# CalRHT Accelerator Partners RFA (Initiative One: Transformative Care Model) California's Rural Health Transformation Program (CalRHT), funded by a $233,639,308.46 CMS federal award for FFY 2026, has released its first Request for Applications: Accelerator Partners, under Initiative One (Transformative Care Model). HCAI (California Department of Health Care Access and Information) is making up to $39,000,000 available for Budget Period 1, with an expected 5–25 partners to receive funding. Applicants are required to apply as a partnership or consortium, with the submission demonstrating partner organizations, estimated funding allocation for each partner, and signed partnership documentation, along with a mandatory Excel budget workbook. All applications and required attachments must be submitted via the official Submittable portal before August 14, 2026, at 3:00 PM PT. Late or incomplete applications will not be considered for Budget Period 1 but may be eligible for a future Budget Period 2. ## Key facts - Status: Closed - Type: RFA - Issued by: California Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI) (California) - Posted: 2026-06-30 - Application due: 2026-08-14 - Funding: $39.0M - Eligible applicants: Hospitals, Clinics, Tribal nations, Government agencies, Health care providers, Educational institutions, Nonprofits, Community-based organizations - How to apply: Online submission via Submittable (https://calruralhealth.submittable.com/submit) only, including the fully completed application form, required Excel budget workbook template, and all required partnership/attachment documents. - Funding source: Rural Health Transformation Program (CMS) - Official source: https://hcai.ca.gov/document/calrht-accelerator-partner-rfa ## Eligibility Eligible applicants must provide program services in rural or frontier California as defined by HRSA. Eligible entities include (but are not limited to): hospitals, clinics, Tribal nations, government agencies, healthcare providers, educational institutions, nonprofits, and other capable organizations. Lead applicants must apply as partnerships or consortia and must identify, describe, and document all partner entities in the application, including submission of required partnership documentation (such as letters of support, MOUs, or letters of intent) for each partner. Physical location in a rural area is not required if care is provided to rural communities. ## Requirements A complete submission requires: 1. Seven-section application document (Applicant Profile, Project Overview with TCM alignment, Partnership Participants, Operational Capability, Implementation timeline/milestones & readiness, Additional documents, Attestations); 2. A completed Excel budget workbook (broken down by cost category and module); 3. All required partnership documentation for each partner entity. Attestations must cover: disclosure of investigations/enforcement actions, agreement to incubator role if asked, financial sustainability, non-duplicative funding, and adherence to use restrictions. Applications must align the requested funding amount with described project activities and the Excel workbook. Incomplete or late applications will not be considered for Budget Period 1. ## Required attachments - Completed application document (seven sections as described in RFA) - Excel budget workbook template (completed) - Partnership documentation for each partner entity (e.g., letters of support, MOUs, or letters of intent) - Additional documents as required (e.g., optional Form 990, executive resumes or LinkedIn profiles for key personnel if requested) ## Application package and source documents - [CA - 2026 - calrht (CalRHT main page)](https://www.ruralcarejourney.com/api/documents/163ffc0b-5331-47a5-bf2c-f1faa66c6a2f/file) — official: https://hcai.ca.gov/rural-health/calrht - [CA - 2026 - Frequently Asked Questions (CalRHT FAQ (March 2026))](https://www.ruralcarejourney.com/api/documents/1177a3d3-9c36-40c5-9ba4-ea1bd4872ae0/file) — official: https://hcai.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/CalRHT-FAQ-March-2026.pdf - [CA - 2026 - CalRHT Notice of Award (CalRHT Notice of Award)](https://www.ruralcarejourney.com/api/documents/c6fbbb0f-6abd-40bb-817d-3417377d5c4f/file) — official: https://hcai.ca.gov/document/calrht-notice-of-award - [CA - 2026 - CalRHT Accelerator Partner RFA Federal Fiscal Year 2026-27 (Request for Applications (RFA))](https://www.ruralcarejourney.com/api/documents/097f7429-b3bc-4283-814b-0d0143349094/file) (primary) — official: https://hcai.ca.gov/document/calrht-accelerator-partner-rfa - [CA - 2026 - CalRHT Accelerator Partners Budget Workbook for Applicants (Required Budget Workbook Template)](https://www.ruralcarejourney.com/api/documents/c0f31549-4d00-49f6-8697-01abe3601182/file) — official: https://hcai.ca.gov/document/calrht-accelerator-partner-budget-workbook-template - [CA - 2026 - There are presently no open calls for submissions. (Submission Portal (Submittable))](https://www.ruralcarejourney.com/api/documents/7dab9d93-aa7e-43d6-ab3b-e8bcb552811f/file) — official: https://calruralhealth.submittable.com/submit - [CA - 2026 - CalRHT Grant Funding Opportunities (e1c402) (CalRHT Funding Opportunities Listing)](https://www.ruralcarejourney.com/api/documents/b2ef64ce-36b7-4940-be17-cbf12cc39546/file) — official: https://hcai.ca.gov/rural-health/calrht/funding - [CA - 2026 - CalRHT Accelerator Partners Webinar (accelerator-partners-grant-webinar-presentation)](https://www.ruralcarejourney.com/api/documents/5a1e3fdd-106d-4e03-9acc-f13dd3aa81c0/file) — official: https://hcai.ca.gov/document/accelerator-partners-grant-webinar-presentation - [CA - 2026 - Rural Health Policy Council Meeting #2 October 27, 2026 (CalRHT Budget Period 1 policy council presentation — Accelerator Partners)](https://www.ruralcarejourney.com/api/documents/bb4119bb-9d74-46f2-968c-617666f52dce/file) — official: https://hcai.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Rural-Health-Policy-Council-Meeting-2-Presentation.pdf - [CA - 2026 - Recommended Subrecipients for CalRHT Budget Period 1 Announced (Award source)](https://www.ruralcarejourney.com/api/documents/bf144df0-389c-4e3e-b5f2-33651498ae31/file) — official: https://hcai.ca.gov/rural-health/calrht/calrht-program-updates More California RHTP activity: https://www.ruralcarejourney.com/states/ca (markdown: https://www.ruralcarejourney.com/states/ca.md) --- Source: Rural Care Journey (RCJ), https://www.ruralcarejourney.com/opportunities/calrht-accelerator-partners-rfa-initiative-one-transformative-care-model--ed893f752e — data as of 2026-08-18. Cite the RCJ page for the summary and the linked official source for authoritative terms, deadlines, and amounts.