2026 Innovation Incubator Coach

Location:	Federal
Posted:	Jan 14, 2026
Due:	Jan 28, 2026
Agency:	National Association of Community Health Centers
Type of Government:	State & Local
Category:	A - Research and development
Publication URL:	To access bid details, please log in.

Attachment Preview

Request for Proposals:

RFP Released: January 14, 2026

Proposals Due: January 28, 2026

Date Awarded: February 4, 2026

Point of Contact

Innovation, NACHC – Phone: (301) 347-0400

Inquiries and Proposals Point of Contact:

Jamie Reich

innovation@nachc.org

Main Office

7501 Wisconsin Ave

Suite 1100W

Bethesda, MD 20814

301.347.0400 TEL

301.347.0459 FAX

www.nachc.com

Alexandria, VA Office

211 N. Union Street

Suite 200

Alexandria, VA 22314

703.739.7300 TEL

703.684.3629 FAX

Organization and Center Overview

The National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) is a national organization

that supports federally qualified health centers and federally qualified health center look-

alike organizations (also known as FQHCs or Community Health Centers), expanding

healthcare services for the medically underserved and uninsured. Founded in 1971 to

promote efficient, high-quality, comprehensive healthcare that is accessible, community-

directed, and patient-centered for all, NACHC’s mission and strategic framework continue

to guide our values and priorities as an organization representing the national health center

movement.

NACHC’s Center for Innovation will work to identify, support, and replicate groundbreaking

approaches to practice innovation, workforce development, and collaborative

arrangements in the delivery of community-based health care. We evaluate existing best

and promising practices and determine opportunities for value and scalability to further

the health center mission. The goal of the Center is to prepare Health Centers for

sustainable operational and clinical success, building on their unique, 60-year history and

commitment to health care for all.

Project Purpose

During the 2026 Innovation Incubator, NACHC will select and support a cohort of 8 health

centers to engage in a 9 month human-centered design project to ideate, pilot, and test

solutions in one of three focus areas: expanding reimbursement outside of the PPS rate,

developing non-required services outside of the scope of the Health Center Program, or

establishing or strengthening a health center-related foundation or other subsidiary

business.

Health Centers will be provided with seed funding, access to subject

matter expertise, structured human centered design training and assignments, in addition

to coaching to successfully progress through the Incubator.

RFP Services Desired

Services to be rendered are (1) monthly coaching and check-ins with the cohort of 8 health

centers and reporting their progress to NACHC staff from February through October 2026,

(2) in person 2-day training facilitation and support at the end of March 2026, and (3) in

person 2-day pitch training facilitation and support in October or November 2026.

Project Timeline

Contract: February 10, 2026 to December 31, 2026

National Association of Community Health Centers

Scope of Work

Starting in February, the selected vendor will work with NACHC staff to complete the

following deliverables:

Health Center Team Monthly Coaching

The vendor will serve as a coach to each of 8 health center teams from mid-

February through October (9 months) as they develop, test, implement, and pitch their

ideas. Specifically, each month, the coach will:

• Conduct a brief biweekly check-in with each team on their status (by email or

phone)

• Join one-hour monthly all-participant call

• Provide a short report of health center project progress each month to NACHC staff

• Schedule and conduct monthly 30-minute coaching calls with each health center to

help them brainstorm solutions, work through any challenges, and develop their

ideas. Provide direct, constructive feedback based on your assessment of their

work, to challenge the health center and hold them accountable for progress.

• Provide additional support to the teams, as requested, to a reasonable extent (no

more than 4 hours anticipated per month for all 8 teams combined)

• When appropriate, contact NACHC staff about subject matter expert (SME)

needs of the health centers so that SMEs can be matched for additional support.

March 26-27 In Person Training Facilitation:

The coach will support the design and facilitation of a two-day training session to be

delivered on March 26-27, 2026 in Bethesda, MD, on the Ideate and Prototype phase of

human-centered design. Specifically, the coach will:

• Review NACHC’s training materials to ensure facilitation alignment

• During training planning phase: Attend a meeting with NACHC staff

to finalize training plan and provide edits

• Identify resources to support training facilitation, which may include videos, activity

instructions, templates, etc.

• One week prior to training: Conduct a one-hour virtual walk-through of the training

with NACHC staff

• Travel to Bethesda, MD to facilitate two-day training session and provide one on one

support to health centers throughout the training

Fall 2026 In Person Pitch Session Facilitation:

The coach will support the design and facilitation of a two-day pitch session to be held in

October or November 2026. The health centers will pitch their solutions on the first day in a

practice session where they will be judged. Finalists will be selected to pitch to funders on

the second day. The location and timing of the pitch session are to be determined. NACHC

will work with the coach to determine the time of this session.

National Association of Community Health Centers

• Review NACHC’s training materials to ensure facilitation alignment

• During training planning phase: Attend a meeting with NACHC staff

to finalize training plan and provide edits

• Identify resources to support training facilitation, which may include videos, activity

instructions, templates, etc.

• One week prior to training: Conduct a one-hour virtual walk-through of the training

with NACHC staff

• Travel to session location to facilitate two-day training session and provide one on

one support to health centers throughout the training

Based on the scope of work outlined, the budget is between $30,000-$37,000 plus

travel reimbursement. The vendor will be reimbursed for travel according to NACHC’s

travel policy below.

Travel Policies and Procedures

To help promote good stewardship and cost-efficiency we have included the following

NACHC travel principles. They provide helpful guidance for booking air travel, making hotel

arrangements, and securing ground transportation.

Each participant is a responsible steward for NACHC’s budget. Everyone must be aware of

all costs associated with any travel. Here are some principles to consider when booking

travel:

• Adherence to this policy is strictly required. NACHC cannot provide reimbursement

for undocumented expenses.

• We will reimburse coach air travel as far in advance as possible to take advantage

of low-cost fares. We will only reimburse the coach rate.

• Do your own research for transportation and travel options on the internet. This

includes hotels and car rentals. Many times, you may be able to find package deals

through travel websites.

• When making hotel reservations, look at all rate rules and options and choose

accordingly. If possible, take advantage of discounts offered by such groups as

AAA, AARP, or bundles with air and car rental options.

• Consider purchasing the travel insurance (generally less than $25.00 per

occurrence) offered by airlines and hotels to mitigate penalties for trip changes or

cancellations. This could be especially valuable if you book further ahead and

realize your plans may need to change.

Affordable and cost-effective transportation resources include:

• Taxis – share taxis with other staff members when possible

• Shared airport shuttle services (e.g. Super Shuttle)

• Hotel provided shuttles, where available

• Public transportation

National Association of Community Health Centers

Travel Reimbursement

No reimbursement for authorized expenses shall be made unless and until vendor

provides NACHC with documentation of expenses as follows:

• Include the original receipts for all travel expenses, including airline ticket receipts,

taxi or shuttle receipts, hotel receipts, rental car or mileage (if using a personal car)

receipts or documentation, and other miscellaneous receipts.

• Private automobile mileage is reimbursed at the current IRS rate based on

beginning and ending odometer readings. Reimbursement for tolls and

parking require a receipt.

Meals will be paid on a per diem basis:

If the trip begins before 12 noon, reimbursement is $50/day.

If the trip begins after 12 noon, reimbursement is $25 for that day.

Three hours prior to a flight or train departure is reasonable in determining your per diem

amount.

Information Requested

Proposals must contain the items below, which are evaluated on the specific criteria

outlined in the Evaluation Criteria and Scoring Matrix below.

Proposals should be submitted via email to Jamie Reich at innovation@nachc.org.

Subject Line: Incubator RFP Submission

All proposals must be submitted by 11:59pm ET on January 28, 2026.

The following information should be submitted together as one document.

• Contact Information

• Name/Description of Organization

o Specifically state if you are an independent consultant or applying on

behalf of an organization

• Resume/CV of person serving as coach (Limit: 2 pages)

• Budget Proposal (Limit: 1 page)

• Vendor should submit a budget that reflects the scope of work above

in the RFP. If NACHC requires additional, related services, and the

selected vendor agrees and demonstrates capacity to offer additional

hours, this will be done via an appropriate contract addendum.  

• Capability Statement (Limit: 3 pages)

• Work Samples (Limit: 10 pages)

National Association of Community Health Centers

This is the opportunity summary page. It provides an overview of this opportunity and a preview of the attached documentation.

2026 Innovation Incubator Coach

Attachment Preview

See also