North Dakota Health and Human Services (ND HHS) · Posted July 17, 2026
Application Due
August 11, 2026
North Dakota Health and Human Services (ND HHS), as part of the Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) Initiative 2: Strengthen and Stabilize the Rural Health Workforce, solicits applications from rurally located hospitals—including critical access hospitals, rural emergency hospitals, and general acute hospitals, as well as non-federally operated Indian Health Service hospitals and tribally run 638 facilities—for planning grants to develop sustainable childcare solutions geared at recruiting and retaining the rural health workforce. Projects funded will conduct a workforce and community childcare needs assessment, evaluate models for embedding or expanding childcare services within or through hospital partnerships, carry out financial and facility planning, craft operational and nutrition policies compliant with state childcare licensing regulations, and develop actionable, sustainable implementation plans. Applicants must ensure their proposal addresses a novel, non-duplicative strategy and must involve local partners such as licensed childcare providers or economic development organizations as appropriate. The planning process must include required assessments, detailed facility and staffing plans, a meal/nutrition plan, a timeline, and sustainability projections. Approximately $3,000,000 in federal funds is available, with an estimated 38 grants around $78,000 each to be awarded. No more than one application per eligible organization is permitted, and all planning activities must be completed and funds expended by September 30, 2027. Completion of these activities is required to qualify for a subsequent implementation opportunity anticipated in early 2027. Projects must serve rural areas outside the urban centers of Grand Forks, Fargo, West Fargo, and Bismarck.
Eligible applicants are rurally located hospitals in North Dakota: critical access hospitals, rural emergency hospitals, and general acute hospitals—also including non-federally operated Indian Health Service hospitals and tribally run 638 health facilities meeting these hospital definitions. Clinics, health centers, behavioral/psychiatric hospitals, and federally operated IHS hospitals are not eligible. Entities within the cities of Grand Forks, Fargo, West Fargo, and Bismarck are excluded. Only one application per eligible entity is permitted.
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Application Prep
Application #: 210-223
Reference: Childcare for the Rural Health Workforce
Program: Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) Initiative 2: Strengthen and Stabilize the Rural Health Workforce
Match: None required
Performance: Upon execution through September 30, 2027 (all funds must be expended by this date)
Key Dates:
Review Criteria:
Portal: https://ndhhs.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_dxQdcG9nAO0iPLc
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RHTP FAQ Survey (see RHTP webpage)
Technical Assistance call
July 23, 2026, 11:00–11:45 a.m. CT
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