Opportunity Overview
RISE Initiative 2.4: Expand Non-GME Rural Healthcare Pipeline is an open Utah Rural Health Transformation Program opportunity administered by the Utah Board of Higher Education through Talent Ready Utah. It funds rural-based non-Graduate Medical Education healthcare workforce training through new training pathways, stronger employer-education partnerships, career ladders, apprenticeships, internships and related workforce infrastructure.
Funding and Deadline
The controlling Utah DHHS funding-opportunities page lists the application window as September 11 through October 29, 2026, with applications due October 29, 2026 at 5:00 PM MDT. Written questions are due September 18, 2026. Utah’s current table lists up to $3,000,000 in Year 1 funding and up to $10,000,000 total anticipated funding. The public table does not state an anticipated number of awards or a separate per-recipient ceiling, so Atlas does not infer one.
Eligibility and Consortium Requirements
Eligible lead categories include Utah System of Higher Education institutions, accredited private nonprofit Utah colleges and universities, Utah Tribal Nations, rural healthcare providers including hospitals, Rural Health Clinics, Community Health Centers and FQHCs, and nonprofits with demonstrated rural workforce-development or healthcare-education experience. Programs require an active consortium containing at minimum an education/training partner capable of delivering non-GME training and a rural healthcare employer/provider partner that operates in a rural Utah county and commits to clinical placements, apprenticeships or hiring completers. Activities must primarily serve rural Utah counties, excluding Davis, Salt Lake, Utah and Weber counties.
Program Priorities
Projects must be grounded in documented employer demand and produce measurable credential or employment outcomes. Core objectives include expanding non-GME training capacity, creating locally accessible healthcare career pathways, connecting completers directly to rural healthcare employment, reducing reliance on traveling staff, and serving high-needs populations or Tribal Nations.
N9+ / Dr. Miltie Strategic Analysis
Atlas Opportunity Score: 96/100. This is a strong rural workforce opportunity for Utah colleges, technical colleges, healthcare employers and Tribal partners because it supports practical clinical career pathways tied directly to employer need and multi-year workforce development.
N9+ Fit Score: 20/100. The verified objective is workforce training rather than device acquisition, so N9+ should not be treated as a core grant purpose. A limited ancillary fit could exist where an approved healthcare training pathway includes telehealth-enabled clinical skills, guided remote examination or digital-care competencies and the live application packet allows those costs. Any such role must be applicant-led and specifically justified.
Submission and Current Verification Status
Applications are submitted through Talent Ready Utah’s electronic grantmaking portal. The portal currently presents a loading/CSS error to Atlas, so packet-level details such as match or cost share, complete eligible and ineligible cost rules, forms, attachments, registrations, references, procurement/vendor requirements and portal-specific certifications remain subject to direct verification in the live application system. Atlas will not invent those requirements.
Verified source: Utah Department of Health and Human Services Rural Health Transformation Program funding opportunities page.