The Michigan Center for Rural Health (MCRH) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in East Lansing, Michigan. Established in 1994, MCRH serves as Michigan's State Office of Rural Health. The organization plays a key role in rural healthcare by assisting in the creation and implementation of partnerships among organizations, health departments, hospitals, government, and academia. These collaborations create new opportunities in network development, quality of care, emergency medical services, continuing education, and recruitment and retention of rural health care providers.
Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$1.5M
+34.6% YoY
Annual Giving
$2.0M
+22.9% YoY
Grant Count
79
-4.8% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$25K
+29.2% YoY
Mission & Focus Areas
Mission: To coordinate, plan, and advocate for improved health for Michigan's rural residents and communities.
Vision: The Michigan Center for Rural Health will be universally recognized as the center for expertise for rural health in Michigan through creative and visionary education, service, and research.
Primary Focus Areas:
- Small Rural Hospital Improvement Program
- Rural Health Flexibility Program
- Rural Community Opioid Response Program
- Transforming Clinical Practice Initiative
- Safer Opioid Prescribing Practices and Data Collection
Grantmaking
MCRH operates as a grantmaking organization focused on rural health improvement. The Small Rural Hospital Improvement Program provides grant dollars to rural hospitals with 49 or fewer staffed beds to assist with quality improvement activities. Recent grantees include Beaver Island Rural Health Center ($250,000 in 2024) and Mackinac Island Medical Center.
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
MCRH's work spans Michigan's rural communities. The organization is particularly active through the Northern Michigan Opioid Response Consortium (NMORC), which serves a 18-county region in northern Michigan including Alcona, Alpena, Arenac, Cheboygan, Clare, Crawford, Gladwin, Iosco, Kalkaska, Lake, Missaukee, Montmorency, Ogemaw, Oscoda, Otsego, Presque Isle, Roscommon, and Wexford counties.
Grant Distribution by State
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
2024 Financial Summary:
- Total Revenue: $6,775,159
- Total Expenses: $6,637,027
- Total Assets: $1,540,308
- Total Liabilities: $546,000
- Number of Employees: 16
Program Expenses (2024):
- Rural Community Opioid Response Program: $1,767,788
- Rural Health Flexibility Program: $1,095,362
- Small Rural Hospital Improvement Program: $742,513
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $1,540,308 | $1,144,155 | $1,118,649 |
| Revenue | $6,775,159 | $6,299,492 | $15,241,971 |
| Expenses | $6,637,027 | $6,212,201 | $15,221,024 |
| Qualifying Distributions | — | — | — |
| Net Investment Income | $47,201 | $13,188 | $1,287 |
| Distributable Amount | — | — | — |
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
Grant Size Distribution
250 grants across all recorded years
Open Grants
2 open opportunities from Michigan Center for Rural Health
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
No grants recorded for .
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
John Barnas serves as Principal Officer. Nicholas Derusha is listed as a Member of the Board of Directors.
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
From 2024 filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| JOHN BARNAS | EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR | 40 | $131,066 |
| CRYSTAL BARTER | DIR. OF PROGRAMS & SERVICES | 40 | $103,601 |
| HUNTER NOSTRANT | DIRECTOR | 1 | — |
| NANCY L SPENCER | DIRECTOR | 1 | — |
| EMILY BERGQUIST | DIRECTOR | 1 | — |
| SENATOR KRISTEN MCDONALD RIVET | DIRECTOR | 1 | — |
| REPRESENTATIVE JENNIFER CONLIN | DIRECTOR | 1 | — |
| JOYCE DEJONG DO | DIRECTOR | 1 | — |
| BETH NAGEL | SECRETARY/TREASURER | 1 | — |
| NICHOLAS DERUSHA | VICE PRESIDENT | 2 | — |
| EDWARD CANFIELD DO | PRESIDENT | 2 | — |
| DR AL FERREIRA | IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT | 2 | — |
Recent News & Activity
Recent developments and announcements
Michigan was awarded more than $173 million in federal funding to strengthen rural health care programs, reflecting significant investment in the state's rural health infrastructure. MCRH has been instrumental in deploying grants for healthy Michigan communities and establishing Emergency Medical Services (EMS) workforce initiatives through Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) grants.
New Grants Deploy $13 Million+ for Healthy Michigan CommunitiesSubject Areas
Focus areas based on grantmaking activity
Data last updated April 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.
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