Conducting Rural Health Research, Needs Assessments, and Program Evaluations – Funding & Opportunities

Cancer Health Research Centers (CHERCs)
Funding to support the formation of Cancer Health Research Centers (CHERCs) which are designed to achieve improved cancer health outcomes and reduce cancer mortality. Access to healthcare in rural communities is a program priority.

Geographic coverage: Nationwide and U.S. Territories
Letter of Intent (Required): Feb 9, 2026
Application Deadline: Jun 1, 2026
Sponsor: American Cancer Society

NLM Information Resource Grants to Reduce Health Disparities and Promote Health for All (G08 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
Funding for projects that use information technology to improve the organization and management of health-related information for consumers and their healthcare providers experiencing health disparities.

Geographic coverage: Nationwide and U.S. territories
Letter of Intent (Optional): Apr 24, 2026
Application Deadline: May 25, 2026
Sponsors: National Institutes of Health, Office of Research on Women's Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. National Library of Medicine

Technologies for Improving Minority Health and Eliminating Health Disparities (R41/R42- Clinical Trial Optional)
Funding for small businesses to develop products, processes, and services that can be used to improve minority health and/or reduce and ultimately eliminate health disparities. Technologies should be effective, affordable, and culturally acceptable.

Geographic coverage: Nationwide
Letter of Intent (Optional): May 10, 2026
Application Deadline: Jun 10, 2026
Sponsors: National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Native American Research Centers for Health (NARCH) (S06)
Offers grants for new or continued Native American Research Centers for Health, which support health-related research, research career enhancement, and research infrastructure enhancement activities to meet the health needs of American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities.

Geographic coverage: Nationwide
Letter of Intent (Optional): Jun 8, 2026
Application Deadline: Jul 8, 2026
Sponsors: Indian Health Service, National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

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.

Geographic coverage: Nationwide
Application Deadline: Jan 7, 2027
Sponsors: National Institute of Mental Health, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health

Community Level Interventions to Improve Minority Health and Reduce Health Disparities (R01 - Clinical Trial Optional)
Funding for research to develop and test community-level interventions to improve minority health and reduce health disparities. Populations of focus include American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, socioeconomically disadvantaged populations, and underserved rural populations, among others.

Geographic coverage: Nationwide and U.S. Territories
Application Deadline: Jan 8, 2027
Sponsors: National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Understanding the Impact of Healthcare System and Clinician Factors on Disparities in Maternal Morbidity and Mortality (R01 - Clinical Trial Optional)
Funding for multidisciplinary and innovative intervention research to understand and address maternal morbidity and mortality in the United States.

Geographic coverage: Nationwide and U.S. Territories
Application Deadline: Jan 8, 2027
Sponsors: National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, 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.

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

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.

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

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.

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