Rural Health Transformation Program
Harnessing innovation and strengthening partnerships to build a healthier future for rural Wisconsin
The Rural Health Transformation Program is 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 across three major initiatives.
Initiatives
Recruiting and retaining an adequate health care workforce is a challenge in rural areas, making access to quality, timely care for rural residents difficult. This funding will provide grants for innovative workforce projects in rural communities, support career pathways for rural health care providers, and fund services provided by community health workers.
Rural Wisconsin needs the technology to support and reach residents, such as closed-loop referral systems and telehealth capabilities. This funding will invest in upgrades to rural provider systems, digital infrastructure, and develop a digital rural health care collaborative.
Rural Wisconsinites experience fragmented coordination across primary care, specialty care, behavioral health, chronic disease prevention, and community social supports. This funding will stand up a competitive grant program for rural regions to create coordinated systems of care where multi-sector partnerships show a clear path to sustainability.
Grant funding opportunities
The following grant funding opportunities are available. Total funding amounts in each category are contingent on approval from CMS. Responses to application questions will be posted to the application webpage as they become available. Visit the current grant funding opportunities webpage for a list of current solicitations.
Rural dental efficiency and access - applications due July 27, 2026
These grants support dental clinics in adopting technologies that improve efficiency and increase access to care in rural and semi-rural communities. These technologies can help to address challenges that rural clinics face by increasing patient service volumes, improving patient comfort and maximizing existing dental workforce. DHS plans to award $10 million through this grant opportunity pending CMS approval.
Rural technology transformation - applications due August 1, 2026
These funds support technology investments that remove barriers to care, maximize provider productivity, and ensure improved patient or community health outcomes. Eligible organizations have been pre-identified based on the rural health facility information provided to CMS as part of Wisconsin's Rural Health Transformation Program application. Only organizations named in the application are eligible. DHS will award up to $61 million in the first round of funding. Round 2 will be released in 2027 pending CMS approval.
Community health worker - applications due August 7, 2026
These grants support expanded integration and sustainability of community health workers as an evidence-based care model to improve health outcomes in Wisconsin's rural communities. These grants will increase the quality and number of community health workers in the workforce in rural areas, enhance programs through training and technical assistance, and support strong infrastructure and connections between providers and communities. DHS plans to award $20 million for the first year of funding. Letters of intent are recommended but not required and are due July 1, 2026.
Care coordination - applications due August 21, 2026
These grants support new and innovative partnership models that coordinate care across systems and sectors in rural Wisconsin. These grants will address fragmented systems of care and barriers to access care. DHS plans to award up to $10 million in 2026 for a 6-month planning period. Awardees will then be invited to submit a full application for a 4-year program period. The full grant opportunity will be released to planning grant recipients in February 2027, with an estimated $25 million available in the first year pending CMS approval.
Learn more about each grant and how to apply on the current grant funding opportunities webpage.
Organizations may request technical assistance with their applications by emailing RHTP-evaluation@wisc.edu. Technical assistance is being provided by the University of Wisconsin-Population Health Institute, Wisconsin Office of Rural Health, and Wisconsin Collaborative for Healthcare Quality and can help with accessing community data and planning project evaluation. Those providing technical assistance have no input on funding decisions.
Partner funding opportunities
Wisconsin's Rural Health Transformation Program leverages the expertise and connections of several state agencies and other partners named in DHS' application to CMS. Updates will be shared in our quarterly newsletters. Sign up to receive program updates by email.
Department of Workforce Development WIG: HEART grants - applications due August 17, 2026
The Workforce Innovation Grant: Healthcare Employment, Access, and Rural Transformation (WIG: HEART) grant program will make awards of $500,000 to $10 million are available for nonprofit and government organizations to work with regional workforce partners on healthcare workforce solutions for rural and semi-rural regions across the state. In the first year, $4.9 million is expected to be available. Funding will support projects with leading-edge, long-term solutions for rural healthcare workforce challenges that help employers find workers, and help workers prepare for and connect to better, higher-quality, and more family-sustaining jobs. To learn more and access the online application and related materials, visit the WIG: HEART grant webpage.
Federal application materials
Read the DHS application for Rural health Transformation funding, including details on plans to implement key initiatives in the application narrative below.
- Complete application materials (PDF)*
- Application summary (PDF)
- Application narrative (PDF)
- Governor Evers letter of support (PDF)
*Dollar amounts assigned to specific budgetary costs used for staff, grant, and contractor management planning have been redacted.
Timeline
DHS will receive federal funding for five years to implement the initiatives of the program. CMS has not yet announced award amounts for the subsequent four years of the program.
Advisory council
The advisory council provides strategic guidance and input to DHS as a part of the state’s implementation. The council offers an opportunity to contribute to shaping how rural health priorities are addressed, bringing diverse provider, community, and lived experience perspectives to the table. Visit the council's webpage to learn more.
Program and grant administration team
The Rural Health Transformation Program team, part of the DHS Office of Grants Management (OGM) is leading the implementation and oversight of this strategic initiative. OGM provides technical and operational guidance and resources to administer large-scale, federally funded programs designed to improve access to high-quality healthcare across Wisconsin.
Preparing for implementation
The DHS Office of Grants Management (OGM) will lead the implementation and oversight of the Rural Health Transformation Program. This strategic initiative will strengthen DHS’s capacity to administer large-scale, federally funded programs designed to improve access to high-quality health care in rural communities across Wisconsin.
Information about upcoming recruitment opportunities will be posted on the DHS careers webpage as positions become available.
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.