Virginia Hospital Research and Education Foundation d/b/a Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association Foundation (VHHAF) · Posted August 10, 2026
Application Due
September 16, 2026
This RFA, as part of Virginia’s Rural Health Transformation Program—Homegrown Health Heroes initiative, provides substantial support for expanding or creating rural physician residency programs in high-need specialties via hospitals and health systems serving rural Virginia. Under the 'Attract & Retain Physicians' sub-initiative, up to $200,000 per resident slot is available (estimated 47 awards in Budget Period 1: 10/30/2026–9/30/2027). Funds support both capacity expansion (Tier 1) and new program creation (Tier 2) for eligible specialties including primary care (family/internal medicine), OB/GYN, psychiatry, general surgery, pediatrics, nurse midwifery, and other locally justified specialties. Funded residents must commit to a five-year rural service obligation (including residency), bolstering the workforce pipeline and sustainable rural care access. All awards are cost-reimbursable with a 4% cap on administrative expenses and no matching/cost-share requirement. Applicants must be licensed hospitals/health systems in or serving eligible rural Virginia localities, maintain active SAM.gov/UEI, demonstrate federal fund management capacity, and hold or obtain ACGME accreditation as required per tier. Preference is given for recruiting/retaining trainees from rural Virginia. See RFA-RHTP-GME-1 for full details, eligibility, documentation, requirements, required milestones, and funding structure.
Eligible applicants are licensed hospitals and health systems physically located in or directly serving rural Virginia communities (using the RHTP/FORHP rural baseline definition; see Exhibit B of RFA-RHTP-GME-1 for current eligible localities). Applicants must hold active SAM.gov registration with valid UEI, have no federal exclusions/debarments, and demonstrate financial systems and organizational capacity required for managing federal funds in compliance with 2 CFR Part 200. Applicants must be a primary participant in an ACGME-accredited GME program (Tier 1), or plan to create a new program/track and obtain accreditation as outlined in the RFA (Tier 2). Preference is given to those recruiting or retaining residents originating from rural Virginia. All other eligibility and documentation requirements as specified in RFA-RHTP-GME-1 apply.
Required attachments
Online application through RHTP Application Portal—see RFA-RHTP-GME-1 (pg. 2/14) for application portal link, instructions, and more. Ensure all required forms and application components (as listed) are properly named per RFA/Appendix guidance.
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Application Prep
Application #: RFA-RHTP-GME-1
Reference: CFDA 93.798 / FAIN RHTCMS332088
Program: Homegrown Health Heroes — Attract & Retain Physicians
Match: None required
Performance: 10/30/2026–9/30/2027 (Budget Period 1; up to 4 additional years renewal possible)
Key Dates:
Review Criteria:
Budget Range
Contact
Program/Project Inquiries
Kayla Diggs Brody, kdiggsbrody@vhha.com
Grant Application Inquiries
Vicki Humphreys, vhumphreys@vhha.com
Book time
RHTP GME Attract & Retain Physicians