Tennessee Rural Health Care Center of Excellence Seeks Grant Applications for Rural Initiatives

The Tennessee Rural Health Care Center of Excellence at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center has launched its grant application process for organizations seeking funding for projects that provide solutions to health care concerns in rural communities across the state.

The Center of Excellence is seeking proposals for both planning grants and implementation grants. The planning grants, which can be funded up to $100,000, support the development of proposals to meet specific rural health care challenges. The implementation grants, which can be funded up to $500,000, support the operation of projects that improve health care services in rural Tennessee.

"This is an incredible opportunity for organizations to gain funding for projects that can help resolve health care access and quality issues in rural Tennessee," said Wendy Likes, PhD, DNSc, principal investigator of the Center of Excellence grant from the Tennessee Department of Health. "By administering $7 million in planning and implementation grants, the Center of Excellence supports grassroots solutions to health care concerns in rural communities." Dr. Likes is the dean of the College of Nursing at UT Health Science Center and the university's executive director and special advisor for rural health.

Organizations eligible to apply for the grants include non-profit organizations, health care institutions (non-profit and for-profit), academic institutions, and community-based organizations serving rural areas in Tennessee.

A webinar for interested organizations was held Oct. 27. The webinar was recorded and is available for viewing on the Center of Excellence website. The submission deadline for letters of intent is Nov. 14. The notification of invitation to make a full application is Dec. 5. The full proposal submission deadline date is Jan. 15, 2026, and the effective start date for the contract is April 1, 2026.

The Tennessee Rural Health Care Center of Excellence was established this year at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center with a $12 million grant from the Tennessee Department of Health. This four-year project will engage a multidisciplinary team to identify health care gaps in rural counties and support those communities in developing solutions. A key component of the Center of Excellence is in administering and supporting grants that will be distributed to address rural health concerns across the state.