Coordinating Care Across Wisconsin Grant Application

Summary

This five-year grant funding opportunity is intended to catalyze innovative healthcare service models through partnerships across communities, systems, and sectors in rural Wisconsin. Through these grants, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) aims to address those points in a care continuum where community members are most likely to experience barriers to health-related services or fall out of care, and to directly address fragmented systems of care. Applicants may apply to multiple Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) funding opportunities for which their organizations are eligible. 

Application phases

Applications for funding will be released in two distinct phases: 

• Phase 1: Planning grant. Applicants will submit a letter of application for an initial six-month planning or pilot grant. The planning period will provide an opportunity for awardees to receive technical assistance for application development, build a strong foundation for program implementation, and develop strong partnership models. We recognize that programs may be at different stages of development, from initial idea generation to ready-to-go projects and partnerships. We welcome a range of planning period activities. 

• Phase 2: Full award. Planning grant awardees will be eligible to submit an application for a full award covering the remaining four-year grant period. The full application will be released in February 2027. Only recipients of an approved letter of application will be eligible to apply for the full award. Full award applications should reflect and build on the work done during the planning period and provide more in-depth program designs. 

Key dates

• Phase 1: Planning grant  
  • Letter of application due: Aug. 21, 2026 
  • Application questions due: June 30, 2026. Responses will be posted within one week. Please send questions to: dhsruralhealth@dhs.wisconsin.gov, and place CHW Application Questions in the Subject line. 
  • Estimated date for award notification: October 2026 
• Phase 2: Full award 
  • Full application due: February or March 2027 
  • Estimated date for full award notification: March or April 2027 

Background

The Wisconsin Rural Health Transformation Program is focused on improving healthcare access and health outcomes in rural communities across Wisconsin. This funding opportunity is part of the Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP), a federal funding opportunity provided to states through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) received a first-year award from CMS for $203,670,005.21 to invest in rural capacity, sustainability, and innovation. The program aims to improve access to care through three initiatives: strengthening the healthcare workforce, enhancing technology innovation, and cultivating coordinated care partnerships. Through collaboration among healthcare providers, public health agencies, and community-based organizations, the program seeks to improve health and well-being in rural communities. 

This funding opportunity is part of the RHTP coordinated care initiative. Rural residents in Wisconsin experience higher rates of chronic diseases, including heart disease and diabetes, and worse behavioral health outcomes than urban residents. Rural residents struggle to receive appropriate, high-quality, and timely care because of workforce shortages, particularly for primary care and behavioral health. Two-thirds of rural residents must travel more than 30 minutes to access emergency care. Out of 72 counties in Wisconsin, 40 are federally designated as mental health professional shortage areas, 37 as primary care shortage areas, and 34 as dental care shortage areas.  

Purpose

Through this funding opportunity, DHS aims to address these challenges by leveraging the resources and innovation within Wisconsin’s rural communities. This funding will ensure that healthcare services and resources can be delivered in the most efficient, accessible, and high-quality manner possible.  

This grant funding opportunity is intended to catalyze innovative partnership models that coordinate care across systems and sectors in rural Wisconsin. Through these grants, the state of Wisconsin aims to address those points in a care continuum where community members are most likely to experience barriers to health-related services or fall out of care, and to directly address fragmented systems of care.   

The goals of this funding are to:  

• Establish strong, sustainable, and community-centered healthcare delivery systems 

• Increase primary, specialty, and behavioral healthcare access 

• Improve prevention, behavioral, and chronic health outcomes in rural communities 

• Reduce avoidable hospital admissions and emergency department visits among rural residents 

Eligible applicants

Applicants must be health service providers, or community partners of health service providers, in areas of Wisconsin located outside of Milwaukee County. See  Addendum Exhibit 1 in the funding opportunity for a definition of semi-rural and rural counties. Health services are broadly defined as those entities providing chronic, preventative, wraparound, social services, acute or emergency, and/or behavioral and mental health services to rural and semi-rural residents. Providers can take many forms, including but not limited to the following potential applicants:  

• Aging and disability resource centers  

• Behavioral health clinics  

• Community-based organizations  

• Community health centers and primary care clinics  

• County human service agencies 

• Emergency medical services  

• Hospitals and health systems  

• Local and Tribal health departments  

• Long-term care providers and skilled nursing facilities  

• Non-emergency medical transportation  

• Pharmacists and pharmacies  

• Rural health clinics  

• Schools and educational institutions  

• Other rural partners 

Letter of application instructions
 

Letters of application will be reviewed, and contracts will be awarded for a funded planning period. A total of $10 million dollars is available for funding during this phase. Following the planning period, planning awardees will be invited to submit a full grant proposal, with detailed budgets and workplans, for subsequent funding. The funded planning period will allow grantees to collect and leverage data to support their full proposal, develop strong partnership models, and receive technical assistance.  

Please submit a one- or two-page letter of application describing the innovative approach and partnership model that you hope to implement with these funds. Letters should: 

• Respond to the points outlined in the Program Requirements section.  

• Make the case for a proposed partnership. What problem have you have repeatedly seen in your community that could be solved with more resources to connect partners?  

• Be clear and logical, using straightforward and compelling language. 

• Include a budget outlining how you will use the funds during the 6-month planning period. 

Strong letters of application will clearly articulate a problem and/or health issue and provide data to quantify the issue. Organizations may request technical assistance for preparing their applications from the University of Wisconsin-Population Health Institute, Wisconsin Office of Rural Health, and Wisconsin Collaborative for Healthcare Quality. Technical assistance can be requested for describing local health needs using community data, accessing information to quantify the local health context, project evaluation planning, and/or developing performance measures. These partners have no input on funding decisions. To learn more, send a request to RHTP-evaluation@wisc.edu.      

Applicants should reach out directly to DHS at DHSRuralHealth@dhs.wisconsin.gov for questions regarding technical difficulties with the application submission process. Note: questions about the funding opportunity, including eligibility requirements, budgets, allowable and unallowable expenses, and related topics must be submitted by June 30, 2026, and will be answered through published FAQs.   

Details will be shared later about additional technical assistance to support the development of full grant proposals. 

This program is supported by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $203,670,005.21 with 100 percent funded by CMS/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by CMS/HHS, or the U.S. Government.