Application Status and Deadline
Applications have been open since October 21, 2026. The official Mississippi RHTP Funding page provides an active application portal; applicants should check it for subsequent amendments. The Mississippi State Department of Health’s Health Technology Advancement & Modernization (HTAM) Electronic Health Records (EHR) Replacement for Small Rural Providers Program accepts applications through its official online application portal. Deadline: November 23, 2026, at 5:00 PM Central Time. The State expects award notices as early as February 2027. Confirm portal availability and any later amendments directly with the administrator.
Funding and Award Structure
$9,500,000 is the total amount available for this Program Year 1 competition, not an individual applicant award. The controlling NOFO expressly imposes no fixed individual award maximum; applicants must request only reasonable, necessary costs and the State may award less than requested. Awards are federal-program subawards administered by Mississippi, primarily reimbursed on documented allowable expenditures; limited advance funding may be available to approved awardees under specified conditions. Grant-funded activities must be incurred or completed within the applicable period ending July 31, 2027.
Who May Apply
Applicants must be qualifying independent small healthcare providers serving rural Mississippi populations, including eligible rural and critical access hospitals, independent rural health clinics and community clinics, independent small physician/dental practices, behavioral health clinics, skilled nursing and long-term-care facilities, home health and hospice organizations, qualifying tribal/IHS-operated clinics, and independent patient-care pharmacies. Providers owned, managed, or financially controlled by large hospital systems, integrated delivery networks, FQHC parent networks or similar enterprises are not eligible. Standalone dispensing pharmacies and certain affiliated pharmacies are excluded.
A small provider generally must satisfy at least one of these conditions: 60 or fewer licensed inpatient beds; 50 or fewer licensed full-time healthcare professionals; or limited existing health IT capability, including outdated or minimally interoperable EHR technology. Rural-population benefit in Mississippi must be documented; an organization need not be physically located in a rural county if it meets the NOFO’s conditions.
Eligible Projects and Priority
Supported projects include initial EHR adoption, replacement of outdated or non-interoperable systems, EHR modules and interfaces, data migration, interoperability testing, EHR-dependent hardware, approved software functionality, staff training, and workflow redesign. Priorities favor providers without an EHR, followed by organizations converting or upgrading noncertified systems. Replacements of existing federally certified EHR systems are subject to additional federal restrictions.
Material Restrictions
Standalone telehealth systems and cybersecurity are expressly ineligible expenses in this specific EHR competition, even though separate Mississippi RHTP programs may address those uses. The NOFO also excludes broadband infrastructure, new construction and major building expansion, lobbying, new vehicles, demolition, certain provider payments, and subgranting award funds. Administrative and indirect expenses combined may not exceed 5% of the award. Costs may not duplicate or supplant existing funding; applicable federal and state procurement standards apply. No required applicant matching percentage is stated in the reviewed NOFO; consult current official instructions for subsequent guidance.
Application Package and Prerequisites
Applications must be submitted online, with required PDF attachments and the prescribed Excel budget template. Prepare project goals, quantified rural need and outcomes, implementation workplan and dates, budget narrative and supporting cost assumptions, evaluation measures, risk mitigation, sustainability plan, and evidence of rural populations served. The official application identifies supporting items including signed Form W-9, relevant financial statements, written financial policies and procedures, SAM.gov documentation if available, and the required budget template.
A Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and Mississippi MAGIC Vendor Number are not required at initial application submission, but selected awardees must obtain and maintain them before award execution or disbursement. Subrecipients must support the program’s statewide Health Information Exchange initiative. Vendor selection for procured components is subject to compliant post-award processes.
Official Sources
Mississippi RHTP official funding and application portal
Current controlling October 14, 2026 NOFO (PDF)
Controlling grant application (PDF)
Official Mississippi RHTP sources and the updated October 14 NOFO verified October 28, 2026. Applicant questions are due October 28, 2026, at 5:00 PM Central Time, per the NOFO.