Iowa Best and Brightest Workforce Grant: Definitive Guide

What is the Iowa Best and Brightest Workforce Grant?

The Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) is a six year, 50 billion dollar federal investment designed to stabilize and modernize rural healthcare from FY26 to FY31. Iowa is positioned to be an early mover, with the state planning to deploy workforce dollars beginning in early 2026.

Iowa’s RHTP implementation is structured through the state’s Healthy Hometowns application, which outlines a multi initiative strategy to address rural healthcare access, workforce shortages, and care delivery modernization. Workforce is a dominant theme across all initiatives, reflecting ongoing clinical shortages, rising locum dependency, aging provider demographics, and fragile service lines in rural counties. In January 2026, Iowa plans to fund 150 workforce recruitment and retention grants through the Iowa Best and Brightest Workforce Grant.

The RHTP will ultimately distribute funds through competitive state level procurements, making Iowa’s early workforce RFP an important indicator for how other states may operationalize their plans.

About Iowa’s Rural Health Workforce Transformation Program

Iowa expects rural organizations to shift from short term staffing fixes to sustainable workforce models. Federal funds are intended to reduce risk around recruitment and to expand organizational capacity.

The Healthy Hometowns workforce structure is based on three primary levers:

• Recruit and retain high need healthcare providers

• Expand non physician workforce roles, including Community Health Workers (CHWs)

• Strengthen EMS practice capacity, allowing clinicians to operate at full license

The focus is on regional workforce models that reduce single provider vulnerability, stabilize call schedules, and improve care delivery through better coordination and technology.

Iowa’s intended outcome is improvement in provider to population ratios, lower dependence on temporary staff, and expanded rural access to primary care, behavioral health, and emergency services.

About the Grant

Within Healthy Hometowns, the Iowa Best and Brightest Workforce Grant is the primary mechanism for rural provider recruitment and retention.

Best and Brightest is designed to:

• Attract clinicians through meaningful incentives

• Equip rural providers with modern tools and technology

• Improve retention through multi year commitments

• Strengthen delivery models across hospitals, clinics, and EMS partners

• Reduce reliance on locum tenens and travel staffing

The initiative targets the staffing gaps that most destabilize rural operations, such as family medicine with OB, ED coverage, primary care, psychiatry, behavioral health, and mid level supply.

It also addresses provider burnout, aging workforce trends, and unsustainable call burdens.

Iowa Best and Brightest Recruitment and Retention Grant

The Iowa Best and Brightest Workforce Grant is the state’s first major RHTP workforce funding mechanism. In fact, it’s the first RFP we’ve seen from any state.

The intent to release states:

“Funds will be awarded to organizations to recruit providers to rural areas.”
(Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, Intent to Release RFP)

Up to 150 awards are expected. This makes it one of the largest early workforce opportunities under the national RHTP structure.

Projected Eligible Activities

Recruitment

• Sign on bonuses tied to multi year commitments

• Relocation packages and housing solutions

• Enhanced compensation for hard to fill roles

• Recruitment pipelines that link to residencies and rural rotations

Retention

• Call schedule stabilization strategies

• Telehealth and virtual care tools that reduce burden

• New or upgraded equipment that improves provider efficiency

• CHW and EMS integration to extend clinical reach

Workforce Expansion

• Community Health Workers in care coordination roles

• EMS clinicians practicing at expanded scope

• Regional coverage or staff sharing arrangements

These activities match Iowa’s priorities around access, modernization, rural sustainability, and increased local use of rural facilities.

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Considering applying for the Iowa Best and Brightest Workforce Grant? Reach out to our Rural Health Workforce Transformation hub for free technical assistance.

Iowa Best and Brightest RFP

Overview

• Title: Best and Brightest Provider Recruitment and Retention

• Program: Iowa Rural Health Transformation Program, Healthy Hometowns

• RFP Number: PHTHORC26010

• Administering Agency: Iowa Department of Health and Human Services

• Expected Release: Mid December 2025

• Proposal Deadline: Early January 2026

• Award Decisions: Mid January 2026

• Contract Start: Mid February 2026

• Number of Awards: Up to 150

Strategic Implications for Rural Providers

The RFP represents:

• A near term opportunity to secure recruitment capital ahead of other states

• A multi year subsidy that stabilizes critical positions

• A mechanism to reduce locum exposure during FY26 to FY31

• An opportunity to modernize care delivery through technology

• A prompt to form regional workforce collaborations

• A statewide reset point for long term workforce planning

Expected Scoring Drivers

High scoring proposals will likely demonstrate:

• Clear recruitment targets tied to measurable access gaps

• Quantified evidence of rural need, such as provider ratios or locum dependence

• Multi year retention plans

• Operational readiness and implementation capability

• Technology integration that reduces burden on providers

• Partnerships that extend scale and improve impact

Preparation Timeline for Applicants

The submission window will be short. Preparation should begin now.

Now to Early December

• Identify high priority roles

• Quantify workforce gaps and current locum spending

• Draft incentive and retention structures

• Outline technology or equipment needs

• Finalize partnerships or MOUs

• Learn more about and engage with the other resources in our Rural Healthcare Workforce Transformation Hub.

Upon Release

• Convert drafts into RFP format

• Complete and finalize budget templates

• Gather signatures and all required documentation

• Submit early due to holiday staffing variability