Rural Hospital Provider Assistance Program

The Rural Hospital Provider Assistance Program provides direct financial assistance to eligible small rural hospitals to help maintain health care providers and essential services and prevent closures. Eligible applicants are domestic hospitals with no more than 50 acute care inpatient beds, a wage index below 0.90, and a rural location; individuals are not eligible. The program expects to make about 167 awards, with total FY 2026 funding of $24,750,000 and an estimated award amount of about $148,000 each, though the final amount depends on how many eligible hospitals apply. There is no cost-sharing requirement, and administrative expenses may not exceed 10% of funding. Eligibility is limited to the hospitals listed in the notice.