Additional $20 million in federal rural health grants announced for North Dakota

BISMARCK, N.D. (North Dakota Monitor) — North Dakota has announced more than $20 million worth of new grant opportunities under the federal Rural Health Transformation Program — including for workforce education, mental health services and to fill rural healthcare service gaps.

Application deadlines are quickly approaching, with two grants requiring applicants to turn in their proposals by May 15. Both are workforce-related.

One of the workforce grants sets aside about $3 million in funding to support supervised training opportunities for students in healthcare facilities around the state.

The money can be used to create new rotation positions at clinics and hospitals, to subsidize student housing and more, an overview of the grant published by the Department of Health and Human Services states. The agency anticipates each grant to be about $200,000.

The other workforce grant supports “train in place” programs for current healthcare workers so it’s easier for them to further their education. That could include local evening or weekend training, or virtual training opportunities, according to the agency.

The funding can go toward things like developing new training programs and incentivizing employees to participate in training. Each award will be roughly $135,000, the department stated.

The agency also announced $15 million to address rural healthcare safety net services. The money can be used for purposes as wide ranging as funding mobile clinics, purchasing telehealth equipment and supporting behavioral health crisis response services, according to a description of the grant. The department expects to give out roughly 50 awards of $300,000.

The state is accepting applications for this grant through May 29.

Another funding opportunity announced last week sets aside $1.6 million for community substance abuse prevention, suicide prevention and other mental health programs. The agency anticipates awarding 10 grants of $160,000 each.

Applications for the behavioral health grant are also due May 29.

The Department of Health and Human Services also has made $2.31 million to help rural health care centers and critical access hospitals  streamline their operations and finances to better serve their communities.

Awards recipients will work with consulting firm Eide Bailly, which will put together an assessment report with recommendations for improvement.

The agency expects to give out 42 awards of roughly $40,000 each for this grant.

Critical access hospitals can also apply for an additional $42,000 award for a data tool that analyzes their facility’s financial and operational performance.

Applications for this grant are due May 22.

For more information, visit the North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services Rural Health Transformation Program website. The agency is hosting calls early this month to answer questions from prospective applicants.

The state in late April announced three other grant opportunities totaling about $3.6 million for community gardens, before-school fitness classes and community walking programs.

North Dakota has been authorized for $199 million for the first year of the Rural Health Transformation Program, a $50 billion federal initiative created by Congress last year. The state plans to give out most of its money in the form of grants.

The state has just a handful of months to process and approve applications for the 2026 round of funding. North Dakota is required by federal law to commit the money by the end of October and spend it within the following year.

North Dakota lawmakers in January convened for a three-day special session to create a budget for the program, which then was submitted to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for final review.

North Dakota Monitor reporter Mary Steurer can be reached at msteurer@northdakotamonitor.com.