American Rescue Plan Act: Emergency Rural Health Care Grants

communityfacilities@usda.gov

American Rescue Plan Act: Emergency Rural Health Care Grants will provide emergency funding for eligible Community Facilities applicants to help rural hospitals and local communities increase access to COVID-19 vaccines, testing, healthcare services (including telehealth), and food assistance.

Grants will be awarded in 2 tracks.

Track One: Recovery Grants

• Increase capacity for vaccine distribution
• Provide medical supplies and equipment to increase medical surge capacity
• Reimburse for healthcare related lost revenue used to maintain capacity during the coronavirus pandemic
• Increase telehealth capabilities, including underlying healthcare information systems
• Construct temporary or permanent structures to provide healthcare services
• Support staffing needs for testing and/or vaccine administration
• Support facilities, equipment, and operating expenses associated with food banks and food distribution facilities

Track Two: Impact Grants

• Establish or scale a regional partnership or consortium of community leaders and healthcare partners to plan, implement, and evaluate a model(s) to support solving regional healthcare problems and promote the long-term sustainability of rural healthcare
• Establish or scale an evidence-based model and disseminate lessons learned for possible replication in other small communities and regions
• Identify a health-related problem within the applicant's region, develop and implement a method and solution to overcome the problem, and conduct a program evaluation to examine health related outcomes, long-term sustainability, and replicability
• Establish a methodology to calculate summary impact measures or an estimated return on investment for the grant funds requested
• Cover the cost of technical assistance to assist with one or more aspects of project implementation, project evaluation, data sharing, and reporting requirements
• Cover indirect costs in an amount up to a federally-negotiated indirect cost rate

Eligible applicants include:

• Public bodies
• Community-based nonprofit corporations and associations
• Federally recognized tribes

Track Two: Impact applicants also must establish a network or group of entities that consist of healthcare provider organizations, economic development entities, federally-recognized tribes, and/or institutions of higher education.

Eligible rural areas include cities, villages, towns, townships, and federally-recognized tribal lands with no more than 20,000 residents as determined by the most recent U.S. Census Data.

Track One: Recovery Grants

• Award ceiling: $1,000,000
• Award floor: $25,000
• Project period: Up to 3 years

Track Two: Impact Grants

• Award ceiling: $10,000,000
• Award floor: $5,000,000
• Project period: Up to 3 years

Estimated total program funding: $500,000,000

Contact the appropriate local Rural Development office to discuss and submit the application.

Track One: Recovery Grants

• Track one application guide
• Track one checklist

Track Two: Impact Grants

• Track two application guide
• Track two checklist