Conducting Rural Health Research, Needs Assessments, and Program Evaluations – Funding & Opportunities
For additional funding options, please see RHIhub's Online Library: Funding & Opportunities
Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) Funding: Broad Pragmatic Studies
Funding for patient-centered comparative clinical effectiveness research designed to to improve patient care and health outcomes. Populations of interest include residents of rural communities.
Funding for patient-centered comparative clinical effectiveness research designed to to improve patient care and health outcomes. Populations of interest include residents of rural communities.
Geographic coverage: Nationwide
Letter of Intent (Required): Sep 9, 2026
Application Deadline: Jan 12, 2027
Sponsor: Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute
Letter of Intent (Required): Sep 9, 2026
Application Deadline: Jan 12, 2027
Sponsor: Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute
PCORI Engagement Award: Building Capacity for Small Organizations to Engage in Patient-Centered Comparative Clinical Effectiveness Research (CER)
Funding and technical assistance to help small public and private organizations build the knowledge and skills necessary to engage as partners in patient-centered outcomes research/clinical effectiveness research process. PCORI funding interests include research for improved access and delivery of care for rural communities.
Funding and technical assistance to help small public and private organizations build the knowledge and skills necessary to engage as partners in patient-centered outcomes research/clinical effectiveness research process. PCORI funding interests include research for improved access and delivery of care for rural communities.
Geographic coverage: Nationwide
Letter of Intent (Required): Oct 1, 2026
Application Deadline: Jan 11, 2027
Sponsor: Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute
Letter of Intent (Required): Oct 1, 2026
Application Deadline: Jan 11, 2027
Sponsor: Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute
PCORI Engagement Award: Capacity Building
Funds projects that build capacity for patients and others to engage with the healthcare community in all phases of future patient-centered comparative clinical effectiveness research (CER). PCORI funding interests include research for improved access and delivery of care for rural communities.
Funds projects that build capacity for patients and others to engage with the healthcare community in all phases of future patient-centered comparative clinical effectiveness research (CER). PCORI funding interests include research for improved access and delivery of care for rural communities.
Geographic coverage: Nationwide
Letter of Intent (Required): Oct 1, 2026
Application Deadline: Jan 11, 2027
Sponsor: Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute
Letter of Intent (Required): Oct 1, 2026
Application Deadline: Jan 11, 2027
Sponsor: Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute
Using Get With the Guidelines® Clinical Registry Data to Address Gaps in Care of Patients with Cardiovascular Disease or Stroke
Funding for early-career researchers to learn to use the American Heart Association Get With the Guidelines clinical registry data to address current gaps in the implementation of care. Differences in care among rural and urban hospitals are an example of a potential research question.
Funding for early-career researchers to learn to use the American Heart Association Get With the Guidelines clinical registry data to address current gaps in the implementation of care. Differences in care among rural and urban hospitals are an example of a potential research question.
Geographic coverage: Nationwide
Application Deadline: Dec 4, 2026
Sponsor: American Heart Association
Application Deadline: Dec 4, 2026
Sponsor: American Heart Association
Tribal Colleges Research Grants Program (TCRGP)
Grants to tribal colleges and universities for research projects that address concerns and needs of tribal and reservation communities, including projects that focus on health, food, nutrition, and agricultural production research.
Grants to tribal colleges and universities for research projects that address concerns and needs of tribal and reservation communities, including projects that focus on health, food, nutrition, and agricultural production research.
Geographic coverage: Nationwide
Application Deadline: Dec 31, 2026
Sponsors: National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture
Application Deadline: Dec 31, 2026
Sponsors: National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture
Intervention Research to Improve Native American Health (R01 and R34 Clinical Trials Optional)
Funding to support research designed to improve health in Native American populations. Proposed research may address health promotion, disease prevention, treatment, recovery, or services research to inform intervention implementation and dissemination, and it must engage tribal partners and communities.
Funding to support research designed to improve health in Native American populations. Proposed research may address health promotion, disease prevention, treatment, recovery, or services research to inform intervention implementation and dissemination, and it must engage tribal partners and communities.
Geographic coverage: Nationwide and U.S. Territories
Application Deadline: Jan 7, 2027
Sponsors: National Institute of Mental Health, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health
Application Deadline: Jan 7, 2027
Sponsors: National Institute of Mental Health, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health
Tribal Undergraduate to Graduate Research Training and Leadership Experiences (TURTLE) Program (UE5 and T32/T34)
Funding for tribal entities to support educational and mentoring activities that complement and/or enhance the training of a workforce to meet the nation's biomedical, behavioral, and clinical research needs.
Funding for tribal entities to support educational and mentoring activities that complement and/or enhance the training of a workforce to meet the nation's biomedical, behavioral, and clinical research needs.
Geographic coverage: Nationwide and U.S. Territories
Application Deadline: Jan 25, 2027
Sponsor: National Institutes of Health
Application Deadline: Jan 25, 2027
Sponsor: National Institutes of Health
AHRQ Small Research Projects to Advance the Science of Primary Care (R01 and R03)
Funding to support small research projects that advance the role and capacity of primary care to increase the value and quality of care and improve patient outcomes and population health. Rural populations are among the priority populations.
Funding to support small research projects that advance the role and capacity of primary care to increase the value and quality of care and improve patient outcomes and population health. Rural populations are among the priority populations.
Geographic coverage: Nationwide and U.S. territories
Application Deadline: Mar 19, 2027
Sponsors: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Application Deadline: Mar 19, 2027
Sponsors: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Advancing Healthcare for Older Adults from Populations that Experience Health Disparities (R01 - Clinical Trial Optional)
Funding for innovative, multi-level healthcare research for older adults from populations that experience health disparities. Rural populations are considered a disparity population.
Funding for innovative, multi-level healthcare research for older adults from populations that experience health disparities. Rural populations are considered a disparity population.
Geographic coverage: Nationwide and U.S. Territories
Application Deadline: Jan 8, 2028
Sponsors: National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Application Deadline: Jan 8, 2028
Sponsors: National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
The Role of Work in Health Disparities in the U.S. (R01 Clinical Trials Optional)
Grants for innovative population-based research in how work or occupation influences health outcomes and health status among health disparity populations and how work functions as a social determinant of health.
Grants for innovative population-based research in how work or occupation influences health outcomes and health status among health disparity populations and how work functions as a social determinant of health.
Geographic coverage: Nationwide and U.S. Territories
Application Deadline: Jan 8, 2028
Sponsors: National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Application Deadline: Jan 8, 2028
Sponsors: National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services