Rural Health Network Development Planning Program

The Rural Health Network Development Planning Program is a federal grant opportunity administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The opportunity is identified as HRSA-27-048 and is listed under Assistance Listing 93.912, Rural Healthcare Services Programs. It is a discretionary health funding opportunity forecast for fiscal year 2027. The program is intended to support the planning and development of rural integrated health care networks, with an emphasis on collaboration among participating entities to establish or improve local capacity and care coordination in underserved communities. The program uses rural health care networks as a strategy for linking participating organizations so that they can build greater collective capacity to address local challenges. The program identifies three legislative aims for participating networks: achieving efficiencies; expanding access to, coordinating, and improving the quality of basic health care services and associated health outcomes; and strengthening the rural health care system as a whole. The stated intent is also for rural health networks to expand access to care, increase the use of health information technology, explore alternative health care delivery models, and continue to achieve quality health care across the continuum of care. The forecast estimates total program funding of 1000000 and approximately 10 awards. The stated award ceiling is 100000. Although Grants.gov displays an award floor of 0, that amount is treated as unspecified because a zero does not establish a meaningful minimum award. No cost sharing or matching requirement applies. The supplied forecast does not provide additional information about allowable expenses, prohibited expenses, indirect cost limitations, subaward limits, or a specific period of performance. Applicants should therefore rely on the subsequently posted funding notice and application package for any detailed spending and budget requirements that are not included in this forecast. Eligibility is broad and includes domestic public or private nonprofit and for-profit entities, including domestic faith-based and community-based organizations, tribes, and tribal organizations. The listed applicant categories include nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status other than institutions of higher education, county governments, special district governments, public and state controlled institutions of higher education, city or township governments, independent school districts, for-profit organizations other than small businesses, federally recognized Native American tribal governments, small businesses, state governments, and private institutions of higher education. The additional eligibility language states that the applicant organization may be located in either a rural or urban area, but it must have demonstrated experience serving, or capacity to serve, rural underserved populations. This opportunity is currently forecast rather than open for applications. It was forecast on August 13, 2026, and was last updated on August 13, 2026. HRSA estimates that the opportunity will be posted on January 23, 2027, with applications due March 23, 2027. Electronically submitted applications must be submitted no later than 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the application due date. The supplied forecast does not identify a letter of intent, concept paper, pre-proposal, notice of intent, or other pre-application gating requirement. It also does not identify application questions, required attachments, evaluation criteria, or other detailed submission components. HRSA estimates an award date of June 1, 2027 and a project start date of July 1, 2027. The Grants.gov record lists an archive date of July 1, 2028. No recurring annual, biennial, quarterly, or other repeating application schedule is stated in the supplied material, so recurrence is not established. Questions concerning the opportunity may be directed to Nkem Osian at 301-443-2751 or nosian@hrsa.gov. Because this is a forecasted opportunity, the final funding notice and application package may provide additional requirements when the opportunity is formally posted.

Demonstrate experience serving or capacity to serve rural underserved populations and align network planning with collaboration, expanded access to care, care coordination, efficiencies, improved quality and health outcomes, increased use of health information technology, alternative health care delivery models, and strengthening of the rural health care system.