components such as organizational information, eligibility documentation, needs assessments, project work plans, staffing plans, and detailed budgets. Applicants must demonstrate experience, capacity, and a clear strategy for developing a rural residency program. Additional required elements include agreements with clinical partners, accreditation documentation, and plans for graduate tracking and reporting. Applications are evaluated based on completeness, clarity, responsiveness, organizational capacity, and alignment with program goals. The evaluation process consists of a structured review including technical compliance screening, committee scoring, and final agency review. Applications are scored on a 200 point scale, with criteria including demonstrated experience, needs assessment, staffing, and project work plan. The agency may also request oral presentations as part of the evaluation process. Final award decisions are based on scoring outcomes and agency discretion, with notification expected following the review process timeline. The application timeline includes issuance of the request for proposals on July 24, 2026, with written questions due in early to mid August and final applications due on August 24, 2026. Awards are anticipated to be announced on or around September 24, 2026. The contract period runs from November 1, 2026 through October 31, 2032, reflecting a multi year performance period. The agency provides a designated contact for inquiries and requires all communications to be conducted through official channels. This program is not described as recurring, and applicants should treat this as a time limited funding opportunity tied to current state workforce development priorities.

Focus on demonstrating rural workforce need accreditation readiness and long term sustainability Provide clear partnerships and detailed work plans aligned with scoring criteria