Small and Rural Hospital Relief Grant Program

Small and Rural Hospital Relief Grant Program

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: California Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI)
Last Updated: February 24, 2026

Summary

The Small and Rural Hospital Relief Grant Program, administered by the California Department of Health Care Access and Information, aims to assist eligible small, rural, and Critical Access hospitals facing financial burdens due to seismic safety retrofit requirements. Funded by a portion of the state's electronic cigarette excise tax, this program prioritizes projects that demonstrate community need and financial viability, ensuring hospitals can remain operational and accessible to underserved populations.

Overview

NOTE: Applications will be continuously accepted, and awards will be ranked by eligibility and project readiness, issued quarterly, based on available funding. Small and Rural Hospital Relief Program The Alfred E. Alquist Hospital Facilities Seismic Safety Act (Health and Safety Code (HSC) Section 129675) requires that hospitals be constructed to remain open and safely provide services to the public after an earthquake. The Small and Rural Hospital Relief Program will administer this new grant program to eligible small, rural, or Critical Access hospitals that have limited funds for seismic safety retrofit requirements. Ten percent of the funds from the California Electronic Cigarette Excise Tax will be allocated to HCAI to fund the new program (HSC Section 130075). SRHRP encourages applicants where seismic safety impose significant financial burden that may result in closure of the facilities and the closure described above would substantially impact the accessibility to health care in the communities surrounding the hospital. SRHRP would focus on Applicants who operate in Medically Underserved Areas and/or Medically Underserved Populations and/or Health Professional Shortage Areas as defined by Medical Service Study Areas. The Applicants are expected to remain financially viable during and after the foreseeable future of the proposed seismic safety compliance related project. Funding The funding amount is determined by the amount of excise taxes collected from the sale of electronic cigarettes. Current projections are $2-3 million annually will be available to distribute. Grant funding will be awarded to eligible facilities based on project readiness, community need and financial status.

Eligibility

We've imported the main document for this grant to give you an overview. You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. Hospitals that meet any of the following criteria are eligible for the SRHRP: Small hospitals defined as having fewer than 50 licensed general acute care beds Rural hospitals defined as having a Rural or Frontier designation status in the Medical Service Study Area. Critical Access Hospitals are those possessing this designation from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services