Funding organizations, both government and private, release notices of available grants throughout the year.  Some of these grants are a “one time only” opportunity.  Other funders have ongoing grants, and accept award proposals throughout the year or have annual deadlines.  The programs below fall into this category:

Federal Grants

The USDA Rural Development has several grant/loan programs.

• The Community Facilities Program funds essential facilities and equipment. 
• The Special Evaluation Assistance for Rural Communities and Households helps small, financially distressed rural communities with proposed water and waste disposal projects.
• The Economic Development Loan and Grant Program provides funding for rural projects through local utility organizations. 
• The Multi-Family Housing Loan Guarantees works to provide financing to qualified borrowers to increase the supply of affordable rental housing in rural areas. 

The Office of Rural Health Policy has several grant programs, including Rural Health Network Planning, Telehealth Network Grant and Rural Access to Emergency Devices.

The National Association of EMTs has foundation scholarships to individuals interested in pursuing a career in EMS, either as a responder (EMR) or technician (EMT). Applications are accepted between March 1 and April 30. 

FEMA offers grant programs that are also open to EMS. 

U.S. Department of Education offers Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program.

State Grants

The National ROPS Rebate Program offers rebates for approximately seventy percent of the cost of purchasing and installing a Rollover Protective Structure kit on tractors. Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis. 

The Wisconsin Primary Care and Psychiatry Shortage Grant provides financial assistance awards to primary care physicians and psychiatrists who agree to practice in underserved areas of Wisconsin. Up to twelve primary care physicians and up to twelve psychiatrists will be awarded each fiscal year. The minimum award is $20,800. 

The Wisconsin Rural Physician Residency Assistance Program provides funds to expand and enhance graduate medical education training sites in rural Wisconsin, thus providing access to quality healthcare in rural communities. 

Other Opportunities

The RWHC Annual Monato Rural Essay Prize from the Rural Wisconsin Health Cooperative provides a $2,500 award for the University of Wisconsin's Best Rural Health Paper. The submission deadline falls on June 1st of each year.  The prize is given by the Hermes Monato, Jr. Memorial Fund.

The Medical College of Wisconsin issues requests for proposals for funding awards to support communities and more. 

More Resources

See our full list of Funding Opportunities, which offers a daily update of specific grant announcements. If you are grant-seeking, you may find our list of Funding Sources helpful. 

The Foundation Center’s Philanthropy News Digest provides a list of grant opportunities.  On the same page you can subscribe to receive these announcements by email.

An extensive report from the Office of National Drug Control Policy lists federal resources for rural communities affected by opioid use disorder (as of October 2018).