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

Emerging Issues in Childhood Agricultural Health Grants Inactive
Grants to test, implement, or recommend strategies that are likely to identify causes, effects, and prevention interventions in response to emerging health and safety concerns of children working on, living in, or visiting agricultural environments.

Geographic coverage: Nationwide
Letter of Intent (Required): Jul 13, 2026
Application Deadline: Aug 17, 2026
Sponsor: National Children's Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety

Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award Institutional Research Training Grant (NRSA) Inactive
Funding to support the training of postdoctoral researchers in biomedical, behavioral, and health services research advancing scientific knowledge in primary care. Rural communities and populations with limited access to care and services are a research area priority.

Geographic coverage: Nationwide and U.S. Territories
Application Deadline: Jul 10, 2026
Sponsors: Bureau of Health Workforce, Health Resources and Services Administration, National Institutes of Health

Rapid Response Rural Data Analysis and Issue Specific Rural Research Studies Inactive
Funding to support identifying, compiling, and analyzing rapid rural health research to improve rural healthcare.

Geographic coverage: Nationwide and U.S. Territories
Application Deadline: Jul 8, 2026
Sponsors: Federal Office of Rural Health Policy, Health Resources and Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Rural Health Research Dissemination Program Inactive
Funding to disseminate and promote Federal Office of Rural Health Policy funded health research focused on rural healthcare to broad audiences, including decision-makers and rural stakeholders at national, state, and community levels.

Geographic coverage: Nationwide
Application Deadline: Jul 8, 2026
Sponsors: Federal Office of Rural Health Policy, Health Resources and Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Telehealth Centers of Excellence Program Inactive
Funding to support incumbent academic medical centers that will implement and evaluate innovative telehealth solutions in rural populations and populations with limited access to services, serve as national models, test concepts and create proven, replicable approaches that expand access to care and improve health outcomes.

Geographic coverage: Nationwide and U.S. territories
Application Deadline: Jul 8, 2026
Sponsors: Health Resources and Services Administration, Office for the Advancement of Telehealth, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

NLM Information Resource Grants to Reduce Health Disparities and Promote Health for All (G08 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) Inactive
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

United WE Rural Research Fellowship Inactive
A 12-month interdisciplinary fellowship designed to generate original research that may lead to improved economic opportunity and quality of life in rural America.

Geographic coverage: Nationwide
Application Deadline: Apr 6, 2026
Sponsors: Patterson Family Foundation, United WE

Emergency Medicine Foundation Pilot Research Grant Inactive
Funding for pilot projects that impact emergency care research and are intended for a broad audience, including both clinical, translational, and basic science researchers.

Geographic coverage: Nationwide
Application Deadline: Dec 12, 2025
Sponsor: Emergency Medicine Foundation

VA Rural Health Career Development Award (RHCDA) Inactive
Funding to support early career investigators in developing a research program focused on issues of relevance to rural veterans.

Geographic coverage: Nationwide
Letter of Intent (Required): Oct 31, 2025
Application Deadline: Mar 6, 2026
Sponsors: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration's Office of Rural Health

Notice of Special Interest (NOSI): Firearm Injury and Mortality Prevention Research Inactive
Notice of Special Interest for research to improve understanding of the determinants of firearm injury; the identification of those at risk of firearm injury; the development, piloting, and testing of innovative interventions to prevent firearm injury and mortality; and the examination of approaches to improve the implementation of existing, evidence-based interventions to prevent firearm injury and mortality.

Geographic coverage: Nationwide and U.S. Territories
Application Deadline: Sep 9, 2025
Sponsors: National Institute of Mental Health, National Institute on Aging, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services