# Virginia RHTP: Homegrown Health Heroes — Allied Health Degrees (VFCCE) RFA Reference Number RFA-RHTP-2026-02 (RFA #2), issued by the Virginia Foundation for Community College Education (VFCCE) in partnership with the Virginia Community College System (VCCS). VFCCE is a subrecipient of DMAS (Virginia's primary RHTP recipient) under Subrecipient Agreement #RHT26-003-VFCCE, with a Year 1 subaward of $5,934,931. $4.4 million is available under this RFA to expand enrollment capacity in six existing high-demand healthcare degree programs at rural-serving VCCS community colleges (18 institutions within the Rural Virginia Horseshoe). Funded activity types include hub-and-spoke instructional partnerships, dual-funded instructor positions shared with hospital partners, a shared mobile training lab, stand-alone equipment, technology upgrades for synchronous distance learning, and rural recruitment. All funded expansions must result in additional students enrolled by Fall 2027. The initiative aims to add approximately 1,200 health graduates by 2031. Award range: $50,000–$2,500,000 per award. No cost share or match required. Colleges must partner with hospitals or health systems and propose expansion in one or more of six eligible programs: Behavioral Health, Dental Hygiene, Diagnostic Medical Sonography, Nursing, Physical Therapy Assistant, Radiology Technology. ## Key facts - Status: Closed - Type: RFA - Issued by: Virginia Foundation for Community College Education (VFCCE), in partnership with Virginia Community College System (VCCS) (Virginia) - Posted: 2026-08-14 - Questions due: 2026-08-20 - Application due: 2026-09-14 - Funding: $50,000 – $2.5M - Eligible applicants: Virginia Community College System member colleges, Institutions of higher education - How to apply: Email a single PDF attachment named "[College Name]_RHTP RFA #2 Application.pdf" to preid@vccs.edu. Required budget forms may also be submitted in Excel format. - Funding source: Rural Health Transformation Program (CMS) - Official source: https://vfcce.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/VFCCE-RFA-Part-2-Final-9.4.2026.pdf ## Eligibility Eligible applicants must be one of the 18 VCCS institutions serving communities within the Rural Virginia Horseshoe. Applicants must be legally organized entities in good standing, hold active SAM.gov registration with a current UEI/no exclusions, and demonstrate capacity to manage federal funds under 2 CFR Part 200. Applicants must operate in or provide direct services to federally designated rural Virginia communities per HRSA/FORHP. Program expansion is limited to existing, accredited programs in Behavioral Health, Dental Hygiene, Diagnostic Medical Sonography, Nursing, Physical Therapy Assistant, and Radiology Technology. See Section 1.4 of the RFA for complete list of eligible institutions. ## Requirements Applicants must propose at least one of the following activity types: hub-and-spoke instructional partnership, dual-funded instructor position(s) with hospital partners, shared mobile training lab, stand-alone equipment procurement, technology upgrades for synchronous distance learning, and rural marketing/recruitment. Proposals must include specific activities, deliverables, and timelines. All expansions must result in additional students enrolled by Fall 2027. Applicants must identify hospital/health system partners and submit MOUs/letters of commitment where applicable. All proposals must document expansion in one or more of six eligible healthcare programs and comply with federal subaward requirements (2 CFR Part 200). ## Required attachments - Application cover page (required form, see RFA) - Itemized project budget (Excel or PDF) - MOUs and/or letters of commitment from hospital/health system partners (if applicable) - Program accreditation/licensure documentation (if applicable) ## Application package and source documents - [VA - 2026 - Virginia Foundation for Community College Education (VFCCE) Request for Applications: RHT – Homegrown Health Heroes: Allied Health Degrees (Request for Applications (RFA))](https://www.ruralcarejourney.com/api/documents/b0d020bc-b0b1-4b97-bd65-21face5818a8/file) (primary) — official: https://vfcce.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/VFCCE-RFA-Part-2-Final-8.14.2026.pdf - [VA - 2026 - Governor Spanberger Announces Virginia Highlands Community College in Abingdon Receives First RHT Grant (Award announcement: Virginia Highlands Community College)](https://www.ruralcarejourney.com/api/documents/9bc3f893-cce2-4b8c-af7f-02ef91499077/file) — official: https://www.dmas.virginia.gov/media/qc5dxfpv/governor-spanberger-rural-health-grant-05-21-2026.pdf - [VA - 2026 - Governor Spanberger Announces Virginia Highlands Community College in Abingdon Receives First RHT Grant (governor-spanberger-announces-virginia-highlands-cc-first-rht-grant) (Award announcement: Virginia Highlands Community College (press release))](https://www.ruralcarejourney.com/api/documents/538bb154-6e88-4e42-887d-b304f764018a/file) — official: https://www.governor.virginia.gov/newsroom/news-releases/2026/may-releases/name-1118299-en.html More Virginia RHTP activity: https://www.ruralcarejourney.com/states/va (markdown: https://www.ruralcarejourney.com/states/va.md) --- Source: Rural Care Journey (RCJ), https://www.ruralcarejourney.com/opportunities/virginia-rhtp-homegrown-health-heroes-allied-health-degrees-vfcce--e4c07f6cce — data as of 2026-09-15. Cite the RCJ page for the summary and the linked official source for authoritative terms, deadlines, and amounts.