Rural Health Research Dissemination Program

The Rural Health Research Dissemination Program is a federal funding opportunity administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The opportunity is issued through the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy and is identified by opportunity number HRSA-26-049. This forecasted cooperative agreement program is intended to improve the dissemination and accessibility of rural health services research conducted through the Rural Health Research Center Program and related federally funded rural health research initiatives. The program supports the translation of research findings into practical and accessible information for policymakers, rural stakeholders, healthcare leaders, researchers, and community organizations operating at national, state, and local levels. The primary purpose of the program is to fund one organization that will develop, maintain, and expand mechanisms for sharing rural health research with broad public audiences. The successful applicant will be responsible for maintaining a publicly accessible website that catalogs rural health services research funded through HRSA and related initiatives. In addition to maintaining this centralized research repository, the award recipient will be expected to implement multiple dissemination strategies that increase awareness and use of rural health research findings. The notice specifically references activities such as maintaining listserv communications, managing social media dissemination efforts, conducting presentations and exhibits at national conferences, and organizing webinars or other educational outreach efforts intended to increase visibility and understanding of rural health research outcomes. The funding opportunity is categorized as a discretionary federal cooperative agreement under Assistance Listing 93.155, Rural Health Research Centers. The estimated total program funding available is $230,000, with one anticipated award. The award ceiling is also listed as $230,000, indicating that the full available funding is expected to support a single recipient organization. No cost sharing or matching requirement is identified within the opportunity announcement. The estimated award date and project start date are both July 1, 2026, indicating an expedited federal funding timeline following the application review process. Although the announcement does not specify the exact project period length, the award structure suggests a federally managed cooperative agreement with active collaboration between HRSA and the funded organization. Eligibility for the program is broad and includes numerous domestic entity types. Eligible applicants include city or township governments, county governments, state governments, special district governments, federally recognized tribal governments, Native American tribal organizations other than federally recognized governments, independent school districts, public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations with and without 501(c)(3) status, for-profit organizations other than small businesses, and small businesses. The notice specifies that only domestic organizations are eligible to apply. Domestic eligibility includes entities located within the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau. The application timeline reflects a forecasted federal opportunity rather than an actively open competition at the time of publication. The forecasted opportunity date is December 23, 2025, while the estimated official posting date is May 26, 2026. Applications are expected to be due by June 25, 2026, with electronic submissions required no later than 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the listed due date. The archive date for the opportunity is July 25, 2026. Because the opportunity is forecasted and has not yet officially opened as of the analysis date, applicants are currently in an early engagement stage and should monitor Grants.gov and HRSA communications for the official release package and application instructions. The announcement does not identify a letter of intent, pre-application requirement, concept paper, or other gating mechanism prior to submission. The notice does not provide a detailed list of required application forms, evaluation criteria, or scoring factors because the funding opportunity package has not yet been officially posted. However, applicants can reasonably expect a federal cooperative agreement application process involving standard federal submission requirements through Grants.gov. Prospective applicants should prepare organizational information, evidence of experience in rural health research dissemination, communication strategy documentation, staffing and management plans, and technical capacity descriptions for website management and outreach dissemination. Applicants should also be prepared to demonstrate their ability to engage national and rural stakeholders through digital communications, conferences, webinars, and public-facing educational materials. The primary program contact identified in the forecast notice is Karis Tyner of the Health Resources and Services Administration. Interested applicants may contact the program office by phone at (301) 287-2615 or by email at ktyner@hrsa.gov for additional information regarding the opportunity. Because this is a federal dissemination and communications-focused cooperative agreement centered on rural health research accessibility, organizations with demonstrated experience in public health communications, rural health policy dissemination, digital knowledge management, and stakeholder engagement may be particularly well positioned for competitiveness once the full application materials become available.

Applicants should emphasize demonstrated experience disseminating rural health research to national state and community audiences and show strong technical capacity for public-facing communications infrastructure.