Opportunity Information: Apply for HRSA 15 068
Apply for HRSA 15 068
- The Health Resources and Services Administration in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Rural Network Allied Health Training Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.912 Rural Health Care Services Outreach, Rural Health Network Development and Small Health Care Provider Quality Improvemen.
- This funding opportunity was created on Jan 30, 2015 and posted on Jan 29, 2015.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Mar 31, 2015. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $2,000,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 10 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
- a) Ownership and Geographic Requirements Applicants for the Rural Network Allied Health Training Program must meet the ownership and geographic requirements stated below. (Note If an incorporated network does not apply on behalf of its members, the award will be made to only one member of the network that will be the grantee of record and only that organization needs to meet the eligibility criteria.) 1) The lead applicant organization must be a public or private non profit entity located in a rural area or in a rural census tract of an urban county, and all services must be provided in a rural county or census tract. The applicants EIN number should verify it is a rural entity. To ascertain rural eligibility, please refer to http://datawarehouse.hrsa.gov/RuralAdvisor/ and enter the applicant organizations state and county. A network serving rural communities but whose applicant organization is not in a designated rural area will not be considered for funding under this announcement. Rural faith based and community based organizations, Tribes, and tribal organizations are eligible to apply. 2) In addition to the several States, only Guam, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau may apply. If applicants are located outside the 50 states, they still have to meet the rural eligibility requirements.
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Opportunity Summary:
The Rural Network Allied Health Training Program is a HRSA-funded pilot grant designed to strengthen rural health care systems by building and supporting formal, mature rural health networks that can recruit, train, and keep allied health professionals in rural communities. The core idea is to help rural providers work together as a coordinated network, partner with local community colleges and other accredited schools, and create structured clinical training pathways that place students directly into rural, community-based clinical rotations. By connecting education, hands-on rural training, and eventual hiring, the program aims to reduce persistent rural workforce gaps while also improving access to essential services and the overall quality and coordination of care.
A central feature of this opportunity is its emphasis on formal clinical training programs developed jointly by rural networks and educational institutions such as community colleges, technical colleges, and vocational programs. These training programs are meant to serve students already enrolled in allied health fields, including displaced workers and veterans, by giving them real-world rural clinical experiences that build competence and familiarity with rural practice settings. The expectation is that these rotations become a pipeline into permanent employment with rural health care providers, improving staffing stability and reducing turnover that can disrupt care in small or remote communities.
Applicants must focus on recruiting, training, and retaining allied health professionals from at least one of three broad discipline categories. The listed fields include clinicians such as dental hygienists (with an important caveat that many states restrict hygienists from practicing without a dentist on site, so applicants are expected to address state practice rules and feasibility). The technologists and technicians category includes diagnostic imaging technologists (for example, sonography and radiology), medical or clinical laboratory technicians, paramedics and community paramedics (with specific requirements to confirm state scope-of-practice authority, the existence of a standardized educational program at an accredited institution, and actual rural job opportunities), pharmacy technicians, and psychiatric, mental, or behavioral health technicians. A third category covers other allied health roles such as physical therapy assistants and occupational therapy assistants. While the list reflects priority needs identified through an informal rural needs assessment, it is framed as not fully exhaustive, and applicants are expected to justify their targeted disciplines based on local workforce gaps and service needs.
The program outlines five main goals that shape what a competitive project should accomplish. First, it seeks to improve the viability of participating network partners by increasing recruitment and retention of allied health professionals, not only within the partner organizations but also potentially benefiting surrounding rural communities. Second, it aims to provide allied health students with culturally competent, community-focused training experiences in rural hospitals and clinics, reinforcing ties to the community and increasing the likelihood that trainees will stay. Third, it intends to produce a replicable network-based model for rural allied health training that other regions can adopt. Fourth, it promotes the expanded use of industry-validated, competency-based credentials, which can help job seekers demonstrate skills clearly and can make it easier for rural employers to hire. Fifth, it encourages networks to build durable partnerships with community organizations so the collaboration remains in place as an ongoing mechanism to address workforce shortages over time.
In practical terms, the grant supports a range of network activities as long as they contribute to recruitment, training, and retention. That can include building formal agreements between providers and schools, designing rotation sites and supervision models, aligning curricula with rural workforce needs, setting up supports that help trainees succeed in rural placements, and creating clear transition-to-employment pathways. The emphasis on a "mature" network signals that HRSA expects applicants to have more than an informal coalition; the network should be sufficiently developed to coordinate partners, implement shared activities, and sustain collaboration, with the specific definition referenced in the funding announcement.
Funding details show this was a discretionary grant opportunity under HRSA, with an estimated total funding amount of $2,000,000 and an expectation of about 10 awards. There was no cost-sharing or matching requirement. The opportunity was posted in late January 2015, with a closing date of March 31, 2015, and it was archived May 30, 2015. It falls under CFDA 93.912, which covers rural health outreach, rural health network development, and quality improvement for small providers, aligning with the program's network-building and rural system-strengthening focus.
Eligibility is tightly tied to rural location and service area. The lead applicant must be a public or private nonprofit entity located in a rural area or in a rural census tract of an urban county, and the services supported by the project must be provided in a rural county or census tract. HRSA indicates that rural eligibility is checked using its Rural Advisor tool, and an organization that serves rural communities but is not itself located in an eligible rural area will not qualify under this announcement. If the network itself is incorporated but does not apply as the applicant, HRSA will make the award to a single network member as the grantee of record, and only that entity must meet the eligibility criteria. Eligible applicants can include rural faith-based and community-based organizations, Tribes, and tribal organizations. Beyond the 50 states, certain U.S. territories and freely associated states are eligible to apply as well, but they still must meet the rural eligibility requirements.
Overall, this grant opportunity is best understood as a workforce pipeline initiative built around rural health networks: it funds structured partnerships that turn rural clinical rotations into a reliable route from training to rural employment, while also improving coordination among rural providers and strengthening the system capacity needed to sustain essential health services in rural areas.
Rural Network Allied Health Training Program (HRSA) - FAQs
1) What is the Rural Network Allied Health Training Program?
The Rural Network Allied Health Training Program is a HRSA-funded pilot grant designed to strengthen rural health care systems by helping rural providers form and operate formal, mature rural health networks that can recruit, train, and retain allied health professionals in rural communities.
2) What is the main purpose of this grant?
The program is intended to reduce persistent rural workforce gaps by connecting education partners (such as community colleges and other accredited schools), structured rural clinical training rotations, and hiring pathways into rural jobs. The overall aim is better staffing stability, improved access to essential services, and stronger coordination and quality of care in rural areas.
3) What does HRSA mean by a “network-based†approach?
This opportunity emphasizes rural providers working together as a coordinated network rather than acting as individual organizations. The network is expected to be able to coordinate partners, implement shared activities, and sustain collaboration. The funding announcement references a specific definition of a “mature†network.
4) What kinds of partnerships are expected?
Applicants are expected to partner with local community colleges and other accredited educational institutions (including technical colleges and vocational programs) to develop formal clinical training programs and rural rotation pathways for allied health students.
5) Who are the trainees this program is designed to support?
The program focuses on students already enrolled in allied health fields, including displaced workers and veterans, by placing them into rural, community-based clinical rotations that build real-world competence and familiarity with rural practice settings.
6) How do rural clinical rotations fit into the workforce pipeline?
The grant’s model is built around structured rural clinical experiences that are expected to become a pipeline into permanent employment with rural health care providers. The goal is to improve recruitment and retention and reduce turnover in small or remote communities.
7) What allied health disciplines can be targeted?
Applicants must focus on recruiting, training, and retaining allied health professionals from at least one of three broad discipline categories described in the opportunity. The listed fields are framed as priority needs but are not presented as fully exhaustive; applicants are expected to justify targeted disciplines based on local workforce gaps and service needs.
8) What are the three broad discipline categories mentioned?
The opportunity describes three categories:
- Clinicians (example provided: dental hygienists, with important state practice considerations)
- Technologists and technicians (examples include diagnostic imaging technologists such as sonography and radiology; medical/clinical laboratory technicians; paramedics and community paramedics; pharmacy technicians; psychiatric, mental, or behavioral health technicians)
- Other allied health roles (examples include physical therapy assistants and occupational therapy assistants)
9) Are dental hygienists allowed as a target discipline?
Dental hygienists are listed as an example within the clinician category. However, the opportunity highlights that many states restrict hygienists from practicing without a dentist on site, so applicants are expected to address state practice rules and feasibility.
10) What special requirements apply to paramedics and community paramedics?
For paramedics and community paramedics, the opportunity calls out specific expectations: applicants should confirm state scope-of-practice authority, confirm there is a standardized educational program at an accredited institution, and confirm that actual rural job opportunities exist.
11) Is the list of disciplines fixed, or can applicants propose other allied health roles?
The listed disciplines reflect priority needs identified through an informal rural needs assessment, but the list is described as not fully exhaustive. Applicants are expected to justify the disciplines they target based on local workforce gaps and service needs.
12) What are the five main goals of the program?
The program outlines five goals that should shape a competitive project:
- Improve the viability of participating network partners by increasing recruitment and retention of allied health professionals (with potential benefit to surrounding rural communities).
- Provide allied health students with culturally competent, community-focused training experiences in rural hospitals and clinics to strengthen community ties and increase the likelihood trainees will stay.
- Produce a replicable, network-based rural allied health training model that other regions can adopt.
- Promote expanded use of industry-validated, competency-based credentials to help job seekers demonstrate skills and support rural employer hiring.
- Build durable partnerships with community organizations so the collaboration continues as an ongoing mechanism to address workforce shortages.
13) What types of activities can the grant support?
The opportunity supports network activities as long as they contribute to recruitment, training, and retention. Examples mentioned include developing formal agreements between providers and schools, designing clinical rotation sites and supervision models, aligning curricula with rural workforce needs, setting up supports that help trainees succeed in rural placements, and creating clear transition-to-employment pathways.
14) What does “formal clinical training program†mean in this context?
It refers to structured clinical training pathways developed jointly by rural networks and accredited educational institutions, designed to place students directly into rural, community-based clinical rotations as part of their allied health education.
15) What does the program mean by “industry-validated, competency-based credentials�
The opportunity encourages expanded use of credentials that are validated by industry and based on demonstrated competencies, with the intent of making skills easier to recognize and helping rural employers hire more effectively.
16) Who can apply as the lead applicant?
The lead applicant must be a public or private nonprofit entity located in a rural area or in a rural census tract of an urban county. The services supported by the project must be provided in a rural county or census tract.
17) Can an organization that serves rural communities apply if it is not located in an eligible rural area?
No. The opportunity states that an organization that serves rural communities but is not itself located in an eligible rural area will not qualify under this announcement.
18) How does HRSA determine rural eligibility?
HRSA indicates that rural eligibility is checked using its Rural Advisor tool.
19) Where must services be delivered under the project?
The services supported by the project must be provided in a rural county or a rural census tract.
20) Does the entire network have to meet the eligibility requirements?
The opportunity explains that HRSA will make the award to a single entity (the grantee of record). If the network is incorporated but does not apply as the applicant, HRSA will make the award to a single network member as the grantee of record, and only that entity must meet the eligibility criteria.
21) Are faith-based and community-based organizations eligible?
Yes. Eligible applicants can include rural faith-based and community-based organizations, as well as Tribes and tribal organizations, as long as the eligibility requirements are met.
22) Are U.S. territories eligible to apply?
Beyond the 50 states, certain U.S. territories and freely associated states are eligible to apply, but they still must meet the rural eligibility requirements.
23) Is cost sharing or matching required?
No. The opportunity states there was no cost-sharing or matching requirement.
24) How much funding was available, and how many awards were expected?
The estimated total funding amount was $2,000,000, with an expectation of about 10 awards.
25) What is the program’s CFDA number and category?
This opportunity falls under CFDA 93.912, which covers rural health outreach, rural health network development, and quality improvement for small providers.
26) When was this opportunity posted and when did it close?
The opportunity was posted in late January 2015, with a closing date of March 31, 2015.
27) Is this funding opportunity still open?
No. The opportunity was archived May 30, 2015.
28) What is the bigger system impact HRSA is trying to achieve?
In addition to building a workforce pipeline, the grant is intended to strengthen rural system capacity by improving coordination among rural providers, stabilizing staffing, and improving access to essential services and overall quality and coordination of care.
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