Virginia Rural Health Transformation: Food is Medicine (2026)
The Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association Foundation (VHHAF) is accepting competitive applications under RFA-RHTP-FIM-1, the Live Well, Together: Food is Medicine initiative. This is an applicant-facing federal subaward administered through Virginia’s Rural Health Transformation Program, not a purchasing contract. The program aims to coordinate nutrition-focused interventions across rural Virginia for residents experiencing food insecurity and living with or at risk of chronic disease.
Funding and urgent deadline
Applications are due October 15, 2026, at 11:59 PM Eastern Time. VHHAF states that up to $2,390,000 is available for the entire Year 1 pilot program and anticipates approximately one or two awards. A fixed maximum or range for an individual applicant is not published. Each actual award depends on scope, readiness, and expected impact. The initial performance period is October 30, 2026 through September 30, 2027. Continuation beyond Year 1 is possible only if performance and future funding permit.
Who may apply
For Budget Period 1, eligible lead applicants must be nonprofit organizations with a demonstrated statewide presence and capacity to coordinate Food is Medicine programs across multiple rural Virginia regions. They must operate in, or directly serve, qualifying rural Virginia communities and document partnerships with health systems, rural providers, food access and community organizations. Applicants need a valid Unique Entity Identifier (UEI), federal-grant management capacity, and no disqualifying suspensions, debarments or exclusions. The RFA states that active SAM.gov registration is not required. Consult its Exhibit B and the current Virginia rural-eligibility list for eligible locations.
Eligible activities and financial conditions
Projects may coordinate produce prescriptions, medically tailored meals, food pharmacies, nutrition education, patient screening and navigation, healthcare referrals, data collection and evaluation, and sustainability planning with rural partners. The RFA provides for cost reimbursement; no cost sharing or matching is required. Administrative costs are limited to 4% of the subaward per budget period; standard indirect-cost or facilities-and-administration rates are not allowed. Pre-award expenses, construction, lobbying, profit, supplantation of existing funding, and services already payable by Medicaid, Medicare or other insurers are not eligible. Certain equipment over $10,000 requires prior written approval; review Exhibit C and the full restrictions before preparing a budget.
Application package and submission
Prepare the authorized-representative-signed application cover page; project narrative; itemized budget and narrative; organizational capacity statement; key-personnel resumes or biographical sketches; comparable-project information; partner letters or MOUs where applicable; two years of audited financial statements or Single Audits; current fiscal-year operating budget; procurement policy; and UEI/exclusion certifications. The RFA details measurable outcomes, rural service design, organizational risk assessment, and scoring criteria. Use the Foundation’s official Food is Medicine application-documents link for the current application instructions and submission method; the RFA cover points applicants to those materials rather than independently specifying an email or web-form submission channel. Apply before the published 11:59 PM Eastern deadline.
Controlling official sources
VHHAF Virginia RHTP funding and application page · Official 24-page RFA-RHTP-FIM-1 · Official Food is Medicine application documents. The RFA and Foundation application page were reviewed October 15, 2026. Applicants should check the Foundation for amendments before submitting.