The call for Letters of Intent on innovations to advance pathways and bridges to medicine programs is open. Letters of Intent are due by March 23, 2026, and final proposals are due by June 28, 2026.

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 a member 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 2026

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 March 23, 2026.

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)

1. Login or create an account on NBME’s Submittable page.
2. Read the Guidelines and complete the form.
3. Follow the instructions for submitting your application and attach any required documents.
4. 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 June 28, 2026.  Decisions will be announced in November 2026.

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

2026 Latin American Grant Program of National Board of Medical Examiners®

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

The application has two components: (1) content that will be submitted via question prompts in Submittable and (2) content that should be uploaded as a single combined PDF document in Submittable. 

TO BE COMPLETED IN SUBMITTABLE

Applicant Institution

The primary applicant institution must be a medical school/training program providing medical education at either the undergraduate and/or the residency level. 

Institution Contact / Principal Investigator

This individual will be responsible for submitting the application and will receive notifications regarding application status.

Institution’s Authorized Representative 

This individual or office contact has responsibility for reviewing and signing contracts and is usually an organization’s contracts or grants administrator. 

Acknowledgement of Non-Commercialization

As part of NBME’s philanthropic programs, the Latin American Grant Program supports the medical education and assessment communities to drive future innovations. The Program is not intended to support work to develop commercialized assessment products or services. The Latin American Grant Program selection committee will not consider any such proposals for funding. 

Abstract (350 word maximum)

• Describe the specific aims of the proposed project as well as any other applicable long-term objectives. Include a brief description of the research design and methods for achieving the stated goals. 
• Write in plain language, so a reviewer without a research background will be able to understand the importance of the project.

DOCUMENT UPLOAD

Please upload a single PDF which combines the following documents together.

1. Program Description. (Maximum of 6 pages.) 

2. Proposal Budget. (See template at https://contributions.nbme.org/contribution/applying-latam)

3. Detailed Project Timeline. (Maximum of 1 page.)

4. Bio Sketch from each member of the team. (See template at https://contributions.nbme.org/contribution/applying-latam)

5. Existing IRB approvals or any IRB applications in process, as applicable.

6. Letter(s) of Support from institutional leadership. 

1. Program Description

Describe your proposed project according to the prompts below. The description should be double-spaced and written in 12-point font with 1-inch margins. If references are cited, this will not be considered part of the page count. 

(Maximum of 6 pages.)

Introduction and Project Aims

• Why is the topic important to medical education assessment in your discipline, institution, country or region? 
• Please cite literature on what is already known about the topic and how this identifies the existing gap.
• A clear statement of specific aims (if a research study) or a clear description of project scope and purpose (if an implementation project)

Methods and Materials (Data Collection)

• Description of a methodology that is appropriate to the question(s) or project plan. 
• A clear and detailed study design / implementation plan including elements such as: a description of population to be studied or involved, the types of instruments or techniques planned for measurement with a rationale, including any validity evidence for the instruments selected, and if instruments or materials are to be developed, how this is feasible for the scope and timetable of the project. 

Data Analysis and/or Program Evaluation

• An evaluation plan that is appropriate for the study design and one that links to the anticipated outcomes and results.
• Rationale for the evaluation(s) or statistical methods selected. 

Anticipated Outcomes and Results

• Discussion of the anticipated primary and any relevant secondary outcomes and how they will contribute to improvements in medical education assessment at institutional and/or systemic levels. 
• Please include plans for generalizability, sustainability, and scholarly dissemination of your proposed project.  

Collaboration and Mentoring

• A description of the proposed collaboration among institutions. Explain what each institution will bring to the project and/or will gain during the project.
• A description of the proposed collaboration among individuals. Explain what each member of the research team will bring to and/or will gain during the project.
• Explain how you will involve diverse stakeholders (e.g., organizations, students, educators, perspectives) in this process (if applicable).
• Highlight any mentoring relationships among the project team, as applicable. 

Future Steps

Description of the next steps (for example, wider distribution or further research potential), generalized use of the project results or findings, or potential integration into other learning settings. 

Citations

• Use any format for reference citations.
• This section does not count toward the program description page limit.

2. Budget 

Please use the template to create a clear breakdown of the budget, including itemized expenses and justification for each cost. Indirect costs may not exceed 10% of the total requested grant amount. 

3. Detailed Timeline 

Please include a project plan outlining key milestones, activities and deliverables, preferably as visual timeline. The timeline should not exceed one page. 

4. Bio Sketch

Please complete the bio sketch form for each member of the research team. We ask that you limit the bio sketch to no more than 2 pages per team member.

5. Existing IRB approvals or any IRB applications in process

Please include any documents related to IRB application or approval.

6. Letter(s) of Support

Please include one or more letter(s) of support from institutional leadership (Division/Department Director, Dean, other program leader, etc.) from each institution involved in the project and for endorsement of the institution's and PI’s involvement in the project. 

PROPOSAL EVALUATION 

Proposals will be evaluated based on the following factors:

• Feasibility of achieving the project’s intended aims, including demonstration of the appropriate skill level of the proposed team, available technology, resources, and program evaluation plan.  
• Potential for meaningful impact at the institutions and beyond, including scalability within medical education. 
• Collaboration among institutions, regions, or countries. Additional consideration will be given to collaborations that include meaningful mentorship for medical students, residents, and/or junior faculty.

HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR COMPLETED PROPOSAL 

All documents to be uploaded should be in PDF format and submitted as one document. You are required to submit both a blinded and an identified copy of your proposal to NBME’s platform, “Submittable.” Blinded versions should redact or omit any identifying names of individuals and institutions.

If you have not previously used Submittable, please create a profile by clicking here: https://nbme.submittable.com/signup. Once you have completed this step, complete the application form and follow the instructions for uploading your information and application document.

If you have previously used the Submittable platform for other grant or review work for NBME, your submissions were connected to the user email address on file. Your submissions will appear on your dashboard labeled with the title of your submission and previous submission ID number. That information may be accessed here: https://nbme.submittable.com/login

All submissions are due by Monday, February 23, 2026 at 11:59 pm (Eastern US)

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to email NBMELAGGrants@nbme.org.