Project Overview
NACHC’s Center for Innovation announces the Innovation Incubator 2026. This program was first established by NACHC to support and guide health centers in using a human-centered design approach to improve health for all on a specific topic/area. The focus for 2026 will be Financial Diversification & Sustainability. With initial seed funding, access to leading experts, and training on human-centered design principles, selected health centers will design and test their solutions – all with the broader goal of sharing what works with health centers nationwide.
Program Highlights
Award amount: $30,000 + travel stipend
Program Timeline: February – November 2026
We hosted an informational webinar on November 4, 2025. If you were unable to attend, please view the recording here.
We also created a Q&A document that captures many of the questions asked during the webinar. Read the Q&A.
More Information
More About the Program
The aim of NACHC’s Innovation Incubator is to select and support a cohort of 8 health centers to ideate, pilot, and test sustainable solutions for their unique needs.
This year, NACHC invites innovative thinking on how health centers can diversify their funding, find new business lines, and develop innovative solutions that will have a positive impact in the bottom line. Health centers can choose one of three focus areas:
3 Financial Diversification Focus Areas
- Expanding reimbursement outside of the PPS rate
- Developing non-required services outside of the scope of the Health Center Program
- Establishing or strengthening a health center-related foundation or other subsidiary business
The Innovation Incubator begins by understanding the problem. Then, ideas or solutions can be developed through the program using curated content and resources, coaching, mentoring, and subject matter expertise. Content areas include value proposition, stakeholder mapping, business plan development, communications, and sustainability. Health centers involved in the cohort with have the opportunity to pitch their solutions to a group of experts for a change to receive a prize with additional funding.
NACHC’s goal is by the conclusion of the program, every member of the cohort will have the skills and expertise to refine the solution they have designed and attract new funders and partners to implement and sustain the innovation. After the NACHC Innovation Incubator concludes, NACHC will compile and disseminate the solutions for other health centers, Primary Care Associations (PCAs), and Health Center Controlled Networks (HCCNs).
Why Financial Diversification?
Health centers face rising costs, flat federal funding, and uncertainty around programs like 340B, making financial diversification and sustainability more important than ever. Innovation Incubator 2026 will support health centers in testing new revenue strategies. With seed funding, expert guidance, and human-centered design training, participants will develop solutions that strengthen long-term sustainability. The goal is to share practical models that can be scaled nationwide to keep health centers strong and advance high quality health care for all.
Who Should Participate
Health centers (330-funded and Look-Alikes) who are current NACHC organizational members in good standing, and who have not yet taken part in the NACHC Innovation Incubator, are eligible to apply. Teams who are interested in solving a problem or barrier within the 3 financial diversification focus areas should apply. Health centers do not need to be experts in innovation at the time of application. A demonstrated need and clear goals for participating in the incubator are key factors in the assessment of applications.
All applicants to the Incubator, regardless of whether they are selected for the program, will receive FREE access to the Incubator online training modules in NACHC’s Learning Hub used throughout the program.
Application Questions & Timing
Applications will open on October 21, 2025 and will close on December 5, 2025.
Apply for the Innovation Incubator here.
The list of application questions can be found here.
All applicants to the Incubator, regardless of whether they are selected for the program, will receive FREE access to the Incubator online training modules in NACHC’s Learning Hub used throughout the program.
Questions? Email [email protected]
Evaluation and Scoring Criteria
| Section | Description | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Understanding the problem | Demonstrates clear intention and need, alignment with selected focus area, understanding of problem. | 35% |
| Impact and Community Engagement | Demonstrates data use, adaptation, authentic stakeholder participation, sustainability, and understanding of potential impact. | 35% |
| Participation in the Incubator | Demonstrates ability to take on the project, reasonable budget usage, and multidisciplinary participation. | 30% |
Time commitment
Our team estimates that all participating teams will spend about 80 hours total, or about 8 hours a month or 2 hours a week. These dedicated hours include travel to an initial in-person meeting in Bethesda, Maryland in March 2026, all-participant online meetings, time with your coach, self-paced learning modules, activities and homework, pitch practicing, and travel to the in-person pitch session (location to be determined) at the end of the incubator in November 2026.
Your organization may spend more time piloting and testing your ideas.
FAQs
A: No, your solution does not need to have a technological component. Do note: you will need a way to track and measure your progress.
A: We ask that health centers apply with a challenge. We encourage you to apply with the mindset of a challenge within a current program and how you think the Incubator program can help you design a solution. While you may have an idea for a solution, be prepared to change it depending on the learnings you will gather in the first few stages of the process.
A: Your organization’s team can be made up of any position or level within your organization. Cross-functional teams are recommended. We recommend team members who are: excited about the process and ready to dive into the complexities of the problem, test options and face roadblocks, and then test again, to find innovative solutions!
In the past, we have found that teams that were highly successful had a C-Suite champion, engagement from at least one board member, and a dedicated program lead.
A: No, organizations that participated in prior NACHC Innovation Incubators are not eligible to apply.
A: At least two team members are required to attend the in-person meeting in March 2026, attend virtual meetings, and the in-person final pitch.
A: Selected health centers will be awarded $30,000 in seed funding to ideate and test their sustainable solutions. This funding will be disbursed in 3 installments based on completion of work:
- Completion of registration into NACHC’s Learning Hub and participation in launch call: $15,000
- Completion of in-person training and defined problem and solution: $10,000
- Completion of pitch presentation and all assignments: $5,000
A: Reporting is conducted along the way by completing assignments by certain deadlines throughout the project period. All assignments are meant to be completed as a team, with the help of a NACHC Coach.
All online modules are meant to be completed by given deadlines to alleviate large workloads.
At the end of the program, all health centers are required to submit a final report by and complete worksheets with key data elements such as number of patients engaged.
Contact Us
For any questions, contact the Innovation Team at [email protected].