Open applicant-facing rural health grant competition: The Utah Education and Telehealth Network (UETN) administers the SPRINT-UETN Consortium competitive subawards under Utah Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Rural Health Transformation Program Year 1. This specific funding area is SUPPORT 6.1: EHR Upgrades and Patient Data Access. Applications are due November 20, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. Mountain Standard Time through the official Submittable portal. The RFA was announced October 23, 2026.
Applicant-level awards
UETN publishes a proposed individual award range of $50,000 to $750,000, subject to evaluation, funding availability and final DHHS approval. The $9,400,000 area allocation is the overall category budget, not an award to a single applicant; it also covers administrative costs and centrally purchased consortium services. Final award amounts can be smaller than proposed and are not guaranteed.
Eligible applicants and location
Eligible leads include rural and Critical Access Hospitals, Rural Health Clinics, FQHCs, community health centers, independent rural provider practices, local health departments, tribal health organizations operating eligible facilities, and qualifying partners serving rural health facilities. The funded facilities must be in one or more of Utah’s 25 rural counties; facilities in Davis, Salt Lake, Utah, and Weber counties are excluded. Multi-site organizations may request funds for their eligible rural sites, and collaborative proposals need an eligible fiscal-agent lead and signed partner commitments. Lead applicants need an active UEI and SAM.gov registration and must not be federally excluded or debarred. Technology vendors and consultants cannot be lead applicants, but may be competitively hired by grantees.
Specific eligible projects
Upgrades and optimization of certified electronic health record systems, secure HL7 FHIR connections, patient access to view and download records, associated implementation and staff training. Prior written DHHS approval is required to replace an EHR HITECH-certified on September 1, 2025; upgrades are favored over replacements.
Use of funds and restrictions
Approved eligible costs can include project-period software subscriptions, configuration and integration, technical/vendor support, staff training, security assessment, patient-outreach materials, and appropriately justified personnel and negotiated or de minimis indirect costs. No general mandatory cost-sharing percentage is specified in the public UETN guidance; applicants should check the full application conditions. Ineligible: construction and renovation, costs before the signed subaward term, replacing existing funding, otherwise billable clinical services, use as another grant’s non-federal match, and unsupported expenses. Certain EHR replacements, provider payments and threshold-level equipment require prior written DHHS approval. Payments are handled through documented monthly invoices, with financial and results reporting, HIPAA and applicable federal requirements.
How to apply
One application per organization may include more than one SPRINT funding area. On the UETN Submittable portal, complete Part A once (maximum six pages), plus a separately scored Part B (maximum four pages per area), budget workbook, and work plan for each area requested; include executive letter of commitment, partner letters as needed, and vendor quotations where available. Use at least 11-point text and one-inch margins. Questions due November 19, 2026; applicant technical webinar October 28, 2026. Projects must be able to spend Year 1 funds by September 30, 2027. Official program rules: UETN SPRINT-UETN funding guidance. Apply: UETN Submittable RFA portal. Portal account registration is required for full interactive form access.