# CalRHT Workforce Development Recruitment and Retention Program (WDRR) HCAI's CalRHT Workforce Development Recruitment and Retention Program (WDRR) funds eligible rural California organizations—including rural hospitals, clinics, Tribal health entities, and regional collaboratives—to recruit or relocate, and to retain, primary care and maternal health professionals at HRSA-qualifying rural sites. $54,170,000 WDRR Pool for Grant Year 2026. Recruitment and retention bonuses are capped at $150,000 per Health Professional; total award amounts are capped at $1,000,000 per individual facility or $2,000,000 per consortium/collaborative/system. Awards support a five-year rural service commitment for each Health Professional. Bonuses support recruitment, retention, clinical training, faculty/preceptor capacity, shared regional staffing pools, regional coordination, and Tribal health program efforts. Applicants must meet all organizational eligibility requirements and submit comprehensive application documentation. This is the 4th of California's four currently-open CalRHT Budget Period 1 programs, alongside the already-tracked Accelerator Partners RFA, FM-OB Fellowship Subaward Program, and EHR Modernization Grant Program. ## Key facts - Status: Closed - Type: RFA - Issued by: California Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI) (California) - Posted: 2026-07-31 - Application due: 2026-08-31 - Funding: $54.2M - Eligible applicants: Rural hospitals, Rural clinics, Tribal health entities, Regional collaboratives, Consortia, Systems serving rural communities - How to apply: Application Portal: https://calruralhealth.submittable.com/submit - Funding source: Rural Health Transformation Program (CMS) - Official source: https://hcai.ca.gov/rural-health/calrht/funding/ ## Eligibility Eligible applicants are rural-serving California organizations—including hospitals, clinics, Tribal health entities, and regional collaboratives—recruiting or retaining primary care and maternal health professionals at HRSA-defined rural sites. Individual Health Professionals are not eligible to apply directly. Behavioral-health-only roles are not eligible; integrated behavioral Health Professionals may be supported if part of primary/maternal teams. ## Requirements Applicants must submit an organizational application via the CalRuralHealth portal, providing documentation on organizational identity, site eligibility, workforce needs, roles and funding categories, payor mix data, rural service site assignments, service obligation monitoring, collaborative agreements (if applicable), federal compliance certifications, audit history, capacity to administer Health Professional awards and monitor five-year service obligations, and a high-level budget and recruitment/retention workplan. Recruitment and retention bonuses are each capped at $150,000 per Health Professional for a five-year rural service commitment; total award is capped at $1,000,000 per individual facility or $2,000,000 per consortium/collaborative/system. Up to 10% may be used for documented program costs. Unallowable costs include pre-award costs, construction, capital equipment, promotional items, lobbying, indirect costs, third-party contractor payments, and supplantation of other funding sources. ## Required attachments - Organizational identification and authorized representative documentation - Active SAM.gov registration and UEI - NPI and EIN for each proposed site - Site eligibility documentation - Workforce need documentation - Priority profession and role descriptions - Payor mix data - Proposed rural service site assignment - Service obligation monitoring/verification plan - Consortium/collaborative documentation (if applicable) - Federal compliance certifications - Single Audit history disclosure (if >$1M federal awards past 3 years) - Organizational capacity statement - Governing body resolution/authorization (for counties/public bodies) - High-level budget - Workplan ## Application package and source documents - [CA - 2026 - CalRHT Workforce Development Recruitment and Retention Program Grant Guide 2026 (WDRR Grant Guide)](https://www.ruralcarejourney.com/api/documents/09bc5526-89b9-4f85-8a72-55315c320f8b/file) (primary) — official: https://hcai.ca.gov/document/calrht-wdrr-grant-guide - [CA - 2026 - Workforce Development Recruitment and Retention (WDRR) Program Frequently Asked Questions (WDRR FAQs)](https://www.ruralcarejourney.com/api/documents/ab545d10-3218-4d9d-a31a-2d6d7de3a004/file) — official: https://hcai.ca.gov/document/calrht-wdrr-faqs - [CA - 2026 - Budget Template (WDRR Budget Template)](https://www.ruralcarejourney.com/api/documents/a3b689cd-a491-42f1-8966-724956072639/file) — official: https://hcai.ca.gov/document/calrht-wdrr-budget-template - [CA - 2026 - Workplan Template (WDRR Workplan Template)](https://www.ruralcarejourney.com/api/documents/b9527bd7-8386-49c5-97cb-c154ca224edf/file) — official: https://hcai.ca.gov/document/calrht-wdrr-workplan-template - [CA - 2026 - CalRHT Program FAQ and Guidance – Initiatives, Application Process, Funding, and Community Engagement](https://www.ruralcarejourney.com/api/documents/eeb0e212-f8b9-41a7-93fe-765436a7c900/file) — official: https://hcai.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/CalRHT-FAQs.pdf - [CA - 2026 - Sample Workforce Development Recruitment and Retention (WDRR) Grant Agreement (Sample WDRR grant agreement template)](https://www.ruralcarejourney.com/api/documents/0c35795b-7f08-4bef-9bab-2b7c6a0db51a/file) — official: https://hcai.ca.gov/document/calrht-sample-wdrr-grant-agreement-template - [CA - 2026 - Rural Health Policy Council Meeting #2 October 27, 2026 (CalRHT Budget Period 1 policy council presentation — workforce recruitment and retention)](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-workforce-development-recruitment-and-retention-program-wdrr--e14edce7bb — data as of 2026-09-02. Cite the RCJ page for the summary and the linked official source for authoritative terms, deadlines, and amounts.