Rural Health Care
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The Rural Health Care InitiativeRural HopeThe Rural Hope initiative is designed to spur economic activity and job creation in the health care sector while improving the availability and quality of health care services in rural communities.
Go to application and reporting forms. See examples of previously funded projects.
Frequently asked questions May grants be used for any type of health care facility? What are eligible uses of grant dollars? How much money is available for construction projects? Is there a deadline for applications? And when will we hear back?
Eligible applicants are units of local government in partnership with private or nonprofit health care providers located within North Carolina’s 85 rural counties. Priority is given to towns with a population of fewer than 5,000 or to localities under severe economic distress.
May grants be used for any type of health care facility? Eligible health care facilities include – but are not limited to – hospitals, urgent care centers, community and rural health centers, hospices, elder care facilities, public health departments, free clinics and offices of physicians, dentists, vision care specialists and mental health care providers. Priority is given to projects supporting a “resident company,” that is, a company that has paid unemployment taxes or income taxes in North Carolina and whose principal place of business is located here.
What are eligible uses of grant dollars? Grants may be used to assist in the construction or renovation of new or existing health care facilities or for the purchase of new equipment.
For a limited time, grants for facilities and equipment purchases will be available for primary medical homes for low-income persons, such as a federally qualified health centers; state supported rural health centers; school based health centers; and PACE (Program for All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly) sites. Applicants must demonstrate an ability to improve patient outcomes and enhance services as a result of the grant. These projects must be located in a Tier 1 county. Grants should represent at least 15 percent of the proposed project cost but not exceed $200,000.
How much money is available for construction projects?
In Tier 1 and 2 counties, grants of up to $480,000 are awarded to shovel-ready projects, with actual funding amounts determined by the number of full-time jobs to be created and the total cost of the construction project. In Tier 3 counties the maximum award is $240,000. At least one job must be created for every $8,000 in grant funds requested. (A claw-back provision requires that the grant be repaid of the jobs committed are not created and maintained for six consecutive months.) Grants must be matched by at least an equal amount in other public or private investment, with the local government contributing at least 5 percent of the grant amount.
The application process involves two steps – a pre-application and then, for competitive projects, a full application. Partners in the Rural Hope Funding Collaborative have adopted a joint process for pre-applications due November 7. For other rounds of Rural Center grants, pre-applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Please note the separate pre-application form for the November 7 deadline. Go to grant application and reporting forms.
Is there a deadline for applications? And when will we hear back? Pre-applications and applications are accepted throughout the year. Final grant decisions are made during regularly scheduled board meetings. For consideration at specific board meetings, the effective deadlines for full applications are listed below with their award dates. The Rural Center must receive the completed application by 5 p.m. on the date listed for consideration.
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