Scholarship Application

The 2026 IFM Founders' Scholarship is open to primary care practitioners working with medically underserved communities around the globe.

Applicants must meet all scholarship eligibility requirements and be a licensed professional who meets the eligibility requirements for either the Functional Medicine Certified Professional™(FMCP™) or the Functional Medicine Certified Professional - Medical™(FMCP-M™) credential under the new Functional Medicine Certification Program™ launching in 2026. Eligibility will be verified prior to award. If awarded the scholarship, winners can enroll in IFM’s core curriculum (AFMCP + 6 APMs), and those hours will count toward the 100 hours of accredited functional medicine education required for certification. 

Eligibility Requirements:

The eligibility requirements for both new certification designations (FMCP-M™ and FMCP™) continue to require practitioners to:

• Hold at least a master’s level degree (for some professions, a bachelor’s degree is accepted) in a health-related field from an accredited university. International equivalents and designations will be evaluated based on degree, regulatory status, and scope of practice.
• Hold an active healthcare license to practice by the appropriate authority in the state, province, or country of clinical practice.

To successfully earn their designation, candidates will be required to:

• Complete an application for the new certification program.
• Complete a minimum of 100 hours of accredited functional medicine education and training that align with the designation’s functional medicine competencies. At this time, IFM’s core functional medicine curriculum is the only education program teaching to the functional medicine competencies. Approved accrediting bodies will be announced prior to program launch.
• Pass either the FMCP™ or FMCP-M™ written examination. Each designation will have a separate written examination based on the respective functional medicine competencies, not specific courses or trainings by a specific educational organization. The written exams will incorporate new, detailed, case-based test questions to assess clinical skills. There will no longer be a separate case study submission.

Your scholarship application will be rated based on your written answers.

Your application should reflect your:

• Excitement to pursue certification in functional medicine through the Functional Medicine Certification Program™
• Capacity and passion to become a future leader of the functional medicine movement and a champion of IFM
• Dedication to serving a medically underserved community
• Capacity for mentoring the next generation of functional medicine leaders
• Passion for using functional medicine to advance health equity in your home community and beyond

Applicants will have the option for their Founder’s Scholarship application to also be considered for the 2026 Functional Medicine for All Scholarship. Functional Medicine for All Scholarship winners will not be selected until mid-summer 2026.

Please note the following if you practice outside of the United States:

IFM’s core curriculum and certification testing are only offered in English. We recommend professional fluency in English, especially with medical terminology. For reference, please refer to our free online course: Introduction to Functional Medicine.

Important! Please note: To ensure the authenticity of your voice and experiences, please limit the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) when writing your application.