Call for Letters of Intent
For Planning and Implementation Grants
Tennessee Rural Health Care Center of Excellence
Deadline: Sept. 28, 2026
Description of Call: Applications for this proposal must focus on the overall theme of Clinical Practice Transformation and should consider these domains:
1) Operational Excellence
Examples include, but are not limited to demonstrating strategies to improve operational performance such as: Capacity management; continuous quality improvement; workforce productivity; throughput optimization; and scheduling optimization, etc.
2) Technology Implementation
Examples include, but are not limited to demonstrating strategies to improve digital and operational performance such as: Electronic Health Record optimization, referral management, analytics platform implementation, clinical workflow automation and optimization, and interoperability (Health Information Exchange or support), etc.
3) Shared Services/Regional Transformation and Integration
Examples include, but are not limited to, creating regional approaches that: improve access and efficiency through shared-services innovation, duplication reduction, and enhanced specialty access, etc. All proposals must include ways to incorporate or improve project and financial sustainability.
Scoring Metrics
- Impact on Rural AccessInnovative approach/transformation to operating model
- Project feasibility
- Outcomes Assessment/Evaluation Plan
- Regional collaboration/partnerships
- Sustainability
- Estimated total cost
Letter of Intent (LOI) Template
Applicant Information
- Organization Name:
- Primary Contact Name and Title:
- Email Address:
- Phone Number:
- Mailing Address:
Project Information
- Project Title: Provide a concise title for the proposed project.
- Grant Type: Indicate whether this is a Planning Grant or an Implementation Grant.
- Impact on Rural Clinical Practice Transformation: Briefly describe how your proposal will transform clinical practice and consider the domain topics listed above. (up to 500 words)
- Key Objectives and Anticipated Outcomes: Discuss the proposed project’s innovation, feasibility, expected outcomes, and sustainability. (up to 250 words)
- Proposed Partners (if applicable): Identify any organizations, agencies, or stakeholders involved in the project. (up to 50 words)
- Estimated Budget Range: Provide a general estimate of the funding required for the project.
Addititional Informaion
- Brief Statement of Expertise or Organizational History regarding Rural Health Clinical Practice of Transformation: [Describe your organization’s mission and ongoing or previous experience working with rural communities.] (up to 250 words)
- Biosketch of primary applicant
Submission Instructions:
- Submit your completed LOI as a PDF to InfoReady portal
- Use the subject line: [Planning/Implementation Grant LOI – Organization Name].
- Deadline: September 28, 2026.
- For questions or additional information, contact Ashley Harkrider at [email protected] or 865-974-1810 OR Doug Dixon at [email protected] or 901-448-6920.
Grant Training
Federal Grants Management Training Series
The Federal Grants Management Training Series is a self-guided training series that provides grantees with the information needed to assist with the successful and compliant management of federal grants and cooperative agreements. The training series consists of three modules:
– Module 1: Federal Grant Basics
– Module 2: Notice of Award, Award Budget, and Subrecipients
– Module 3: Federal Grant Management
The goal of this training series is to help public health organizations understand roles and responsibilities in federal grant management and how to be good stewards of their federal awards.
Grant-writing Tools
Applying for Grants to Support Rural Health Projects: Tips on grant-writing from the Rural Health Information Hub
How to Tackle Grants: Grant-writing Basics: A free course from the Tennessee Public Health Training Center
TEMA Grant-writing Resources: Helpful tips and linked videos on the basics of grant writing from the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency