The Michigan Center for Rural Health (MCRH) is accepting competitive applications for the Upper Peninsula Rural Health Clinic Community Health Worker (CHW) Recruitment and Retention Opportunity, supported by Michigan’s Rural Health Transformation Program Year 1. It is a financial-assistance subgrant to eligible clinics, not a vendor procurement. Completed applications and supporting documents are due by email before 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on October 30, 2026.
Funding: Up to $80,000 per selected Certified Rural Health Clinic, to support one clinic-specific CHW position and authorized project costs. This individual clinic limit must not be confused with Michigan’s statewide RHTP allocation. No matching funds are required. Funding is reimbursement-based, not an advance; the approved subcontract, budget and workplan must be executed before grant-funded activities or expenses begin, and Year 1 expenditures must be completed by September 30, 2027.
Eligibility: Certified Rural Health Clinics physically located in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. More than one eligible RHC within a health system may apply, but each clinic must submit a separate clinic-level application identifying its name, location and CMS Certification Number. Each selected clinic must support a distinct CHW position; organizations must avoid duplicating activities and expenses across funding requests. A pre-identified CHW candidate is not required to apply.
Funded activities: Recruiting, hiring, onboarding, training and retaining one CHW; salary and fringe benefits; approved certification, mileage, integration into the care team, supervision, community outreach, patient education, health and social-care navigation, referrals, chronic disease self-management assistance, reporting and sustainability planning. Expenses must directly support approved additional work. Ineligible costs include pre-approval or pre-agreement expenses, replacement of already funded staffing, duplicate reimbursement through another program, and unrelated ordinary operating expenses. Other costs may require prior funder approval.
Application: Download and review the official application guide, the fillable CHW application, and the eligible/ineligible cost guide. Identify the participating certified RHC and its CCN; describe rural-community need, the proposed CHW duties and recruitment approach, supervision and partnerships, readiness, estimated budget, anticipated outcomes and sustainability. Submit the completed saved PDF and required supporting documents by email to RHTP.MCRH@msu.edu before the published cutoff. Selection is competitive and awards/dates remain subject to final Michigan Department of Health and Human Services approval.
Official sources (verified October 18, 2026): MCRH RHTP funding and download page; Application guide and FAQ; Official application PDF; Allowable-costs guide.