Physicians for a Healthy California (PHC), under a University of California funding arrangement, is accepting FY 2026-27 applications for CalMedForce and CalMedForce+. The combined cycle has approximately $83.5 million available for California graduate medical education programs. CalMedForce supports primary care and emergency medicine residency programs; CalMedForce+ supports primary care, specialty and fellowship programs and prioritizes new and expanding positions.
Eligible applicants are California-located allopathic or osteopathic residency or fellowship programs accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), or programs that will have formal accreditation by contract execution. Programs serving medically underserved populations and areas receive scoring priority. Eligible program types include new, expanding and existing programs. Approximate award formulas are $105,000 per resident or fellow per year multiplied by program length for new programs, $95,000 per resident or fellow per year multiplied by program length for expanding programs, and $50,000 per resident or fellow per year multiplied by program length for existing programs, subject to available funds and award criteria.
The controlling FY 2026-27 Grant Application Guidelines state a submission deadline of October 6, 2026 at 7:00 p.m. PST. Applications are submitted electronically through PHC’s SmartSimple grant-management system. Applicants must obtain approval from their school, hospital or clinic and GME leadership or delegated financial authority before submission, including institutional support for the requested position(s) and any financial commitment needed beyond the award. No fixed matching percentage is identified in the guidelines; applicants are responsible for any position costs not covered by the award.
Required application content includes program and sponsoring-institution information, ACGME program and sponsoring-institution IDs, expansion documentation when applicable, requested positions, program budget and intended use of funds, payor mix and physician-access information, graduate data where applicable, demographics and attestations. PHC states that applications submitted during the cycle receive one staff completeness/accuracy review within a week; if staff identifies an error, the applicant generally has three business days after notification to make the requested correction.
PHC’s current Allowable Costs guidance permits direct GME expenses including contractual/consultant costs, training-related information technology, and medical equipment up to 20% of the total CalMedForce grant amount when used solely to advance GME. Examples include simulation equipment, ultrasound for procedural training, virtual or augmented reality platforms for clinical competencies, and other equipment required for resident training. Purchases must be justified and follow the applicant organization’s established procurement policy. This creates a legitimate but conditional N9+ pathway when remote physical examination or diagnostic equipment is genuinely required for resident training; equipment not used for resident training is unallowable.
Program contacts: CalMedForce primary care/emergency medicine, calmedforce@phcdocs.org, (916) 551-2899; CalMedForce+ specialties/fellowships, calmedforceplus@phcdocs.org, (916) 551-2547. Source materials remain subject to change during the cycle.