Last week, the Biden-Harris Administration announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture is making up to $500 million available in grants to help rural health care facilities, tribes, and communities expand access to COVID-19 vaccines, health care services, and nutrition assistance.
Applicants may apply for two types of assistance: Recovery Grants and Impact Grants.
Recovery Grants are available to help public bodies, nonprofit organizations, and tribes provide immediate COVID-19 relief to support rural hospitals, health care clinics, and local communities.
These funds may be used to increase COVID-19 vaccine distribution and telehealth capabilities; purchase medical supplies; replace revenue lost during the pandemic; build and rehabilitate temporary or permanent structures for health care services; support staffing needs for vaccine administration and testing; and support facility and operations expenses associated with food banks and food distribution facilities.
Recovery Grant applications will be accepted on a continual basis until funds are expended.
Impact Grants are available to help regional partnerships, public bodies, nonprofits, and tribes solve regional rural health care problems and build a stronger, more sustainable rural health care system in response to the pandemic.
Impact Grant applications must be submitted to the local USDA Rural Development State Office by 4 p.m. (PT) on Oct. 12.
For additional information, please see the notice in the Federal Register.