CMS announces new funding opportunity to promote holistic health innovation

Key Takeaways

On March 13, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the Make America Healthy Again – Enhancing Lifestyle and Evaluating Value-based Approaches Through Evidence (MAHA ELEVATE) Model. Through the CMS Innovation Center, this model aims to address the root causes of chronic disease by supporting innovative interventions that promote healthier lifestyles and generate new data to inform future Medicare policy.

This new voluntary model is designed to test evidence-based, whole-person functional or lifestyle medicine approaches to care for individuals enrolled in Medicare, including through nutrition, physical activity, psychology and self-care interventions. To complement and enhance traditional health care approaches, the MAHA ELEVATE model aims to focus on holistic preventative care, behavior change and addressing the root causes of chronic conditions.  

Key funding opportunity information:  

• Eligible entities: Counties are eligible to directly apply for this opportunity. Other eligible applicants include federally qualified health centers (FQHCs), rural health clinics (RHCs), other local and state governments, private medical practices, accountable care organizations (ACOs), academic organizations, community-based organizations (CBOs) and Indian Health Service/Tribal Services/Urban Indian Programs (ITUs).
• Award details: CMS will award up to 30 cooperative agreements, with up to $3.3 million per recipient over a three-year performance period, for a total of approximately $100 million. Awards will be distributed across two cohorts launching in fall 2026 and 2027.  
• Funding priorities: All proposals must include nutrition or physical activity components, and a subset of awards will focus on dementia-related interventions.
• Selection criteria: CMS will evaluate applications based on:  
  • Whole-person intervention design, including potential for cost savings  
  • Beneficiary recruitment and study design  
  • Organizational and administrative capacity  
  • Data management capabilities  
  • Budget  

Next steps for counties

Counties are on the frontlines of public health and chronic disease prevention, often operating and supporting key safety-net services such as local health departments, hospitals, health centers, long-term care and behavioral health systems. This role positions counties as critical partners in advancing prevention-focused, whole-person approaches to care and ensuring federal initiatives are responsive to community needs.

Moreover, counties are key partners in enabling the delivery of federally funded care, including through Medicare. While Medicare is federally administered, counties both directly and indirectly benefit from programs such as the MAHA ELEVATE model. County-supported systems also serve as beneficiaries of Medicare, making counties essential for health service delivery.  

Counties interested in participating should note key deadlines for the first cohort:

• April 10, 2026: Mandatory letter of intent submission deadline
• May 15, 2026: Application submission deadline

The first cohort is expected to launch in October 2026, with a second cohort beginning in Fall 2027. Applicants not selected for the first cohort will remain eligible for the second.

NACo will continue to provide updates and resources to support county engagement in this opportunity.

View the NOFO