# Rural Hospital Planning & Transition Grant Program FY2026 Grant Request for Proposal (RFP)

The Minnesota Department of Health's Office of Rural Health and Primary Care (ORHPC) is soliciting applications for the FY2026 Rural Hospital Planning & Transition Grant Program. The program provides approximately $300,000 to support strategic planning or transition projects by small, nonprofit, rural hospitals in Minnesota to preserve or improve access to health services or to implement service or organizational transitions based on an existing strategic plan. Grants may be used either for (1) developing a strategic plan (which must include a needs assessment, feasibility, and implementation plan) or (2) implementing a transition project such as developing integrated hospital-based physician practices, establishing telehealth or rural health care systems, seeking Critical Access Hospital designation, preserving at-risk service lines, or adopting new models of care. Awards range from $25,000 to $45,000 per applicant or consortium. All applicants must provide at least a 50% match from non-state sources. Application review will prioritize collaborative approaches, health equity, and sustainability for hospital and community health needs.

## Key facts

- Status: Closed
- Type: RFP
- Issued by: Minnesota Department of Health, Office of Rural Health and Primary Care (ORHPC) (Minnesota)
- Posted: 2025-10-13
- Questions due: 2025-11-21
- Application due: 2025-12-12
- Funding: $25,000 – $45,000
- Eligible applicants: Rural Hospital, Critical Access Hospital, Non-profit Hospital, Hospital Consortium, Rural Health Network
- How to apply: Submit online via ORHPC Online Grants Portal: https://www.grantinterface.com/Home/Logon?urlkey=mdh
- Funding source: state-funded, not RHTP
- Official source: https://www.health.state.mn.us/facilities/ruralhealth/funding/grants/docs/rhptrfp.pdf

## Eligibility

Eligible applicants are non-federal, general acute care hospitals in Minnesota that are not-for-profit, have 50 or fewer beds (total, not staffed), and are located either (a) in a rural area per federal Medicare regulations or (b) in a non-metropolitan community (outside the seven-county Twin Cities metropolitan area) with fewer than 15,000 residents, based on U.S. Census Bureau statistics. Collaborative consortia or networks of eligible hospitals may apply; grant funds are not transferrable to other entities. Applicants aware of any planned mergers, acquisitions, or changes in legal standing must disclose in their application or as soon as aware.

## Requirements

• Submit a complete online application via the ORHPC Online Grants Portal by the deadline (December 12, 2025, 4:30 p.m. CT) • Submit all required attachments: audited financial statements, Due Diligence form, Governing Board Resolution or certified minutes, existing strategic plan (for implementation projects), and Conflict of Interest Disclosure • Certify at least a 50% match from non-state sources • Obtain project approval from hospital’s governing board • Participate in a 30-day review by the local Community Health Board (CHB); send proposal to relevant CHB and CC MDH; CHB comments due by January 12, 2026 • Community support documents are encouraged but optional • Follow project narrative and budget guidance as stated in the RFP • No more than one-third of a grant may offset physician practice transfer losses • Project must be completed as awarded; changes require MDH approval only in extraordinary circumstances • Prohibited expenses: community needs assessments, most capital purchases, debt repayment, indirect expenses, fundraising, taxes (except sales tax), lobbying, bad debts, or finance/contingency costs

## Required attachments

- Audited Financial Statements
- Due Diligence Form
- Governing Board Resolution or Board Minutes
- Existing Strategic Plan (for implementation projects)
- Applicant Conflict of Interest Disclosure

## Application package and source documents

- [MN - 2025 - Rural Hospital Planning & Transition Grant Program FY2026 Grant Request for Proposal (RFP) (FY2026 RFP (Wayback Machine capture 2025-11-03; MDH URL now serves FY2027))](https://www.ruralcarejourney.com/api/documents/8a8b0e76-ee03-4efd-959b-fa9ee4ea96b5/file) (primary) — official: https://web.archive.org/web/20251103040613/https://www.health.state.mn.us/facilities/ruralhealth/funding/grants/docs/rhptrfp.pdf

More Minnesota RHTP activity: https://www.ruralcarejourney.com/states/mn (markdown: https://www.ruralcarejourney.com/states/mn.md)

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Source: Rural Care Journey (RCJ), https://www.ruralcarejourney.com/opportunities/rural-hospital-planning-transition-grant-program-fy2026-grant-request-for-propos--11c607e038 — data as of 2026-10-20.
Cite the RCJ page for the summary and the linked official source for authoritative terms, deadlines, and amounts.