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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Funding by Topic: Community engagement and volunteerism

Summaries of funding programs are provided by RHIhub for your convenience. Please contact the funder directly for the most complete and current information.

Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation Grants
Grants for organizations working in West Virginia and southwestern Pennsylvania in the areas of health, education, economic development, and community development.
Geographic coverage: West Virginia and Southwestern Pennsylvania
Applications accepted on an ongoing basis
Sponsor: Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation
Community Heart & Soul Planning, Technical Assistance, and Seed Grant Program
Community Heart & Soul is a community development process that engages residents in identifying what matters most to the community and how to build lasting change. Activities and objectives are determined by communities, and projects have included volunteerism, healthcare access, social programs, transportation, broadband, and emergency preparedness, among others. Seed grants are offered to qualifying small cities and towns interested in implementing the Heart & Soul model.
Geographic coverage: Nationwide and U.S. Territories
Applications accepted on an ongoing basis
Sponsor: Community Heart & Soul
North Central Region Extension Collaboration and Implementation Grants
Funding for land grant institutions extension programs working to create resilient communities and economies, developing leadership and civic engagement, and promoting community health and wellness in rural areas of the North Central Region of the U.S.
Geographic coverage: The 12 states in the north central region.
Applications accepted on an ongoing basis
Sponsor: North Central Regional Center for Rural Development
Oregon Rural Volunteer EMS Provider Tax Credit
Offers a personal income tax credit to emergency medical services providers who volunteer their services to rural communities in Oregon.
Geographic coverage: Oregon
Applications accepted on an ongoing basis
Sponsor: Oregon Office of Rural Health
PCORI Ambassador Program
A national volunteer network designed to engage the healthcare community in strengthening the patient-centered comparative clinical effectiveness research (CER) and increasing the dissemination of PCORI-funded​ research. PCORI supports research to give patients a better understanding of the prevention, treatment and care options available while considering potential for differences in treatment effectiveness among subpopulations, such as rural residents.
Geographic coverage: Nationwide
Applications accepted on an ongoing basis
Sponsor: Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute
The Healthy Nonprofit Network
Free training and support for community-based organizations to increase sustainability and resiliency with special focus on small organizations serving rural areas in under-resourced communities in the South.
Geographic coverage: The program is national in scope, with a special focus on small organizations that serve rural areas in the south.
Applications accepted on an ongoing basis
Sponsor: Healthy Nonprofit Network
Thematic Working Groups in the North Central Region
Funding for multistate, regional working groups focusing on creating resilient communities and economies, developing leadership and civic engagement, and promoting community health and wellness that integrates research and Extension programs.
Geographic coverage: The 12 states in the north central region.
Applications accepted on an ongoing basis
Sponsor: North Central Regional Center for Rural Development
Sherwood Foundation Grants Inactive
Funding for nonprofit organizations in Nebraska working to improve quality of life. Past awards have been made across the state, including in rural areas.
Geographic coverage: Nebraska
Application Deadline: Feb 28, 2026
Sponsor: The Sherwood Foundation
HERO: Helping EMS in Rural Oregon Inactive
Grants to rural and remote EMS agencies in Oregon to cover in-house training costs or to send staff to training that cannot be offered locally.
Geographic coverage: Oregon
Application Deadline: Feb 27, 2026
Sponsor: Oregon Office of Rural Health
National Community Care Corps Program Inactive
Funding to develop and scale innovative volunteer programs that provide nonmedical assistance to older adults, adults age 18 and older with disabilities, and family caregivers. The program intends to fund local models that represent a diverse cross section of the United States in terms of geography: urban, rural, frontier, and tribal communities.
Geographic coverage: Nationwide
Application Deadline: Feb 26, 2026
Sponsors: Administration for Community Living, Altarum Institute, Caregiver Action Network, The Oasis Institute, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, USAging