• Implement new and creative strategies that promote the training of more residents and fellows who pursue careers in high-need specialties.
• Identify and support initiatives that effectively recruit, train, and retain physicians who are committed to providing care to populations that are under-resourced and/or located in geographic shortage areas to address health care workforce gaps.
• Build career pathways and learning experiences that prepare and encourage medical students, residents and fellows to pursue careers focused on delivering exceptional care to uninsured and Medi-Cal patient populations.

• Undergraduate medical education leaders employed by or with faculty appointments at medical schools in California that are accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) or the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA). 

and/or 

• Graduate medical education leaders with residency or fellowship programs that are accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and with a sponsoring institution in California.

and/or 

• Graduate medical education leaders from a sponsoring institution in California (e.g., GME Office leadership team).

Applicants must have written support of leadership at their organization. Not all proposals that meet eligibility will be awarded. The full eligibility criteria and selection process for 2026 are forthcoming. 

To learn more about the types of programs funded by The Grow Grants, visit 2025 Grow Grants: Making an impact

• Novel projects and activities that lead to the recruitment and training of more residents and fellows in specialties that are in high demand in California or will be greatly needed in the future.  
• Initiatives or projects designed to accelerate or reimagine pathways into medical school and residency to expand the physician pipeline, especially physicians who will train in high-need specialties and are interested in working with under-resourced communities and/or in physician shortage areas.  
• Projects, including those with specialized curricula, designed to increase residency and fellowship graduates who are dedicated to working with populations that face barriers to care and developing strategies to improve health outcomes in California.
• Initiatives with a strong focus on recruiting, training, and retaining medical residents and fellows who provide care to uninsured and/or Medi-Cal patients.