Rural Healthcare Workforce – Funding & Opportunities

Summer Health Professions Education Program
A free summer enrichment program designed to improve access to information and resources for college students interested in the health professions. Eligible students include those from a population that has been historically marginalized.

Geographic coverage: Nationwide
Application Deadline: Feb 5, 2025
Sponsor: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students (SDS)
Awards funding to health professions schools to increase diversity in the health professions workforce by providing scholarships to students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Priority is given to institutions that seek to place graduates in medically underserved communities.

Geographic coverage: Nationwide
Application Deadline: Feb 19, 2025
Sponsors: Bureau of Health Workforce, Health Resources and Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Addiction Medicine Fellowship Program
Grants to expand the number of fellows at accredited Addiction Medicine Fellowship and Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship programs trained as addiction medicine specialists who work in underserved, community-based settings that integrate primary care with mental health disorders and substance use disorder prevention and treatment services.

Geographic coverage: Nationwide
Application Deadline: Feb 28, 2025
Sponsors: Health Resources and Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

VA Quality Scholars Fellowship
Two-year residential fellowship for clinicians who are interested in making veteran healthcare equitable and accessible for marginalized and rural populations. Fellows split their time between in-person clinical work, independent studies, and structured didactics while guided by a set of experienced mentors.

Geographic coverage: Nationwide
Application Deadline: Mar 1, 2025
Sponsor: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

Nursing Workforce Diversity Program
Funding to assist students from disadvantaged backgrounds in becoming registered nurses using evidence-based strategies to support nursing students from enrollment through graduation. The purpose is to expand and support a workforce to provide quality, culturally-aligned care to rural and underserved communities in need.

Geographic coverage: Nationwide and U.S. Territories
Application Deadline: Mar 18, 2025
Sponsors: Bureau of Health Workforce, Health Resources and Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Rural Residency Planning and Development Program
Grants to expand access to healthcare in rural areas by developing new sustainable rural residency programs, including rural track programs (RTPs). The program will provide start-up funding to create rural residency programs that are accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME).

Geographic coverage: Nationwide
Application Deadline: Apr 10, 2025
Sponsors: Bureau of Health Workforce, Federal Office of Rural Health Policy, Health Resources and Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Indian Health Service Loan Repayment Program
Loan repayment for undergraduate and graduate health professional educational loans in return for full-time clinical service in Indian Health Service programs.

Geographic coverage: Nationwide
Application Deadline: Aug 15, 2025
Sponsors: Indian Health Service, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

3RNET Recruitment and Retention Assistance
Helps health professionals find jobs in rural and underserved areas and assists employers in recruiting and retaining health professionals in rural and underserved areas.

Geographic coverage: Nationwide and U.S. Territories
Applications accepted on an ongoing basis
Sponsor: 3RNET

Mercer University School of Medicine Ph.D. in Rural Health Sciences Stipend and Assistantship Opportunity
Stipend, tuition waiver, and assistantship opportunity while working on a Ph.D. in Rural Health Sciences at Mercer University School of Medicine in Macon, Georgia. The program is designed to prepare students for research careers focused on improving the health of rural areas using multidisciplinary approaches.

Geographic coverage: Nationwide and U.S. Territories
Applications accepted on an ongoing basis
Sponsor: Mercer University School of Medicine

Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training (BHWET) Program for Professionals Inactive
Grants to develop and expand experiential training opportunities, such as field placements and internships, to improve the distribution and supply of the behavioral health workforce. The program emphasizes relationships with community-based partners to increase access to quality behavioral health services in high need and high demand areas, such as rural communities.

Geographic coverage: Nationwide and U.S. Territories
Application Deadline: Jan 21, 2025
Sponsors: Bureau of Health Workforce, Health Resources and Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services