The Indiana Department of Health (IDOH), through program administrator Indiana Rural Health Association (IRHA), lists the 2026 Initiative 10 Preceptor and Rural Track Grant Program as an open, applicant-facing Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) opportunity. It supports rural healthcare organizations preparing to host structured clinical training for medical students, resident physicians, or both. An organization can propose new rural rotations, additional site capacity, preceptor development, educational partnerships or a rural training pathway. An awardee is not required to host learners within this short initial project period; funded work should establish future readiness.
Funding and application deadline
Individual applicant maximum: $250,000 per legal organization, including any multiple eligible training sites proposed by that organization. Total program pool: $2,500,000, with approximately ten awards anticipated, subject to available funds and application quality. The program pool is not an individual award. Funding is reimbursement-based after an approved subrecipient agreement and qualifying documentation; amounts may be less than requested. The state lists applications open through November 16, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Written questions are due October 30, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. ET, and the administrator expects a FAQ by November 6, 2026. All activities and expenditures are scheduled to be completed by July 31, 2027.
Who may apply
The administrator’s NOFO identifies eligible Indiana healthcare delivery organizations, including Critical Access Hospitals, rural hospitals, Rural Health Clinics, Federally Qualified Health Centers and look-alikes, community health centers, primary care practices, behavioral-health and substance-use treatment providers, and other organizations approved by IDOH. The applicant must be the legal entity able to sign the agreement and receive reimbursement. Each proposed physical training site must document rural eligibility using the HRSA Rural Health Grants Eligibility Analyzer; the applicant must supply a dated screenshot or PDF for the service address. A rural-serving headquarters or mailing address does not substitute for physical-site eligibility. Organizations with occasional prior student placements may qualify if the project substantially establishes or expands structured clinical training capacity.
Supported projects and spending restrictions
Potentially eligible costs include direct site-readiness staffing, preceptor recruitment and development, rotation and training-pathway design, learner onboarding and EMR-access workflows, educational materials, approved simulation technology, accessibility, minor equipment and project-related partnership travel. Consultant services, certain equipment, out-of-state travel, minor alterations, short-term learner housing and direct benefits to clinician preceptors require prior written approval. The NOFO excludes new construction, building expansion, significant renovation, property purchases, pre- or post-award costs, replacement of existing funding, learner salaries, general clinical backfill, indirect costs and other disallowed expenses. Individual clinician payments may trigger a five-year rural-service obligation subject to IDOH determination. No explicit general applicant matching percentage is stated in the reviewed NOFO; confirm any cost-sharing terms in the final application package and agreement.
How to apply
Applicants must use the IRHA REDCap application, completing required structured fields and providing an application narrative and supporting PDFs. Required material includes an executive summary, current-state assessment, proposed rotation or training model, physical-site and HRSA rural documentation, preceptor/staffing plan, partnership plan, work plan and milestones, sustainability, evaluation, itemized budget and justification, support letters, certifications and authorized signature. Submission by ordinary email is not accepted unless IDOH or IRHA expressly authorizes a system-related exception. Applicants should retain their REDCap submission confirmation.
Important source-verification note
Indiana’s official Initiative 10 page presently lists this application as open, but IRHA’s linked PDF, despite a filename ending in “Final,” visibly says “DRAFT” and “Draft Information.” The information above reflects the state’s officially open listing and the administrator-hosted notice, reviewed November 1, 2026. Because the notice still displays DRAFT markings, applicants should confirm the controlling final terms and any subsequent amendments directly with IDOH or IRHA before submitting.
Official issuing agency: Indiana Department of Health Initiative 10. Controlling administrator-hosted document currently posted: Preceptor and Rural Track NOFO (PDF; marked draft). Program administrator: Indiana Rural Health Association (IRHA).