# Massachusetts Rural Partners RFA (RHTP)

EOHHS RFA (Bid BD-27-1039-EHS01-EHS01-134186, Alternate Id 27EHSCARHTPRURALPARTNERSRFA) inviting qualified rural entities to participate in implementing Massachusetts's RHTP. This is an umbrella application covering MA RHTP's 7 initiatives and dozens of distinct activities (e.g. MY Care youth coordination, remote patient monitoring, home visiting, mobile health units, specialty care networks, Rural Digital Health Sandbox, SHINE-HT tech adoption, chronic disease prevention, HIE/interoperability hubs, rural hospital/primary-care/nursing-facility capital awards). Per-activity award amounts vary widely by activity (examples found in the RFA text: ~$75,000-$100,000 per region for CBO network activities, up to $2.5M per facility for rural hospital capital awards, $500K-$1.5M for rural primary care sites, $125K-$1M for nursing facilities) rather than one program-wide amount - the RFA states final direct-funding amounts are determined after application review. Eligible applicants are rural-located/serving hospitals, FQHCs, RHCs, providers/practices, municipalities, and CBOs per the MA DPH rural definition. The overall RHTP is a landmark $800 million, five-year federal investment to strengthen rural healthcare access, population health, and well-being, supported by a CMS/HHS federal award.

## Key facts

- Status: Closing soon
- Type: RFA
- Issued by: Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) (Massachusetts)
- Posted: 2026-10-06
- Questions due: 2026-10-14
- Application due: 2026-11-09
- Funding: $800.0M
- Eligible applicants: Hospitals, Federally Qualified Health Centers, Rural Health Clinics, Healthcare Providers/Practices, Municipalities, Community-Based Organizations, Social-Service Organizations
- How to apply: Electronic submission via COMMBUYS online portal as indicated in the bid solicitation and RFA Section X.
- Funding source: Rural Health Transformation Program (CMS)
- Official source: https://www.commbuys.com/bso/external/bidDetail.sda?docId=BD-27-1039-EHS01-EHS01-134186&external=true

## Eligibility

Eligible applicants include rural-located or rural-serving hospitals, Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) meeting HRSA rural-site or 5,000+ rural-patient criteria, Rural Health Clinics, rural-located healthcare providers/practices, municipalities, and community-based/social-service organizations, per the criteria in MA DPH's rural definition and list (RFA Attachment C). For FQHCs: rural-located (as defined by HRSA GeoCare Navigator and CMS-approved application), or rural-serving (having served over 5,000 patients in 2023 from a rural community). Eligible entities are detailed in RFA Sections III and IV.

## Requirements

Applicants must submit the Rural Partner Application (Attachment A) and, if applicable, the Partnership Validation Form (Attachment B). Applicants must select activities for participation, demonstrate eligibility per MA DPH rural definition, and provide estimated project cost and requested funding (within limits specified in the RFA for each initiative/activity). Capital funds if advanced must be held in a segregated non-interest-bearing account and expended within 60 days. All applications must comply with procurement terms listed in the RFA, including reporting, administrative, and participation requirements. Only selected Initiatives and Activities are eligible under this RFA (notably, EMS Service Integration/Initiative 5 is excluded).

## Required attachments

- Attachment A: Rural Partner Application
- Attachment B: Partnership Validation Form

## Application package and source documents

- [MA - 2026 - EOHHS RHTP Rural Partners RFA (27EHSCA RHTPRURALPARTNERSRFA) (MA - 2026 - EOHHS RHTP Rural Partners RFA (27EHSCA RHTPRURALPARTNERSRFA))](https://www.ruralcarejourney.com/api/documents/33ffab12-8343-4b26-bc87-8f2c764f80c1/file) (primary) — official: https://www.commbuys.com/bso/external/bidDetail.sda?docId=BD-27-1039-EHS01-EHS01-134186&external=true#rfa-rhtp-rural-partners
- [MA - 2026 - 27EHSCARHTPRURALPARTNERSRFA: RHTP Rural Partners RFA (MA - 2026 - COMMBUYS Bid Solicitation BD-27-1039-EHS01-EHS01-134186)](https://www.ruralcarejourney.com/api/documents/f3fb01e0-26d9-44e9-8c92-f4fce2929801/file) — official: https://www.commbuys.com/bso/external/bidDetail.sda?docId=BD-27-1039-EHS01-EHS01-134186&external=true&parentUrl=close
- [MA - 2026 - Attachment A Rural Partner Application (MA - 2026 - Attachment A Rural Partner Application)](https://www.ruralcarejourney.com/api/documents/fb9e1c97-2530-452b-b757-2d4b9f2fb7ae/file) — official: https://www.commbuys.com/bso/external/bidDetail.sda?docId=BD-27-1039-EHS01-EHS01-134186&external=true#attachment-a-rural-partner-application
- [MA - 2026 - Attachment B Partnership Validation Form (MA - 2026 - Attachment B Partnership Validation Form)](https://www.ruralcarejourney.com/api/documents/801235fa-3da7-4da1-b558-a95f0f73cd53/file) — official: https://www.commbuys.com/bso/external/bidDetail.sda?docId=BD-27-1039-EHS01-EHS01-134186&external=true#attachment-b-partnership-validation
- [MA - 2026 - Attachment C MA DPH Rural Definition and Rural Town and Cluster List (MA - 2026 - Attachment C MA DPH Rural Definition and Rural Town and Cluster List)](https://www.ruralcarejourney.com/api/documents/41bee2fb-52b8-485d-a075-89bc061f3352/file) — official: https://www.commbuys.com/bso/external/bidDetail.sda?docId=BD-27-1039-EHS01-EHS01-134186&external=true#attachment-c-rural-definition
- [MA - 2026 - Evaluation Criteria RHTP Rural Partners RFA (MA - 2026 - Evaluation Criteria RHTP Rural Partners RFA)](https://www.ruralcarejourney.com/api/documents/42adf10a-f698-4cfc-8159-0934e721c268/file) — official: https://www.commbuys.com/bso/external/bidDetail.sda?docId=BD-27-1039-EHS01-EHS01-134186&external=true#evaluation-criteria
- [MA - 2026 - Q&A for RHTP Rural Partners RFA (Q&A — November 2, 2026)](https://www.ruralcarejourney.com/api/documents/5d0253a7-3e5b-49b1-89e5-3068bc944e68/file) — official: https://www.commbuys.com/bso/external/bidDetail.sda?docId=BD-27-1039-EHS01-EHS01-134186&external=true&parentUrl=close#attachment-2282036
- [MA - 2026 - RHTP Rural Partners RFA Amendment 3 (Amendment 3 — November 2, 2026)](https://www.ruralcarejourney.com/api/documents/d33b314f-ceca-423c-be25-d6477a969820/file) — official: https://www.commbuys.com/bso/external/bidDetail.sda?docId=BD-27-1039-EHS01-EHS01-134186&external=true&parentUrl=close#attachment-2282033

More Massachusetts RHTP activity: https://www.ruralcarejourney.com/states/ma (markdown: https://www.ruralcarejourney.com/states/ma.md)

---
Source: Rural Care Journey (RCJ), https://www.ruralcarejourney.com/opportunities/massachusetts-rural-partners-rfa-rhtp--5ecb8a18a6 — data as of 2026-11-02.
Cite the RCJ page for the summary and the linked official source for authoritative terms, deadlines, and amounts.