HRSA Grants for Health Centers in 2026: What You Need to Know
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) remains the single largest source of direct grant funding for community health centers across the United States. In fiscal year 2026, HRSA continues to administer several critical programs that health center leaders should understand and plan around.
Service Area Competition (SAC) Grants
The Service Area Competition is HRSA's mechanism for awarding Section 330 operational funding when a current grantee's project period ends, or when a service area becomes available. SAC grants fund the core operations of Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), including staffing, facilities, and patient services.
In 2026, HRSA is expected to release SAC notices for dozens of service areas throughout the year. Each SAC announcement is tied to a specific geographic area, and both incumbent grantees and new applicants may compete. Awards typically range from $500,000 to several million dollars annually, depending on the patient population served.
Key tips for SAC applicants: start preparing your needs assessment and organizational capability narrative well before the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is posted. HRSA evaluates clinical quality metrics, governance structure, and community need. Having current UDS data and a strong board composition can make a meaningful difference.
Health Center Operational and Expansion Grants
Beyond SAC, HRSA periodically releases funding for New Access Points (NAP), which allow organizations to establish new health center sites in underserved areas. Expanded Services grants enable existing health centers to add service lines such as behavioral health, dental care, or pharmacy services.
Operational supplement grants have also become more common. These awards provide additional funding to existing grantees to offset rising costs, address pandemic-related needs, or expand capacity. Watch Grants.gov and the HRSA Electronic Handbooks (EHB) portal for supplement announcements, which often have short turnaround windows.
Workforce Programs
HRSA administers several workforce programs that directly benefit health centers:
- National Health Service Corps (NHSC): Provides loan repayment and scholarships for clinicians who commit to working in Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs). Health centers can use NHSC to recruit and retain physicians, nurse practitioners, dentists, and behavioral health providers.
- NURSE Corps: Offers loan repayment for registered nurses, advanced practice nurses, and nursing faculty working in critical shortage facilities. Rural health centers with nursing vacancies should actively promote these programs to candidates.
- Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education (THCGME): Supports primary care residency programs based in community health centers. If your organization is considering launching or expanding a residency program, THCGME funding can offset the significant costs of graduate medical education.
How to Find HRSA Grant Opportunities
All HRSA competitive grants are posted on Grants.gov, but navigating that portal can be overwhelming. HRSA also publishes a forecast of expected funding opportunities on its Preview of Upcoming Funding Opportunities page, which lists anticipated NOFOs before they are officially released.
Setting up keyword alerts on Grants.gov for "HRSA" and "health center" is a good start, but many organizations miss opportunities because forecasted grants appear months before the NOFO is published. Tracking the forecast and building your application materials in advance can give you a significant edge.
FundingRadar monitors all HRSA opportunities relevant to community health centers and sends alerts when new grants are posted or deadlines approach. If you want to stay ahead of the curve, consider signing up for our free weekly digest.