# NC ROOTS — Trillium: Food is Medicine Program Expansion (Regions 2 & 5)

Trillium Health Resources, designated by NCDHHS as the NC ROOTS Hub Lead for Regions 2 and 5 under the North Carolina Rural Health Transformation Program (NCRHTP), seeks applications from qualified organizations to expand the Food Is Medicine Program infrastructure, capacity, and workforce. This RFA is issued identically for Region 2 (RFA No. THR-ROOTS2-2026-003) and Region 5 (RFA No. THR-ROOTS5-2026-003). Supported by federal funding from CMS/HHS through the NCRHTP, the initiative aims to improve rural nutrition access, integrate Food Is Medicine interventions into care delivery, and address food insecurity, chronic disease, and health disparities. Required activities include investing in food system infrastructure (excluding direct food purchases), expanding community nutrition education and workforce (especially Community Health Workers), adopting NCCARE360 for referral and tracking, and comprehensive project planning with impact projections. Applications must document organizational experience in rural food access, health education, and community engagement. Minimum qualifications include a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) from SAM.gov, legal authorization to operate in North Carolina, financial resources sufficient to incur and pay allowable costs before reimbursement, and capacity for all deliverables. Awards may be single, multiple, or none at Trillium's discretion according to evaluation criteria and regional needs. Funding is 100% federal and delivered via reimbursement.

## Key facts

- Status: Closed
- Type: RFA
- Issued by: Trillium Health Resources (NC ROOTS Hub Lead, Regions 2 & 5) (North Carolina)
- Posted: 2026-07-30
- Questions due: 2026-08-06
- Application due: 2026-08-31
- Eligible applicants: Nonprofit organizations, Corporations, LLCs, Government entities, Academic institutions, Sole proprietorships (authorized in NC)
- How to apply: Application submission via Trillium Health Resources regional portal (email per RFA Section 4.1).
- Funding source: Rural Health Transformation Program (CMS)
- Official source: https://trilliumhealthresources.org/NC-ROOTS-Region-2

## Eligibility

Eligible applicants must possess a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) from SAM.gov; be a legally organized entity authorized to conduct business in North Carolina (e.g., corporation, nonprofit, college/university, governmental entity, LLC, sole proprietorship); have sufficient financial and fiscal capacity to incur and pay program costs prior to reimbursement; not be debarred, suspended, or ineligible for government contracts (federal/state/NC lists); certify capacity to complete all deliverables; and demonstrate meaningful engagement with rural, underrepresented, or low-income populations.

## Requirements

Applicants must: 1) Document an Infrastructure Investment Plan (local food system gaps, specific investments, rationale, cost estimates, procurement/installation schedules, populations served); 2) Design and execute a Nutrition Education and Workforce strategy (evidence-based curricula, CHW training, chronic disease outreach); 3) Serve as NCCARE360 champions (adopt platform, facilitate referrals and tracking); 4) Provide comprehensive project planning (phased schedule, staffing plan, impact projections including participation and outcomes metrics); 5) Regularly report KPIs, activities, engagement, and outcomes monthly; 6) Identify contractors/lower-tier subrecipients (roles, qualifications, budgets if relevant); 7) Address tribal engagement, community outreach, rapid mobilization, and sustainability.

## Required attachments

- Application cover sheet
- Organizational qualifications and references
- Detailed response to RFA questions
- Staffing plan (with resumes/CVs)
- Budget and implementation plan (Excel format)
- Conflict of interest disclosure
- Addenda acknowledgment

## Application package and source documents

- [NC - 2026 - Region 2 NC ROOTS (Source listing page)](https://www.ruralcarejourney.com/api/documents/499c4f25-0411-4dfb-93a8-e29191653aa6/file) — official: https://trilliumhealthresources.org/NC-ROOTS-Region-2
- [NC - 2026 - RFA No. THR-ROOTS5-2026-003 Food Is Medicine Program Expansion (Region 5 RFA (THR-ROOTS5-2026-003))](https://www.ruralcarejourney.com/api/documents/b0d64405-1d2e-4cb2-85ce-a7068ab0d462/file) (primary) — official: https://www.trilliumhealthresources.org/sites/default/files/docs/NC-ROOTS/Trillium-NCROOTS-Region5-RFA-Initiative2-Food-Medicine-Community-Training-Partner.pdf
- [NC - 2026 - NC ROOTS Region 2 Food Is Medicine Program Expansion (Region 2 RFA)](https://www.ruralcarejourney.com/api/documents/f3f2df4f-9c0c-4474-a9a4-10b345dc3f0a/file) — official: https://www.trilliumhealthresources.org/sites/default/files/docs/NC-ROOTS/Trillium-NCROOTS-Region2-RFA-Initiative2-Food-Medicine-Community-Training-Partner.pdf
- [NC - 2025 - North Carolina RHTP CMS-RHT-26-001](https://www.ruralcarejourney.com/api/documents/db4687d4-e55f-40cf-8988-f6ce5b28befe/file) — official: https://www.ncdhhs.gov/north-carolina-rural-health-transformation-application/download
- [NC - 2026 - Region 5 NC ROOTS](https://www.ruralcarejourney.com/api/documents/731e8a19-4933-45f7-8039-59f87c0d9c45/file) — official: https://trilliumhealthresources.org/NC-ROOTS-Region-5

More North Carolina RHTP activity: https://www.ruralcarejourney.com/states/nc (markdown: https://www.ruralcarejourney.com/states/nc.md)

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Source: Rural Care Journey (RCJ), https://www.ruralcarejourney.com/opportunities/nc-roots-trillium-food-is-medicine-program-expansion-regions-2-5--843d517243 — data as of 2026-11-03.
Cite the RCJ page for the summary and the linked official source for authoritative terms, deadlines, and amounts.