# North Dakota RHTP Childcare for the Rural Health Workforce (210-223) 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. ## Key facts - Status: Closed - Type: NOFO - Issued by: North Dakota Health and Human Services (ND HHS) (North Dakota) - Posted: 2026-07-17 - Application due: 2026-08-11 - Funding: $78,000 - Eligible applicants: Critical Access Hospital, Rural Emergency Hospital, General Acute Hospital, Non-federally Operated Indian Health Service Hospital, Tribally Run 638 Health Facility - How to apply: Online via Qualtrics portal - Funding source: Rural Health Transformation Program (CMS) - Official source: https://www.hhs.nd.gov/sites/default/files/documents/rhtp/20260717-Childcare-FO.pdf ## Eligibility 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. ## Requirements Applications must be submitted via the Qualtrics portal by 5:00 p.m. Central Time on August 11, 2026. Required components include: 1) organization information (including UEI number from SAM.gov if available), 2) project narrative addressing need, strategy, target population, non-duplication, reporting metrics, facility, staff, policy, and sustainability, 3) completed Itemized Subrecipient Budget Template (Excel), and 4) identification of key personnel and roles in the project. If a partner organization is named in the proposal, a letter of support must be submitted. The application must document a single, data-driven planning strategy focused on a sustainable childcare solution for the rural health workforce. All planning funds must be spent and the work completed by September 30, 2027. ## Required attachments - Completed Itemized Subrecipient Budget Template (Excel) - Letters of support (if partner organizations indicated) ## Application package and source documents - [ND - 2026 - Competitive Funding Opportunity Application Guidance: Childcare for the Rural Health Workforce (Funding Opportunity Application Guidance)](https://www.ruralcarejourney.com/api/documents/34464053-9b70-4c51-958e-d897e61e54a9/file) (primary) — official: https://www.hhs.nd.gov/sites/default/files/documents/rhtp/20260717-Childcare-FO.pdf - [ND - 2026 - RHTP Technical Assistance for School-Based Wellness Equipment – July 1, 2026](https://www.ruralcarejourney.com/api/documents/2c6abee1-9239-4a95-9d8f-95827fd5a5c9/file) — official: https://www.hhs.nd.gov/sites/default/files/documents/rhtp/20260707-school-based-wellness-equipment-TA-call.pdf - [ND - 2026 - RHTP Technical Assistance for Childcare for the Rural Workforce](https://www.ruralcarejourney.com/api/documents/8395230e-e08a-4dc6-92f1-aa5f8ad5ee5e/file) — official: https://www.hhs.nd.gov/sites/default/files/documents/rhtp/20260805-Childcare-Rural-Workforce-ppt-handout.pdf More North Dakota RHTP activity: https://www.ruralcarejourney.com/states/nd (markdown: https://www.ruralcarejourney.com/states/nd.md) --- Source: Rural Care Journey (RCJ), https://www.ruralcarejourney.com/opportunities/north-dakota-rhtp-childcare-for-the-rural-health-workforce-210-223--acd71566eb — data as of 2026-09-07. Cite the RCJ page for the summary and the linked official source for authoritative terms, deadlines, and amounts.