The call for Letters of Intent on innovations to advance pathways and bridges to medicine programs is open. Letters of Intent are due by April 28, 2025, and final proposals are due by July 21, 2025.
NBME and the ASPBP are working collaboratively to develop evidence-based best practices demonstrating how pathway programs successfully support recruiting, educating and retaining physicians, particularly those from populations underrepresented and/or traditionally underserved in medicine. To do this, the organizations are creating various pathway program grant opportunities across the educational continuum. This funding opportunity is designed to support programs that create pathways to careers in medicine. Community-based, elementary to high school and higher education programs are eligible to submit applications that focus on evaluating the evidence for success of a particular educational or programmatic intervention strategy.
Eligibility to apply includes 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organizations and programs or their fiscal sponsors and not-for-profit institutions.
Eligibility Requirements:
- 501c3 nonprofit organization or its fiscal sponsor or nonprofit institution. 501c3 documentation is not required unless requested.
- If applicable, IRB letter of approval or exemption (research comparing standard practice methodology in an educational setting) or determination of Quality Improvement is necessary prior to allocation of funds.
- Progress reports shall be provided at the conclusion of the funding period to ASPBP and forwarded to NBME.
- NBME acknowledgment shall be required on all materials or information relating to the Grants.
- Grantee shall present at the annual ASPBP conference and become amember of ASPBP for duration of the grant funding period.
- Only one application, either seed or materials and resources grant, per project, but not necessarily per organization can be submitted.
Funding Opportunities for 2025
This grant program includes two types of funding opportunities.
Funding Opportunities:
- Four SEED Grants (up to $20K)
- Four Resource grants (up to $5K)
Seed Grants
One-time awards up to $20,000 for programs wanting to develop the foundation for an innovative intervention strategy (or strategies). Community programs, established education entities, and any collaborations are encouraged to apply. Applicants will be asked to submit their proposal describing/explaining
- the planned intervention based on literature or preliminary data or an explanation of its innovation
- the significance/potential impact of the intervention
- the plan for subsequent implementation of the intervention
- the plan for assessment strategies of the intervention
Material and Resources Grants
One-time awards up to $5,000 for existing or new program. Applicants will be asked to describe the need for the requested resource, and how it will sustain and advance the program as well as a limited assessment strategy. Applicants will be asked to submit their proposal describing/explaining
- how the grant will improve the existing programs with needed educational resources including but not limited to software, supplies, travel expenses for learner participants, etc.
- the development of a new program
About the Application
Submission of a broad range of interventions including learner support such as tutoring, mentoring and psychosocial support or learner resources such as a centralized database of available programs are encouraged.
Key performance indicators include the rate of recruitment, matriculation, retention and graduation of learners.
Key criteria for evaluation and funding include:
- The significance of the project’s impact.
- The innovation and feasibility of the approach.
- Rigorous analyses.
- The expertise of the investigators.
- Collaboration and partnership among and within participating institutions and/or organizations.
- Active engagement with and participation by learners.
- The supportiveness of the environment.
- Being well-grounded in literature or practice.
How to Apply
Letters of Intent are due April 28, 2025.
Submit your Letter of Intent to the Innovations to Advance Pathway and Bridge Programs to Medicine Grant Program online portal. (see below). Letters should include:
Applicant Information
- Name of investigator(s), affiliation, institution or non-profit organization, contact info, institutional contact.
Proposal
- Title
- Identify the type of grant that is applied for.
- Brief description of proposal up to 500 words.
When you are ready to submit your Letter of Intent, please visit the Innovations to Advance Pathway and Bridge Programs to Medicine Grant Program online portal (see below)
- Login or create an account on NBME’s Submittable page.
- Read the Guidelines and complete the form.
- Follow the instructions for submitting your application and attach any required documents.
- You may save your online application at any time and return to complete it later by scrolling to the bottom of the submission form and selecting “Save Draft.”
- When you are ready to return to complete the form, log into your account, click on your name at the top right of the internet browser, select “My Submissions” and select the desired draft.
After reviewing your letter of intent and conducting due diligence, NBME will invite applicants who meet eligibility requirements to submit a full proposal in early May. Full application proposals are due by July 21, 2025. Decisions will be announced no later than November 2025.
For questions about Letters of Intent, please email: NBMEpathwaygrants@nbme.org.
Application Guidelines for Full Proposals
Full proposals should include and be formatted in the following way:
Cover page (≤1 page)
- Title of Grant/proposal.
- Name of Principal Investigator(s), affiliation, institution, contact information, institutional contact.
Abstract/Summary Page (≤2 page)
- Summary of need and rationale, hypothesis of objective(s), explanation of how specific aims verify hypothesis or achieve objective.
- Summary statement highlighting the significance, the feasibility of the approach, the innovation, the expertise of the investigators and the conduciveness of the environment.
Purpose (≤5 pages)
Significance and Rationale
- Seed grants: identify the need for intervention(s) and their potential impact.
- Material and Resource Grants: identify the need for materials and resources.
- Introduction to the intervention.
- Summary of what is known about the intervention including preliminary data from own prior research/observation/existing program/ existing educational tool.
- Describe how increased representation is measured.
Project Goals
- Clearly state the hypothesis or objective(s).
- Explain the rationale of how the hypothesis or objective(s) address the need identified in the prior section on need analysis.
- Describe the specific goals including existing data/infrastructure that support the specific aims.
- Elaborate on how specific aims verify hypothesis or achieve objective.
- Explain how goals align with key performance indicators.
Approach (≤5 pages)
- Intervention: Study Design/Program Design/Educational Material
- Describe the study design/program design/material.
- Explain why these are best suited to address the overall purpose of this proposal.
- Describe methods of how preliminary data were obtained or existing programs developed or material was designed.
- Include methods of statistical and/or qualitative analyses to determine the effect of the intervention on representation using key performance indicators.
- Anticipated Outcome, Evaluations and Pitfalls
- Describe how success of project is assessed focusing on the key performance indicators.
- Discuss alternatives.
- Multiple Principal Investigator/Institutions/Programs (if applicable)
- Describe the benefit of the collaborative approach.
- Clearly delineate responsibilities of each member of the study team.
- Describe communication and coordination.
- Provide authorship plan for dissemination of results.
Budget
- The budget must provide sufficient details to fully explain and justify the resources needed to accomplish all specific aims.
- Supplies
- Salaries (if applicable)
- Commercial IRB
- Indirect costs: Limit of 10%
Appendices
- Bibliography
- CV of key personnel
- Letter of Support from senior administrator or school administrative champion
- IRB
Presentations are approved in two phases:
- Proposal / Abstract Approval (This Form) - This is the initial proposal, abstract, and/or related data used for submitting to conferences.
- Full Presentation Approval (Additional Form Sent Later) - This is the final version that you will be presenting, including any papers, slides, etc..
This form will be used for Presentation Proposal / Abstract Approvals. To upload your full presentation, an additional form will be sent to you to complete at your leisure. A notification will be sent 3 weeks prior to your conference date as a reminder to upload your materials if not already completed.
Proposal / Abstract Approval Timelines
Please budget about 2 weeks for the initial review process.
- VPs, Program Owners, and/or other reviewers complete their reviews within one week of assignment.
- The presentation is assigned to an SVP for final review and approval. The final review and approval is due within one week of assignment.
- The review decision is communicated to the submitter via email from submittable@nbme.org and will include any comments from the submission review process.
Full Presentation Approval Timelines
An additional form will be sent to you to complete at your leisure once your initial proposal has been accepted. A reminder will be sent three weeks prior to your conference date to upload your final materials if not yet completed.
For full presentations uploaded via the additional form, please budget at least 2 weeks for a full paper presentation, and 1 week for slide presentations.
Collaborate on Your Submission! If you wish to collaborate with others on this form, click on 'Invite Collaborators' on the top right of the form. You can then assign a collaborator via email invitation and work together in real-time or save a draft for later completion. If you are a Collaborator on this form, please click on Save Draft when you have finished entering responses. The initiating submitter will then be able to review and submit the form. At this time, only the initial submitter has the ability to submit the presentation or publication in the system for review & approval.
Please budget about 2 weeks for the publication review process. We allow the VP & Programmatic Reviewer 1 week to review and approve the submission prior to it being assigned to a SVP Reviewer. The SVP Reviewer has 1 week to review and provide the final decision on the submission.
If a time-sensitive decision is needed, please contact the Office of Research Strategy Staff immediately at ORS@nbme.org so we may assist in expediting the process.
Collaborate on Your Submission! If you wish to collaborate with others on this form, click on 'Invite Collaborators' on the top right of the form. You can then assign a collaborator via email invitation and work together in real-time or save a draft for later completion. If you are a Collaborator on this form, please click on Save Draft when you have finished entering responses. The initiating submitter will then be able to review and submit the form. At this time, only the initial submitter has the ability to submit the presentation or publication in the system for review & approval.
NBME Philanthropy Funding Application
For years, NBME has been vested in philanthropic giving and contributions, sponsoring several initiatives which support our mission and advance the field of assessment science. Initiatives include the Stemmler Fund, Latin America Grants and Strategic Educators Enhancement Fund (SEEF).
In 2022, NBME developed a philanthropy strategy focusing on four target areas for our giving. NBME’s philanthropy strategy target areas over the next few years will:
- Advance assessment and medical education research;
- Provide resources to fortify the success of traditionally underserved learners;
- Support capacity building and resources for pathway (pipeline) programs to impact diversity, equity, and inclusion in the medical and assessment professions; and
- Give locally to organizations that advance health equity and access and other social determinants of health to strengthen health outcomes for Philadelphia communities.
Philanthropic Giving
Our giving and grantmaking will be to organizations advancing the above priorities
Current policy: In 2018 NBME adopted a policy regarding donations, Discretionary Charitable Giving Policy, which governs discretionary giving by the organization. Under the policy, requests for discretionary giving are made to the Philanthropy Office with review by Legal Services and written approval provided by the Senior Vice President, Office of General Counsel and Organizational Affairs. Any charitable giving over $5,000 must be approved by the President.