Community Health Center Fund Hits $4.6B, Largest Boost in a Decade

Congress has set the Community Health Center Fund at $4.6 billion for FY2026, delivering a 15 percent increase over the last long-term authorization — the largest single boost to the CHCF in a decade. The funding secures operations for more than 1,400 federally qualified health centers serving over 30 million patients nationwide.

What the Funding Package Includes

The CHCF provides approximately 70 percent of all federal grant funding to health centers through Section 330 grants administered by HRSA. The increase flows through existing grant mechanisms, meaning current grantees will see expanded allocations without new application requirements.

The package extends well beyond the core CHCF. Congress also approved $350 million in base funding for the National Health Service Corps, which supports provider recruitment and retention in health professional shortage areas through loan repayment and scholarship programs. The Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education program receives $225 million, with additional funding committed for future fiscal years to support residency training in primary care, dentistry, and behavioral health at community-based sites.

Medicare telehealth flexibilities — expanded during the pandemic and critical for health centers serving rural populations — have been extended through 2027.

What Health Centers Should Do Now

While the increased appropriation flows automatically to existing grantees, health centers should contact their HRSA project officer to understand how the additional funding will be distributed across operational, expansion, and service-specific grants. HRSA has published updated FY2026 reporting instructions reflecting the new funding levels.

Organizations not currently holding Section 330 awards should monitor HRSA's New Access Point and Service Area Competition announcements, which historically increase when the CHCF receives significant boosts.

Workforce Programs Create Compounding Benefits

The combined NHSC and Teaching Health Center GME funding creates a talent pipeline that complements the CHCF increase — more money for centers means more positions to fill, and more workforce funding means more clinicians to fill them. Together, these provisions represent the most comprehensive federal investment in community health infrastructure since the Affordable Care Act's initial funding expansions.

Health centers navigating the expanded funding landscape can find grant tracking and analysis at grantedai.com.