FY26 Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education (THCGME) Program

The Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education Program is administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. This federal initiative is designed to sustain and strengthen graduate medical education in community-based settings, particularly those that serve rural and medically underserved populations. The program builds on prior federal investments in workforce development by focusing on primary care residency training in ambulatory patient care centers, ensuring that healthcare professionals are trained in environments aligned with high-need communities. The primary purpose of this program is to provide continued financial support to existing residency training programs that are already funded under the Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education model. These funds are intended to maintain and enhance training capacity for residents in primary care disciplines. The program emphasizes the development of competencies needed to deliver high-quality, patient-centered care across diverse populations, with a particular focus on improving access to care in underserved and rural areas. By supporting these residency programs, the initiative aims to address physician shortages and improve long-term healthcare outcomes. Funding under this opportunity is allocated to support operational costs associated with training residents, including faculty supervision, administrative infrastructure, and educational resources necessary to sustain accredited residency programs. The funding is not intended for new program creation but rather for the continuation of existing programs that meet eligibility requirements. There is no cost sharing or matching requirement associated with this funding, which reduces financial barriers for eligible applicants and allows full utilization of federal funds toward program sustainability. Eligible applicants must be community-based ambulatory patient care centers that operate accredited primary care residency programs. These centers may operate independently or as part of a graduate medical education consortium. Residency programs must fall within specified disciplines, including family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, internal medicine-pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, psychiatry, general dentistry, pediatric dentistry, or geriatrics. Existing recipients of program funding must continue to meet all eligibility criteria to remain eligible, and failure to do so will result in disqualification from consideration. The application process for this funding opportunity is expected to be conducted electronically through the Grants.gov system. Applications must be submitted by the stated deadline, and submissions received after the cutoff time will not be considered. While specific application components are not detailed in the forecast notice, applicants can expect to provide documentation demonstrating continued eligibility, program accreditation, and the capacity to sustain residency training activities. Evaluation criteria are expected to focus on compliance with program requirements, effectiveness in training residents, and alignment with the program’s mission to serve underserved communities. The timeline for this opportunity indicates that the application period is anticipated to open by the end of July 2026, with a submission deadline in late September 2026. Awards are expected to be announced by June 2027, with project activities beginning in July 2027. The program follows a structured federal fiscal cycle, and while recurrence is not explicitly stated, the existence of prior funding cycles suggests a continuing program structure subject to annual appropriations. Applicants are encouraged to monitor updates and prepare materials in advance of the application window. For additional information or inquiries, applicants may contact the program representative listed in the opportunity notice. The contact provided includes both a phone number and email address, allowing for direct communication regarding eligibility, application procedures, and program requirements. This support ensures that applicants have access to guidance throughout the process and can clarify any uncertainties before submission.