NBME Call For Letters of Intent: Innovations to Advance Pathways and Bridges to Medicine Programs
Letters of intent are due by March 23, 2026.
Full proposal submissions are due by June 28, 2026.
NBME has a long history of contributing to the medical education and assessment communities with the goal of improving patient care through quality assessment of medical professionals. To further build on our contributions and our commitment to increasing representation in the medical and assessment professions, we are providing resources to assist programs and building collaborations that aid learners with education, mentorship and resources at a crucial time in their development. We hope to help programs develop and utilize best practices to drive positive changes in medical education in the long term and support the Association of STEMM Bridge and Pathway Programs (ASPBP) in developing a pathway program community of practice. Since 2024, NBME has collaborated with the ASPBP to award the Innovations to Advance Pathways to Medicine Programs Grants. In two grant cycles, NBME has awarded 21 grants totaling $450,000 to institutions and other nonprofit organizations implementing pathway programs.
As we continue our support of pathways to medicine, NBME and ASPBP are initiating a call for applications in 2026 to continue to investigate the effectiveness of strategies that increase the representation of individuals in the medical profession. These grants are intended to support pathway programs across the entire educational continuum. Community-based, elementary to high school and higher education programs are invited to submit applications that focus on evaluating the evidence for success of a particular educational or programmatic intervention strategy.
There are two different funding opportunities:
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SEED Grants
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Material and Resource Grants
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One-time grants of up to $5,000 for programs wanting to improve their curriculum with needed educational resources such as learning management software, student data management software and educational or learning software.
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Eligibility to apply includes not-for-profit organizations and programs or their fiscal sponsors and not-for-profit institutions.
Initial letters of intent are due March 23, 2026. After reviewing letters of intent, NBME will invite full proposals in April. Full proposal applications are due June 28, 2026.
Interested applicants can learn more about the requirements and how to apply on https://www.nbme.org/contributions/pathway-program-grants.
In addition, ASPBP will host an information session on "Pathway Grant Letter of Intent and Application," that will take place on Monday, March 9 14, 2026, at 12:00 PM EDT via Zoom.
During this session a member of the ASPBP Research and Scholarship Committee together with Joanne King from NBME will be presenting on the upcoming Request for Letter of Intent and Grant Applications. The session will provide an overview of these funding mechanisms and the application process. Past recipients Emil Chuck and Angel Gonzalez will be joining the presentation sharing their insight and helpful tips. Attendees are encouraged to ask questions via the Zoom chat function.
Monday, March 9, 2026
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM EDT
To register for the Zoom session click here.
