Rural Northern Border Region Network Planning Program

The Rural Northern Border Region Network 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 program is designed to strengthen rural healthcare delivery systems within the Northern Border Region by supporting the development and expansion of collaborative healthcare networks. The Northern Border Region includes qualifying rural areas within the four Northern Border Regional Commission member states of Maine, New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont. The opportunity is forecasted under opportunity number HRSA-26-100 and is listed within Assistance Listing 93.619, which supports rural health initiatives in geographically limited areas. The program reflects HRSA's broader mission of improving healthcare access, quality, and outcomes for underserved and rural populations across the United States. The purpose of the Rural Northern Border Region Network Planning Program is to provide one year of funding to help rural healthcare stakeholders either establish new healthcare networks or strengthen existing collaborative structures. HRSA describes network development as a strategy to increase collective capacity among rural healthcare providers and community organizations so they can better address regional healthcare challenges, improve care coordination, expand access to services, and improve healthcare quality. The program specifically emphasizes collaboration among healthcare entities serving underserved populations in rural communities. Funding may support planning activities, organizational development, network coordination, partnership building, strategic planning, and other preparatory activities necessary to create sustainable regional healthcare collaborations. The program is expected to make approximately 18 awards with an estimated total program funding amount of $1,800,000. Individual awards are expected to have a ceiling of $100,000 for the one-year project period. The forecast notice does not identify a mandatory cost sharing or matching requirement, and the opportunity explicitly states that cost sharing or matching is not required. The project start date is estimated for September 30, 2026, with award announcements expected by September 1, 2026. Since the opportunity provides planning support rather than implementation funding, applicants are expected to focus on network formation, readiness activities, relationship building, and collaborative capacity development instead of direct service expansion projects. Eligibility for the opportunity is broad and includes domestic public and private entities, nonprofit and for-profit organizations, faith-based organizations, community-based organizations, tribal governments, tribal organizations, hospitals, Rural Health Clinics, Rural Emergency Hospitals, Federal Qualified Health Centers, Community Health Centers, state governments, local governments, higher education institutions, small businesses, and other qualifying entities located within the Northern Border Region. Applicants must serve HRSA-designated rural areas within Maine, New Hampshire, New York, or Vermont and must demonstrate experience serving underserved rural populations or show the capacity to do so. The notice defines domestic eligibility broadly to include the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau. However, the actual service area restriction for this program limits activities to qualifying rural areas in the four Northern Border Regional Commission states. The opportunity is currently in forecast status. HRSA estimates that the official notice of funding opportunity will be posted on May 20, 2026. Applications are expected to be due on June 30, 2026, by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time through electronic submission. The forecast notice does not identify any required pre-application steps such as letters of intent, concept papers, or pre-proposals. Likewise, no mandatory webinars, registrations beyond standard federal application requirements, or preliminary screening stages are identified in the provided source material. Applicants should anticipate that the full notice of funding opportunity, once released, will contain detailed instructions regarding application forms, narrative components, attachments, and evaluation criteria. The program appears to be part of HRSA's continuing rural health investment strategy and is likely to recur in future fiscal years, although the forecast notice does not explicitly state an annual cycle. Based on the forecast timeline, organizations interested in future rounds should monitor HRSA funding announcements beginning in spring or early summer of each year. The primary contact for the program is Claire Darnell, who can be reached at cdarnell@hrsa.gov or by phone at 301-443-3868. Because this is a forecasted opportunity rather than a fully released notice of funding opportunity, applicants should continue monitoring Grants.gov and HRSA for updated guidance, application instructions, review criteria, and any additional supporting documents that may become available when the official announcement is posted.

Emphasize collaborative rural healthcare network development, demonstrate capacity to serve underserved rural populations, and clearly describe how partnerships will improve healthcare access and quality in qualifying rural communities.