USDA Distance Learning & Telemedicine (DLT) Grant Program

The Distance Learning and Telemedicine (DLT) Grant Program is a competitive USDA telemedicine grant administered by the Rural Utilities Service and listed federally as Assistance Listing 10.855, funding telecommunications equipment that enables distance learning and telemedicine services in rural communities. It exists specifically to help rural schools, libraries, hospitals, and clinics overcome the twin barriers of distance and low population density by equipping "hub" and "end-user" sites with the audio, video, and broadband-connected equipment needed to deliver education and healthcare remotely.

Eligibility for this rural telemedicine funding is geographically defined: end-user sites must serve communities not located within a city or town of more than 20,000 residents. Eligible applicant types include educational institutions, rural healthcare providers, state and local governments, tribal governments, and nonprofit organizations with the legal authority to own and operate the funded equipment. For Fiscal Year 2026, USDA made approximately $27 million available through the DLT grant, with individual awards ranging from $50,000 to $750,000 and a required 15% non-federal matching contribution. Awardees receive a three-year performance period beginning once funds are released.

DLT funding is frequently paired with USDA's Community Connect Grant Program (a separate $17 million FY2026 broadband-deployment fund) as part of a combined rural-connectivity push. Recent funded projects illustrate the range of what DLT supports in practice, from equipping multi-county telehealth-cart networks in rural hospital systems to funding sound-dampened, private telehealth booths inside public libraries. The connectivity gap DLT is built to close is the same one OnMed has written about in the context of rural telehealth generally—see "Beyond the Telehealth Kiosk: Why Rural Communities Need More Than Connectivity".