Rural Residency Planning and Development Program

The Rural Residency Planning and Development Program is administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration within the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy. The program is designed to address persistent physician workforce shortages in rural communities across the United States by supporting the development of new, sustainable rural residency training programs. The initiative reflects a broader federal strategy to expand access to health care in underserved areas by increasing the number of physicians trained in rural settings, where they are more likely to remain and practice long term. The primary purpose of this funding opportunity is to provide start-up funding for the creation of accredited rural residency programs in qualifying medical specialties. These specialties include family medicine, internal medicine, preventive medicine, psychiatry, general surgery, and obstetrics and gynecology. The program emphasizes that more than 50 percent of residency training must occur in rural locations, ensuring that trainees gain meaningful exposure to rural health systems. Applicants must propose new residency programs or expansions that qualify as new under the program’s definitions, and they must demonstrate the ability to achieve accreditation through the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. Funding under this program is intended strictly for planning and development activities associated with establishing a new residency program. Allowable uses include program design, accreditation preparation, faculty recruitment, and development of training infrastructure. However, funds cannot be used for direct medical services, major construction, acquisition of real property, or ongoing operational costs such as resident salaries or recurring accreditation fees. The program also requires recipients to develop a long-term sustainability plan that identifies stable funding sources, such as Medicare Graduate Medical Education payments or other public or private funding streams. Eligibility for this program is broad and includes a wide range of domestic organizations such as state and local governments, higher education institutions, nonprofit organizations, tribal entities, and for-profit organizations, including small businesses. Individuals are explicitly excluded. Applicants must demonstrate the capacity to develop a new residency program that meets rural training requirements and must coordinate with rural health partners and clinical training sites. They are also required to notify their State Office of Rural Health of their intent to apply and include documentation of that communication in their application. The application process requires submission through Grants.gov and includes multiple required components such as a project narrative, budget narrative, work plan, staffing plan, and various attachments documenting partnerships and sustainability strategies. Applicants must also complete standard federal forms including the SF-424 and project abstract summary. Applications are evaluated through a merit-based review process that assesses need, response strategy, performance measurement, sustainability impact, organizational capacity, and budget justification. Each application must clearly demonstrate how it will achieve accreditation, recruit residents, and sustain the program beyond the grant period. The application deadline for this funding opportunity is July 8, 2026, with submissions due by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time. Awards are expected to begin on August 1, 2026, with a three-year period of performance ending July 31, 2029. During this period, recipients must meet specific milestones, including submitting accreditation applications, establishing training programs, and enrolling their first class of residents shortly after the grant period concludes. The program does not require cost sharing, although voluntary contributions are permitted but not considered in the review process. Overall, this program represents a strategic investment in rural health infrastructure by focusing on physician training pipelines. By supporting the development of sustainable residency programs, the initiative aims to increase the number of physicians practicing in rural communities, improve access to care, and address long-standing disparities in health outcomes between rural and urban populations.

Strong applications clearly demonstrate a viable sustainability plan tied to Medicare or other funding sources, ensure more than 50 percent rural training exposure, and present a realistic path to ACGME accreditation with sufficient faculty and clinical capacity