Missouri opens nearly $40 million grant program for rural health facilities
Published 11:32 pm Wednesday, July 29, 2026
JEFFERSON CITY — The Missouri Department of Social Services has opened applications for nearly $40 million in grant funding aimed at expanding capacity at rural health care facilities across the state.
The funding opportunity, released by the department’s Rural Health Transformation Office, falls under the second phase of the state’s Transformation of Rural Community Health, or ToRCH, care model. While an earlier phase focused on immediate facility safety and preserving core health services, this phase is intended to support proactive capacity building at rural facilities.
The funding spans the first two years of Missouri’s five-year Rural Health Transformation Program and will offer individual awards of up to $5 million, though the final total amount remains subject to budget approval from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Projects must align with priorities in one of three service areas: maternal health, behavioral health, or diagnostics and outpatient care.
State officials said the targeted investments are intended to expand preventive care, add points of access, and allow Missourians in rural areas to receive care closer to home.
Funding is open to hospitals and other organizations whose programs, facilities, workforce, or services expand health care access for residents of Missouri’s designated rural communities. The money is intended for one-time infrastructure investments; new construction, demolition, major facility expansions, cosmetic improvements, and routine operating expenses are not eligible.
The formal bid invitation, numbered IFB #DSS26015, is open for submissions. Interested organizations can review application requirements through the Department of Social Services’ bid proposals webpage and must register through the state’s MissouriBuys portal to apply.
More information about the ToRCH Care program is available through the Department of Social Services’ Rural Health Transformation Program webpage.
The Rural Health Transformation Program is funded entirely by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services as part of a federal financial assistance award to Missouri totaling more than $216 million.
