Investing in Dental Care Technology: Grants to Improve Rural Dental Efficiency and Access
Funding opportunity summary
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) is seeking applications for competitive grants to support dental clinics in adopting technologies that improve efficiency and increase access to care in rural and semi-rural communities. Dental practices, particularly in more rural areas of the state, face challenges that result in reduced access to care. These challenges include high rates of uninsured patients, low and unpredictable patient volumes, dental workforce shortages, and limited capital resources to adopt innovative technologies. This funding opportunity seeks to address these challenges through increased access to dental technological innovations, which improve dental services in rural Wisconsin by increasing the speed of appointments while maintaining quality of care. This funding will allow dental practices to purchase technologies to deliver high-quality and efficient services. Applicants may apply to multiple Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) funding opportunities for which their organizations are eligible.
Download the full grant funding opportunity and addenda (PDF)
Application release
June 15, 2026
Application submission due
July 27, 2026
Application questions due
June 26, 2026. Responses will be posted within one week. Please send questions to: DHSRuralHealth@dhs.wisconsin.gov, and place Dental Application Questions in the Subject line.
Estimated date for award notification
September 2026
Estimated funding
The Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) will award up to $10 million for this funding opportunity, pending CMS approval.
Award period
11/1/2026 – 9/30/2028
Total funding available
$10,000,000 (pending CMS approval)
Number of available awards
The number of available awards will be determined by the variety and scope of projects submitted. Awards will be made to ensure distribution across regions and counties, with an emphasis on rural communities.
Award amount
Award amounts will vary based on the total number of applications received and the scope of the projects submitted. DHS will negotiate the terms of the award, including the award amount, with selected applicants prior to entering into a contract.
Application submission
All applications must be submitted online through the Investing in Dental Technology Application form.
Background
The Wisconsin Rural Health Transformation Program is focused on improving healthcare access and health outcomes in rural communities across Wisconsin. This funding opportunity is part of the Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP), a federal funding opportunity provided to states through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) received a first-year award from CMS for $203,670,005.21 to invest in rural capacity, sustainability, and innovation. The program aims to improve access to care through three initiatives: strengthening the healthcare workforce, enhancing technology innovation, and cultivating coordinated care partnerships. Through collaboration among healthcare providers, public health agencies, and community-based organizations, the program seeks to improve health and well-being in rural communities.
Purpose
Through this funding opportunity, DHS aims to address these challenges by subsidizing the purchase of dental technologies to make care more available to people in rural Wisconsin. These technologies can reduce appointment times, increase patient service volumes, improve patient comfort, and maximize the existing dental workforce. Funding will support the provider's adoption of eligible dental technologies that would otherwise be cost prohibitive.
The goals of the Rural Dental Efficiency and Access Grant Program are to:
- Increase access to dental care, particularly for underserved populations in rural and semi-rural Wisconsin who are lower income, uninsured, have Medicaid dental coverage, and/or who otherwise have difficulty seeing a dental provider.
- Strengthen the sustainability of dental practices in rural and semi-rural areas.
- Improve oral health outcomes for rural residents.
Program requirements
Dental providers applying for this funding opportunity must meet all the following requirements:
- Provide services that benefit people living in rural and semi-rural areas of Wisconsin, outside of metropolitan hubs. See Addendum Exhibit 1 for a definition of rural counties.
- Use grant funds to purchase eligible dental technologies. All proposed technologies must be clearly linked to increased efficiency, expanded access, and improved service delivery.
- Describe clear strategies to provide care to patients with Medicaid coverage or others with limited resources to access dental care (e.g. low-income and uninsured).
- As described in the Application Questions section, applicants must clearly describe how grant funds will be used, what technologies will be purchased, and how the grant will meet community needs.
Reporting requirements: evaluation
A combination of quantitative and qualitative data will be required quarterly and annually for state and federal evaluation purposes. Providers will be asked to report on the number and percentage of patients served with limited resources to access dental care (e.g. low-income and uninsured), and who have Medicaid coverage at baseline and annually throughout the life of the grant.
Eligible applicants
Applicants must provide services in Wisconsin outside of Milwaukee County and be one of the following serving a rural or semi-rural community (see Addendum Exhibit 1 for a definition of semi-rural and rural counties):
- A private, non-profit, or public dental clinic or dental practice
- A Federally Qualified Health Center that provides dental care
- A nonprofit organization providing dental services
- A public or Tribal dental clinic
Funding availability
Submission does not guarantee funding within this opportunity. This allows DHS to assess capacity of interested parties to conduct the work outlined in the scope of work. DHS reserves the right not to award funding to any applicant, and to award fewer or more grants than initially indicated. DHS also reserves the right to award grants for less than an applicant’s proposed amount. DHS may award additional funding if more funding becomes available. Should additional funding become available at any point during the grant period, DHS reserves the right to use the results of this grant funding opportunity to increase funding to the selected agencies or to fund additional agencies that submitted an application but were not selected.
DHS uses a cost-based reimbursement model that limits reimbursement to actual allowable incurred costs. If funding is awarded, expenses can be submitted for reimbursement only after they have been incurred.
Allowable costs
Grant recipients will be required to comply with the DHS Allowable Cost Policy Manual and all applicable state and federal reporting, fiscal, and audit requirements, including those incorporated through Exhibit 2: Federal Compliance Requirements Rural Health Transformation Program. Applicants must clearly describe how grant funds will be used, what technologies will be purchased, and how the grant will meet community needs. The following allowable and unallowable costs and activities are provided as examples only and are not intended to be exhaustive.
- Grant funds may be used to purchase equipment and systems that improve efficiency, reduce appointment times, increase patient service volume, enhance patient comfort, and expand access to care. Eligible technologies may include, but are not limited to:
- Ultrasonic or hypersonic scaling systems
- Digital intraoral scanners
- Tele-dentistry platforms
- Portable or mobile dental equipment for outreach services
- Automated instrument processing and sterilization systems
- AI-enabled dentistry tools to improve cavity and decay detection
- Updated electronic dental record systems
- Virtual appointment reminder and digital systems for dental patient paperwork
- Other. If proposing a technology not listed above, applicants must explain why that technology should be considered. Technologies not listed above will be subject to review by DHS to determine if the request meets the goals of the grant.
- Meeting expenses directly related to the project (meeting room, audiovisual (AV) equipment, travel, speakers, etc.) and in accordance with federal limitations
- Infrastructure directly related to the program, such as billing and/or fiscal infrastructure, technology for billing and tracking services, and administrative support
- Office supplies, postage, copying, etc. related to the project
- Consultant, contractor, and/or training services needed to implement the project
- Pre-award costs
- Direct or indirect lobbying activities
- Duplicate payments: Funds may not be used to replace payment for clinical services that could be reimbursed by insurance, or used for payments to clinical services if they duplicate billable services and/or attempt to change the payment amounts of existing fee schedules
- No funds may be used to support salaries, wages, or fringe benefits for this funding opportunity
- Replacing or duplicating existing funding sources. For example, if funds are used for expanding an existing pilot program or initiative, funds may only be applied to the costs associated with the new population, new activities, new program milestones, etc. The original program's programmatic costs, administrative expenses, and activities must continue to be funded by those original sources.
- Clinical care such as health screening, patient care, personal health services, medications, patient rehabilitation, and other costs associated with treatment and direct care are not permitted under this grant funding opportunity
- Costs or activities not directly related to the overall project description and scope of work
- Independent research and development, including associated indirect costs in accordance with 2 CFR 300.477
- Construction or building expansion, purchasing or significant retrofitting of buildings, cosmetic upgrades, or any other direct costs that materially increase the value or useful life of the capital
- Meals, unless in limited circumstances such as subjects and patients under study, if specifically approved as part of the project or program activity, or as part of a per diem in conjunction with allowable travel
- Projects outside of Wisconsin
No more than 8% of the award amount may be used for administrative expenses. This is based on CMS requirements: a 10% cap is applied to the cumulative administrative costs for the entire program, including those incurred by both the state and any subrecipients.
Personnel costs associated with administering RHTP grant activities may be considered administrative costs. In contrast, if staff are directly carrying out program initiatives, the cost may be considered programmatic.
Administrative costs support the day-to-day operations and general grant oversight. These costs generally include indirect costs, audit expenses, and salary and fringe benefits for personnel whose primary responsibilities involve managing, tracking, and overseeing the grant.
More information is available in Addendum Exhibit 3: Budget Instructions.
Under federal grant regulations, alteration and renovation must be necessary and reasonable for performance of the award and directly related to program objectives. Any renovation or alteration costs will require prior approval from CMS. RHTP staff will submit required renovations requests to CMS for approval on behalf of grantees prior to purchase or start of work. Renovations may not proceed until written approval is received. Additionally, no more than 20% of the total award can be spent on minor alterations and renovations.
See Exhibit 2: Federal Compliance Requirements for more information.
Application submission
The application can be accessed through the Investing in Dental Technology Application form and must be completed by 11:59 p.m. on July 27, 2026. Only applications submitted through this link will be considered.
Applications must include:
- Responses to the statements in the Application Questions section. Any information beyond the page limit will not be read, reviewed, or scored.
- Proposed budget and justification
- Letters of support from each partner with an active role in the project
The budget, justification, and letters of support do not count toward the narrative response word limit.
Organizations may request technical assistance for preparing their applications from the University of Wisconsin-Population Health Institute, Wisconsin Office of Rural Health, and Wisconsin Collaborative for Healthcare Quality. Technical assistance can be requested for describing local health needs using community data, accessing information to quantify the local health context, project evaluation planning, and/or developing performance measures. These partners have no input on funding decisions. To learn more, send a request to RHTP-evaluation@wisc.edu.
Applicants should reach out directly to DHS at DHSRuralHealth@dhs.wisconsin.gov for questions regarding technical difficulties with the application submission process. Please note that questions about the funding opportunity, including eligibility requirements, budgets, allowable and unallowable expenses, must be submitted by June 26, 2026, and will be answered through published FAQs.
Application questions
- Name and address of lead organization applying
- Contact information for the primary point of contact regarding this application
- First Name
- Last Name
- Counties or Tribal Nations where services will be provided for this project
- Provide a brief executive summary of your project (three to four sentences or less than 100 words). This section is not scored.
Section 1: Program Design (Maximum 1,000 words)
Describe how grant funds will be used to improve efficiency and expand access to dental services in rural and semi-rural communities. Responses must include:
- A list of clinics, including addresses, where technologies will be implemented.
- Clinics located in rural counties will receive a higher score than clinics located in semi-rural counties that serve a portion of rural residents. See Addendum Exhibit 1.
- An implementation plan that details:
- A list of the technology (or technologies) to be purchased.
- A timeline and strategy for purchasing the technology, training staff on use, and integrating into routine clinic operations.
- How your organization will maintain and sustain the technology (such as through staffing, budgeting, and long-term integration into routine clinic operations).
- How your organization will measure and report on outcomes. Potential outcomes include staff confidence and satisfaction with technology integration, reductions in wait times for appointments, appointment length, or number of rural and total patients served.
- A description of how this technology will further the program’s goals to:
- Increase access to dental services, particularly for Medicaid members other low-income or underserved rural residents (including the uninsured) in more rural areas.
- Strengthen the sustainability of dental practices in more rural areas.
- Improve oral health outcomes for rural residents.
Section 2: Capacity and Experience (Maximum 500 words)
Applicants must demonstrate organizational capacity to implement and sustain the proposed technology. Responses must include:
- Description of staff structure and clinic operations, specifically related to program goals
- Prior experience with purchasing and managing clinical technologies
- Description of communities served and unmet dental needs in those communities
- Prior experience with serving rural residents
Section 3: Commitment to expand access to dental services (Maximum 500 words)
Applicants must describe services provided to Medicaid beneficiaries and other low-income or underserved (including the uninsured) rural residents. We are looking for evidence of current systems or plans to ensure access to affordable dental care for rural populations who have limited resources to access dental care. Applicants are encouraged, but not required, to enroll as Medicaid providers and to provide sustained services for Medicaid members. Responses must include:
- Current number of:
- Medicaid members, and
- Other low-income or underserved rural residents served per month
- Current total number of patients served per month
- Current monthly percentage of patients that are:
- Medicaid members, and
- Other low-income or underserved rural residents
- Current and/or proposed sliding scale fee structure or other strategies to serve patients without dental insurance and with limited resources
- Current or proposed plans to prioritize access for:
- Medicaid members, and/or
- Other low-income or underserved rural residents
- Proposed Medicaid service commitment following grant implementation, including any projected increases in Medicaid members served per month and any plans to enroll as a Medicaid provider, if not already enrolled.
Section 4: Budget
Please fill out the Investing in Dental Care Technology Grant Budget Template (Excel) with proposed expenditures for the project. For each item, include a brief justification for the amount. This should include how you arrived at the amount requested.
- Supplies: Describe your supply costs for this project. This should include most technological purchases and systems upgrades.
- Travel: Describe travel expenses (transportation, lodging, per diem, etc.) for this project. If none, mark N/A.
- Equipment: Describe planned equipment purchases, if any. Equipment is defined as having a per-unit cost of over $10,000 and requires approval from CMS.
- Contractual Services: Describe contractors you will fund for this project, if any.
- Other: Describe other costs associated with this project, if any.
- Indirect: Describe costs incurred for a common or joint purpose benefiting more than one cost objective and readily assignable to the cost objectives specifically benefitted. Limited to 8% of the total award amount. If none, mark N/A.
The budget template and Addendum Exhibits 2 and 3 (Federal Compliance Requirements and Budget Instructions) can be used as a guide when developing your budget and justification.
Application scoring rubric and review process
Applications will be reviewed and scored by an evaluation team using the 100-point scale below. Those organizations located and providing services in rural counties (rather than semi-rural alone) will receive an additional weight of 0.15 on the total scale score. Note that all programs must benefit people living in rural and semi-rural areas of Wisconsin, outside of metropolitan hubs (see the map in the addendum for a definition of rural counties). For sections with high point values, more detail may be required.
Point allocation
Required documents
5 points
Program Design
40 points
Capacity and Experience
20 points
Commitment to expanded access to dental services
20 points
Budget
15 points
Total
100 points
All on-time proposals that include all required documentation will be eligible for review. A committee of subject matter experts and knowledgeable stakeholders will review proposals and make recommendations for funding applications. DHS will not release the names of members of the review committee. In addition to rubric scoring, contextual factors such as past performance and spending history, geographic coverage and program reach, and project feasibility will be considered when making final award decisions, if applicable.
Submission deadline
Questions are due by 11:59 p.m. on June 22, 2026. DHS will post responses within 72 hours.
Responses must be submitted through the online application form by 11:59 p.m. on July 27, 2026. Following the deadline, DHS will review responses and announce awards to selected recipients.
Federal funding statement
This program is supported by CMS of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $203,670,005.21 with 100 percent funded by CMS/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by CMS/HHS, or the U.S. Government.