SFY 2026 Community Health Grant RFA

DHHS Division/Office issuing this notice: Office of Rural Health

Date of this notice: October 21, 2024

Grant Applications will be accepted beginning October 21, 2024

Application Deadline: 5:00PM on December 20, 2024

Working title of the funding program: Community Health Grants

Purpose: Description of the function of the program and reason why it was created: 

These grant funds, supported through the North Carolina General Assembly, are for assuring access to primary and preventive care to meet the health needs of vulnerable, underserved and medically indigent patients, with emphasis on providing primary and preventative medical services to uninsured or medically indigent patients.  An important component of this work is to strengthen the safety net through increased levels of collaboration and integration of services to meet and sustain the needs of those served more effectively. When an eligible primary care medical home safety net organization provides integrated care, grant funding may also support dental, pharmacy, maternal, and behavioral health services.

Primary care safety net organizations that currently provide primary and preventive health care for underserved and medically indigent patients in North Carolina are eligible to apply for this funding to pay for patient care through encounter-based reimbursement (Track A) or through reimbursement for eligible expenses (Track B). Telehealth services and equipment are eligible expenses in both tracks. Applicants must select ONE track.

Track A: Encounter-based reimbursement. Payment per patient encounter for low-income, uninsured, and underinsured residents, who do not have health care coverage or access to primary health care services. Visits are reimbursable for medically necessary, on-site, face-to-face provider encounters. Face-to-face encounters may also include telehealth patient encounters with a provider. Indirect costs are not eligible.

NOTE - Per the Free Clinics Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) Program Policy Guide, grant funding that applies to reimbursement, payment, or compensation for the delivery of health services to patients falls within the statutory prohibition, while grant funding that is not intended for or applied to this purpose does not. Free clinics who are FTCA recipients that choose a “per encounter’ reimbursement methodology may void their FTCA liability protection.

Track B: Reimbursement for eligible expenses. Payment may include salary/fringe benefits for clinical staff, medical/office supplies and equipment, and capital expenses, including equipment for telehealth services. Indirect costs are not eligible.

Regardless of track selected, applicant organizations must ensure that Community Health Grant funding does not duplicate or supplant any other funding.

Maximum Award Amount:

Applicants may request up to $150,000 per year of the grant.

Funding Availability:

Funding requests are contingent upon availability of program funding. The highest scoring applicants will receive a three-year award based on applicant scores. ORH anticipates that approximately 33 applicants will receive three-year funding. Successful applicants will be required to attend a grant award workshop.

Proposed Project Period or Contract Term:

State Fiscal Year 2026: July 1, 2025 – June 30, 2026

Eligibility:

All primary care safety net organizations that currently provide direct primary and preventive care and serve as a medical home are eligible to apply.  This includes:

  • Federally Qualified Health Centers and Look-Alikes (FQHCs),
  • Free and Charitable Clinics,
  • Health Departments,
  • Non-Profit, Hospital-Owned Primary Care Clinics,
  • Rural Health Centers,
  • School-Based and School-Linked Health Centers,
  • AHEC Clinics,
  • Other Non-Profit Community Organizations that provide direct primary and preventive patient care to low-income, uninsured, underinsured and medically vulnerable populations.
  • Health promotion, health maintenance, health counseling,
  • Disease prevention,
  • Patient education,
  • Diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic illnesses,
  • Integrated care services (dental, pharmacy, behavioral health, care coordination/care management by a primary care entity),
  • Women’s health, maternal and child health that supports health care services in a primary care setting,
  • Collaborative, community-based, whole person-centered health care delivery models,
  • Telehealth patient care,
  • Care coordination and navigation, including activities related to Medicaid Expansion
  • Community Health Workers.

Only one application can be submitted per eligible organization. An eligible organization must submit one application rather than applications by service site, “doing business as” or under separate EINs that are all connected to the same eligible organization.

This application is for eligible organizations wishing to apply for new Year 1 funding. Organizations seeking Year 2 and/or Year 3 continuation funding must follow the separate Continuation Application process which will open mid-January

Eligible organizations that currently provide direct primary and preventive caremay use these funds to support any of the following:

As a condition of receiving a grant award, successful applicants must:

  • Complete the contract process.
  • Submit a monthly expense report in a specified format for reimbursement.
  • Submit performance measures and reports, established by the Office of Rural Health, throughout the grant term.
  • Use an electronic financial software application (EXCEL spreadsheets are not an acceptable format)
  • Document collaboration among safety net and social support organizations specifying the distinct roles of each organization and the designated fiscal responsibilities.
  • Connect or have a plan to connect NC HealthConnex (To meet the state’s mandate, a provider is “connected” when its clinical and demographic information is sent to NC HealthConnex at least twice daily.) For further information, please see the HIEA website: https://hiea.nc.gov)
  • Comply with ORH’s policies and procedures for contract development, execution, and management.

Eligible organizations that have a current Community Health Grant award entering Year 2 or Year 3 on July 1, 2025, must have a new project scope or serve a different patient population if submitting an application in response to this Request for Application.

Deadline for Submission: December 20, 2024   

Grant applications must be received electronically using the on-line application link provided by the Office of Rural Health. All applications are due by 5:00 PM on December 20, 2024. Only electronic applications will be accepted. Incomplete applications, or applications not completed in accordance with the following instructions, will not be reviewed.

How to Apply:

Access to the electronic application is a two-step process:

  • Step One: Use the Office of Rural Health application link to submit the organization name and contact information. The link opens on October 21, 2024, and closes at 5:00 PM on December 20, 2024.
  • Step Two: Upon submitting the required information to the Office of Rural Health Application Link, an email with a personalized link specific to your organization will be sent. The link in the email will provide access to the electronic application. The application closes at 5:00 PM on December 20, 2024. Please begin the application process in time to ensure completion on or before December 20, 2024. No new application links will be sent after December 19, 2024.

Office of Rural Health Application Link: https://ncorh.ncdhhs.gov/redcap/surveys/?s=J4YJFWYJ8EDTYND8

Applications must be complete, and agencies must respond to all application requirements. Incomplete applications, or applications not completed in accordance with the instructions, will not be reviewed.

All applicants will receive a confirmation notice after an application has been successfully submitted.

For assistance with the application link contact: Sharema Williams: sharema.williams@dhhs.nc.gov

Technical Assistance Webinars:
SFY 26 CHG RFA FAQ
SFY 26 CHG RFA Webinar Powerpoint
SFY 26 CHG RFA Webinar November 18, 2024

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To obtain further information:  Funding Agency Contact/Inquiry Information:

Nicole Fields-Pierre: nicole.fields-pierre@dhhs.nc.gov

For assistance with the application link:

Sharema Williams: sharema.williams@dhhs.nc.gov

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