Rheumatology Research Foundation FY2027 Mentored Nurse Practitioner/Physician Assistant Award for Workforce Expansion
The Rheumatology Research Foundation offers a competitive $25,000 award for one year to expand the number of trained rheumatology nurse practitioners and physician assistants, especially in medically underserved U.S. communities. This is financial assistance for clinical workforce training, not a research award or vendor contract.
Individual award and application deadline
Individual applicant award: $25,000 for direct costs over a 12-month training period. The fall 2026 application round opened October 1, 2026. Deadline: December 1, 2026, 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. The scheduled award term begins February 1, 2027; recipients may delay up to six months if necessary to identify or hire an eligible NP/PA. The funder does not specify an applicant matching-fund requirement.
Who may apply
The eligible applicant is a board-certified rheumatologist practicing clinical rheumatology who meets Foundation citizenship and other policy requirements and is an American College of Rheumatology member at submission and throughout the award. Applications are limited to one per practice per year, and a mentor cannot hold more than one active NP/PA award. The participating NP or PA must have fewer than 18 months’ rheumatology practice experience, have graduated from an appropriate accredited program, hold current state licensure and national board certification, and maintain Association of Rheumatology Professionals membership. The NP/PA need not be identified when applying but must be identified before award acceptance and payment.
Eligible expenses and conditions
Allowable direct costs include rheumatology conference fees and travel, professional memberships, textbooks, online educational courses and journals, and protected-time salary support for the mentor and trainee. Training requires the Advanced Rheumatology Online Course, at least two rheumatology conferences including ACR Convergence, specified practical training workshops, and mentorship webinars. The applicant must submit progress and final reports, including fiscal reconciliation. The competition does not fund general research projects; the total budget cannot exceed $25,000 in direct costs.
How to apply
Apply through ProposalCentral with a professional profile, mentor CV/biosketch, itemized budget and justification, a project proposal (maximum five pages), and other required narrative and credential documents. Consult the complete controlling application instructions and the Foundation’s award policies before applying.
Official controlling FY2027 guidelines: Mentored NP/PA Award for Workforce Expansion RFA (PDF). Funder award overview: Rheumatology Research Foundation training awards.