FAQ: Rural Health Care Services Outreach Program

General questions

Accessing the notice of funding opportunity (NOFO)

You can access the guidance for the Outreach Program by viewing the grant opportunity and using the following steps:

Click the blue tab labeled “Package”
Click the blue hyperlink labeled “Preview”
Click on the gray box labeled “Download Instruction”

Accessing the NOFO Technical Assistance (TA) Webinar Recording

A NOFO TA webinar was held December 11, 2024, at 2:00pm ET detailing information about the NOFO and how to apply. Watch a full recording of the webinar.

We also posted the recording and other webinar materials on the HRSA NOFO webpage.

What is the application deadline?

All applications are due January 27, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. EST.

We are planning to do XYZ, is this in line with the goals/objectives of this funding announcement?

We are limited in the type of feedback we can provide regarding your proposals. Please refer to the guidance and/or confer with your State Office of Rural Health about how your project aligns with the tenets of the Outreach Program.

Is my project proposal acceptable?

Interested applicants will be required to respond to the guidance and requirements outlined in this posted NOFO HRSA-25-038.

HRSA is unable to provide specific guidance on whether a project is acceptable or not. Each application will be reviewed by an objective review committee made up of a panel of external reviewers who will make recommendations on which projects receive funding.

Do you have any examples of previously and currently funded projects through this program?

Previously funded Outreach programs provided good examples of how award recipients have used this funding to address health challenges and how the flexible nature of the program can target a community’s unique health needs, including those that directly address rural health disparities. View the project descriptions for the FY 2021 Outreach Program cohort (PDF - 3 MB).

Learn more about previously and currently funded FORHP community grant projects. This webpage is organized by program and provides a brief description of each awardee’s project and project outcomes.

To view the abstracts of previous Outreach awards, visit the HRSA Data Warehouse.

Eligibility

Are we eligible to apply if our organization’s headquarters is not in a rural census tract but our target population (where we would be implementing the project) are?

Yes. Pages 7 – 8—“All domestic public or private, non-profit, and for-profit entities are eligible to apply.” The applicant organization may be located in a rural or urban area, but “must have demonstrated experience serving, or the capacity to serve, rural underserved populations.”

The target service area must be in the HRSA-designated rural. Refer to and provide required documentation in Attachment 3: Map of service area.

Pages 73 – 75 Appendix D: Rural Eligibility.
“There are two ways to determine if a county or census tract is a HRSA-designated rural area.

Rural Health Grants Eligibility Analyzer
- The Rural Health Grants Eligibility Analyzer identifies all counties and census tracts that are considered a HRSA-designated rural area as of Fiscal Year (FY) 2025.
List of formerly HRSA-designated rural counties
- There are 17 counties that were considered fully within HRSA-designed rural areas in FY 2024 that are no longer fully rural due to updates from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
- While either some or all areas in these 17 counties will not appear as rural in the Rural Health Grants Eligibility Analyzer, reference to these counties in your application will qualify as HRSA-designated rural areas for the purposes of this NOFO.”

Is HRSA-25-038 funding open to organizations outside of the U.S.?

No. Pages 7 – 8. “All domestic public or private, non-profit, and for-profit entities are eligible to apply.”

“Domestic” means the 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau.

Can you verify that tribal governments and faith-based organizations are eligible for this grant as they are public entities?

Tribes and tribal organizations are eligible to apply for these funds.

Tribal exception: HRSA is aware that tribes and tribal organizations may not meet the Employer Identification Number (EIN) or Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) requirement of this NOFO. As a result, tribes and tribal organizations that only have one EIN or UEI or are unable to demonstrate that the network is composed of at least three unique entities, may request a tribal exception.

Can previous FORHP awardees apply?

Yes. Page 8. As long as applicant “has not previously received an award under this program for the same or similar project unless the proposing to expand the scope of the project or area that will be served through the project.”

In the NOFO, it stated that an applicant must consult with a State Office of Rural Health (SORH). How do I know who my SORH is?

Find your State Office of Rural Health (SORH) representative. To learn more about SORH, visit the HRSA webpage on SORH.

Applicants are required to consult their State Office of Rural Health (SORH) of their intent to apply to this program. Applicants must include in Attachment 1 a copy of the letter or email sent to the SORH, and any response received to the letter, which was submitted to the SORH describing the project. On pages 8, the NOFO stated that applicants must “consult your State Office of Rural Health (SORH) regarding your intent to apply to this program. If you are from the U.S. territories and do not have the functional equivalent of a SORH, you are still eligible to apply without completion of this requirement. Refer to Attachment 1: Required documentation from State Office of Rural Health for required documentation from SORH required documentation from SORH.”

Consortiums/network partners

Does my organization have to be a part of a consortium or network to apply for HRSA-25-038 funding?

Yes. Page 9. You must “deliver health care services through a strong consortium, in which every consortium member organization is actively involved and engaged in the planning and delivery of services.”

For the purposes of the Outreach Program, a consortium can also be a health care network.

Please refer to Page 28 about the organization information and the section that will help the reviewers understand how you and your consortium have resources and capabilities carry out the program requirements.

Note that complete responses to this section also include:

Your organizational chart in Attachment 9: Applicant organizational chart.
A list of and description of all key staff members conducting activities within this program, including the project director, as requested in Attachment 5: Staffing plan and job descriptions.
Biographical sketches of all key staff members, as requested in Attachment 6: Biographical sketches.
Your consortium members list, as requested in Attachment 8: Consortium member list.
A Memorandum of Understanding/Agreement (MOU/A) or a letter of agreement signed and dated by all consortium members as Attachment 2: Agreements with other entities.

If some members of my consortium are not “rural” by the guidelines of this grant, will the consortium still be considered as an acceptable consortium member in my application?

Yes. Page 10 under consortium and rural service area requirements. As long as the project proposal maintains that all project activities serve rural populations. Additionally, according to page 10 of the NOFO, HRSA requires “at least sixty-six percent (66%), or two-thirds of the consortium composition involved in the proposed project be located in a HRSA-designated rural area”.

The target service area must be in the HRSA-designated rural. Refer to and provide required documentation in Attachment 3: Map of service area.

Pages 73 – 75 Appendix D: Rural Eligibility.
“There are two ways to determine if a county or census tract is a HRSA-designated rural area.

Rural Health Grants Eligibility Analyzer
- The Rural Health Grants Eligibility Analyzer identifies all counties and census tracts that are considered a HRSA-designated rural area as of Fiscal Year (FY) 2025.
List of formerly HRSA-designated rural counties
- There are 17 counties that were considered fully within HRSA-designed rural areas in FY 2024 that are no longer fully rural due to updates from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
- While either some or all areas in these 17 counties will not appear as rural in the Rural Health Grants Eligibility Analyzer, reference to these counties in your application will qualify as HRSA-designated rural areas for the purposes of this NOFO.”

How do you define “Health Care Provider”? For example, we are looking at a consortium of three health care providers plus one local nonprofit health foundation as an applicant. Are we eligible to apply for this grant?

Please see the definition for Health Care Provider in the NOFO in Appendix B. Also, refer to Pages 7 – 8 on Eligibility including types of organization. A local nonprofit health foundation is an eligible applicant and/or a consortium member.

Pages 69 (Appendix B). “Health care providers are defined as entities providing health care, health-related, and social services. These organizations include, but not limited to black lung clinics, hospitals, public health agencies, home health providers, disability service providers, mental health centers and providers, substance abuse service providers, rural health clinics, primary care providers, oral health providers, social service agencies, health profession schools, local school districts, emergency services providers, community health centers/federally qualified health centers, tribal health programs, churches and civic organizations that are providing health related services.

For the purposes of this grant program, a regional or state entity, like state Medicaid offices, a regional managed care association, and regional health care foundations, can also be included as a consortium member.”

Multiple applications

Can my organization apply for both the special track and regular Outreach track?

No. Page 8—“Generally, you may not submit multiple applications under the same Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) (previously DUNS) number and/or EIN. You may only submit multiple applications under the same Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number and/or EIN, if each proposes distinct projects and an appropriate EIN Exception Request is submitted with your application. We will only review your last validated application for each distinct project before the deadline. For more information about UEI/EIN exceptions request, please see Attachment 13: EIN/UEI exception request and Attachment 14: Tribal EIN/UEI exception request.”

Applications will not be considered for both the HRHI track and Regular Outreach track.

My organization is part of a health care system. Can my organization apply if others in my health care system are also submitting an application?

Multiple applications under the same Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) (previously DUNS) number and/or EIN will not be accepted unless the applicants 1.) each propose distinct projects AND 2.) an appropriate EIN Exception Request is submitted with your application (please see Attachment 13: EIN/UEI exception request and Attachment 14: Tribal EIN/UEI exception request).

HRSA will review the last validated application for each distinct project submitted before the deadline.

Page 8—“Generally, you may not submit multiple applications under the same Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) (previously DUNS) number and/or EIN. You may only submit multiple applications under the same Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number and/or EIN, if each proposes distinct projects and an appropriate EIN Exception Request is submitted with your application. We will only review your last validated application for each distinct project before the deadline. For more information about UEI/EIN exceptions request, please see Attachment 13: EIN/UEI exception request and Attachment 14: Tribal EIN/UEI exception request.”

Can our consortium or network be partners for two different applicants?

Yes. The only restriction is regarding the number of applications that can be submitted by an organization as the lead applicant. Page 8—“Multiple applications from an organization are not allowable.”

Personnel

Is the Project Director (PD) a required position?: Yes. Pages 28 – 29, 33, 44—“Identify the project director who will be responsible for project/program monitoring and carrying out the award activities.”
Is it required that the project have a full-time project director?: No, it is not a requirement. Pages 28 – 29, 33, 44—“HRSA recommends the project director allot at least 1.0 FTE to the program and has management experience involving multiple organizational arrangements.”

Funding preference

Where can I find information regarding requesting a funding preference?

Pages 47 – 48 of the NOFO guidance further describe the funding preferences.

If I qualify for a funding preference, does this have to be included in my application?

Applicants receiving the preference will be placed in a more competitive position among applications that can be funded. Applications that do not receive a funding preference will receive full and equitable consideration during the review process.

If requesting a funding preference, please indicate which qualification is being met in the Project Abstract. HRSA highly recommends that the applicant include this language: “Applicant organization name is requesting a funding preference based on qualification X. County Y is (in a designated HPSA; or in a MUC/MUP; or is focusing on primary care, and wellness and prevention strategies).”

You only have to meet one of the qualifications stated above to receive the preference. Meeting more than one qualification does not increase an applicant’s competitive position.

Special track questions

What are the differences between the special track and the regular outreach track”?: Please see pages 11 – 14 for details on funding track project requirements for regular track and special track. The major difference are the funding amounts, required focus area, data collection and reporting expectation and a few program deliverables. Please refer to Appendix C for a side- by-side comparison of the two tracks.

Application submission

How can I apply for HRSA-25-038 funding?: To apply to grant funding for this program, interested applicants must complete the application package for the funding opportunity posted on the grants.gov website and submit their applications electronically on the grants.gov website under the associated grants.gov funding opportunity posting.

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