SFY 2028 Community Health Grant RFA
NC DHHS Division/Office issuing this notice: Office of Rural Health
Date of this notice: October 1, 2026
Grant Applications will be accepted beginning October 1, 2026
Application Deadline: 5:00PM on October 30, 2026
Working title of the funding program: Community Health Grants
Purpose: Description of the function of the program and reason why it was created:
These grant funds, supported through the North Carolina General Assembly, are for assuring access to primary and preventive care to meet the health needs of vulnerable, underserved and medically indigent patients, with emphasis on providing primary and preventative medical services to uninsured or medically indigent patients. An important component of this work is to strengthen the safety net through increased levels of collaboration and integration of services to meet and sustain the needs of those served more effectively. When an eligible primary care medical home safety net organization provides integrated care, grant funding may also support dental, pharmacy, maternal, and behavioral health services.
Primary care safety net organizations that currently provide primary and preventive health care for underserved and medically indigent patients in North Carolina are eligible to apply for this funding to pay for patient care through encounter-based reimbursement (Track A) or through reimbursement for eligible expenses (Track B). Telehealth services and equipment are eligible expenses in both tracks. Applicants must select ONE track.
Track A: Encounter-based reimbursement. Payment per patient encounter for low-income, uninsured, and underinsured residents, who do not have health care coverage or access to primary health care services. Visits are reimbursable for medically necessary, on-site, face-to-face provider encounters. Face-to-face encounters may also include telehealth patient encounters with a provider. Indirect costs are not eligible.
Note - Per the Free Clinics Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) Program Policy Guide, grant funding that applies to reimbursement, payment, or compensation for the delivery of health services to patients falls within the statutory prohibition, while grant funding that is not intended for or applied to this purpose does not. Free clinics who are FTCA recipients that choose a “per encounter’ reimbursement methodology may void their FTCA liability protection.
Track B: Reimbursement for eligible expenses. Payment may include salary/fringe benefits for clinical staff, medical/office supplies and equipment, and capital expenses, including equipment for telehealth services. Indirect costs are not eligible.
Regardless of track selected, applicant organizations must ensure that Community Health Grant funding does not duplicate or supplant any other funding.
Maximum Award Amount:
Applicants may request up to $150,000 per year of the grant.
Funding Availability:
Funding requests are contingent upon availability of program funding. The highest scoring applicants will receive a three-year award based on applicant scores. ORH anticipates that approximately 33 applicants will receive three-year funding. Successful applicants will be required to attend a grant award workshop.
Proposed Project Period or Contract Term:
State Fiscal Year 2028: July 1, 2027 – June 30, 2028
Eligibility:
All primary care safety net organizations that currently provide direct primary and preventive care and serve as a medical home are eligible to apply. This includes:
- Federally Qualified Health Centers and Look-Alikes (FQHCs),
- Free and Charitable Clinics,
- Health Departments,
- Non-Profit, Hospital-Owned Primary Care Clinics,
- State-Designated Rural Health Centers,
- School-Based and School-Linked Health Centers,
- AHEC Clinics,
- Other Non-Profit Community Organizations that provide direct primary and preventive patient care to low-income, uninsured, underinsured and medically vulnerable populations.
The purpose of grants awarded under this program is to assure access to primary and preventive care for vulnerable, underserved and medically indigent patients in the state, with emphasis on providing primary and preventative medical services to uninsured or medically indigent patients.
Primary care* is defined as care provided by physicians specifically trained for and skilled in comprehensive first contact and continuing care for persons with any undiagnosed sign, symptom, or health concern. There are providers of health care other than physicians who render some primary care services. Such providers may include nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and some other healthcare providers.
*American Association of Family Practice
Uninsured* is defined as not having coverage under private health insurance, Medicare, Medicaid, a state-sponsored or other government-sponsored plan or program.
*Center for Disease Control and Prevention
Underinsured* is defined as having coverage, but because of high premiums or out-of-pocket cost patients are unable to meet their share of costs and may skip necessary care.
*Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
Encounters* are defined as documented face-to-face contact between a beneficiary and a provider.
*Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
Only one application can be submitted per eligible organization. An eligible organization must submit one application rather than applications by service site, “doing business as” or under separate EINs that are all connected to the same eligible organization.
This application is for eligible organizations wishing to apply for new Year 1 funding. Organizations seeking Year 2 and/or Year 3 continuation funding must follow the separate Continuation Application process which will open mid-January.
Eligible organizations that currently provide direct primary and preventive care may use these funds to support any of the following:
- Health promotion, health maintenance, health counseling,
- Disease prevention,
- Patient education, AHEC Coaches,
- Diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic illnesses,
- Integrated care services (dental, pharmacy, behavioral health, care coordination/care management by a primary care entity),
- Women’s health, maternal and child health that supports health care services in a primary care setting,
- Collaborative, community-based, whole person-centered health care delivery models,
- Telehealth patient care,
- Care coordination and navigation, including activities related to Medicaid Expansion,
- Community Health Workers.
As a condition of receiving a grant award, successful applicants must:
- Complete the contract process.
- Submit a monthly expense report in a specified format for reimbursement.
- Submit performance measures and reports, established by the Office of Rural Health, throughout the grant term.
- Use an electronic financial software application (EXCEL spreadsheets are not an acceptable format)
- Document collaboration among safety net and social support organizations specifying the distinct roles of each organization and the designated fiscal responsibilities.
- Connect or have a plan to connect NC HealthConnex (To meet the state’s mandate, a provider is “connected” when its clinical and demographic information is sent to NC HealthConnex at least twice daily.) For further information, please see the HIEA website)
- Comply with ORH’s policies and procedures for contract development, execution, and management. Organizations that do not follow ORH’s contract-signing process to ensure the contract is signed within 30 days of receipt may forfeit their award.
Eligible organizations that have a current Community Health Grant award entering Year 2 or Year 3 on July 1, 2026, must have a new project scope or serve a different patient population if submitting an application in response to this Request for Application.
How to Apply:
Access the Zengine application portal using the link below:
Use the Zengine portal application link to create a profile to access the application. The profile will require creating a username and password. The Zengine portal to submit your application opens on October 1, 2026, and closes at 5:00 PM on October 30, 2026.
Access electronic version of application.
Applications must be complete, and agencies must respond to all application requirements. Incomplete applications, or applications not completed in accordance with the instructions, will not be reviewed.
All applicants will receive a confirmation notice after an application has been successfully submitted.
For assistance with the Zengine portal contact: Sharema Williams: sharema.williams@dhhs.nc.gov
Technical Assistance Webinars:
Webinars for all Community Health Grant applicants will be held on the following dates:
Organizations are invited to participate in one or both webinars.
October 8, 2026, at 10:00 am
Join: Join this meeting now
Meeting ID: 237 035 887 702 117
Passcode: dk79Jy7y
Need help? System reference.
Dial in by phone +1 984-204-1487,,11961538#United States, Raleigh
Phone conference ID: 119 615 38#
Join on a video conferencing device
Tenant key: ncgov@m.webex.com
Video ID: 119 971 331 7
More info
October 19, 2026, at 10:00 am
Join: Join this meeting now
Meeting ID: 250 339 852 810 038
Passcode: Yo7MU3u8
Need help? System reference
Dial in by phone +1 984-204-1487,,308506206# United States, Raleigh
Phone conference ID: 308 506 206#
Join on a video conferencing device
Tenant key: ncgov@m.webex.com
Video ID: 117 191 525 1
More info
To obtain further information: Funding Agency Contact/Inquiry Information:
Nicole Fields-Pierre: nicole.fields-pierre@dhhs.nc.gov
For assistance with the application link:
Sharema Williams: sharema.williams@dhhs.nc.gov