Did you know 1 in 3 North Carolinians live in rural areas? The UNC System’s Rural Health initiative aims to strengthen North Carolina’s rural physician workforce by funding residency training programs in high-need specialties. The program supports efforts to develop, expand, sustain, and innovate rural medical training, helping improve access to care in underserved communities

GRANT TYPE	MAX GRANT PERIOD	MAX AWARD AMOUNT	GRANT RENEWAL
Development	Up to 3 years	$750,000	No
Expansion	Annual renewal, dependent on outcomes	$150,000 per resident per year	Yes
Sustainability	Annual renewal, dependent on outcomes	$150,000 per resident per year	Yes
Innovation	Up to 2 years	$200,000	No

GME-specific Grant Application Parameters

• Must focus on any of the six high-need specialty residency programs
• Must include at least 30% training in a rural area
• Must include a viable sustainability plan
• Must include partnership with at least one community-based ambulatory care center located in an eligible rural area

Eligibility

• Any regional Area Health Education Center that demonstrates a partnership with ECU or UNC schools of medicine or health systems
• ECU Brody School of Medicine
• ECU Health (all hospital system locations)
• UNC Health (all hospital system locations)
• UNC School of Medicine
• UNC System constituent institution health affairs programs