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The Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) was created by H.R. 1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, passed by the U.S. Congress in July 2025 to provide $50 billion in federal grants aimed at improving healthcare in rural areas across all fifty states. 

 

In December 2025, CMS announced that Alaska was awarded $272.2 million for the first year of the RHTP - a significant funding opportunity to support targeted, systemwide investments that improve access to care and strengthen the long-term stability of the state’s healthcare system.

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As part of its application, Alaska proposed six statewide initiatives that reflect ideas and feedback from hundreds of organizations and community partners. These initiatives outline how Alaska could use RHTP funds to improve access to care, strengthen the workforce, support healthier communities, and transform Alaska’s health care delivery systems.
 

The six proposed initiatives are:

  1. Healthy Beginnings: Investing in maternal and child health to help Alaskan families start strong

  2. Health Care Access: Expanding and maintaining access to essential health services in rural, remote, and frontier communities

  3. Healthy Communities: Promoting healthy lifestyles and investing in preventive care

  4. Pay for Value: Fiscal Sustainability: Pursuing innovative payment models to build a stronger, more sustainable health care system

  5. Strengthen Workforce: Growing and supporting skilled, resilient health care teams across Alaska

  6. Spark Technology & Innovation: Updating technology and infrastructure to improve care and drive innovation
     

The Alaska Department of Health convened a statewide kickoff webinar January 14-16 to formally launch implementation and to share early direction and high-level introduction of how the program will be structured, governed, and rolled out over the coming years. 

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Visit the Alaska Department of Health's RHTP Page for further details and to sign up for updates to stay informed.​

Process Update (May 22)

LOI outcomes were communicated to applicants via email on May 22nd. Each LOI falls into one of the following response categories:

  • Advance to full application submission and review under the implementation pathway - applicants  will receive additional details regarding application requirements, deadlines, and submission instructions and required materials by the end of May. Implementation applications will be submitted through ACF’s application portal. The application period is expected to remain open for approximately three weeks.

  • Advance for planning pathway consideration - applicants will be asked to provide additional project, budget, and organizational information to support final funding confirmation and grant agreement development. Additional guidance, deadlines, and submission instructions will be shared directly with these applicants by the end of May.

  • did not advance - deferred; recommended for resubmission in a future round

  • did not advance - declined due to insufficient alignment or unallowable uses

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Advancing to the full application stage means a proposal demonstrated strong alignment with RHTP priorities, but it does not guarantee funding. More applications are advancing than there is available funding, and not all applications will receive awards. 

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If you submitted an LOI, but did not receive an email notification, please contact RHTP@alaskacf.org for assistance.

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