Please read carefully.
The 2026 Debbie Sanstad scholarship alternates every year between US domestic and international candidates. This year, the scholarship application is only open to clinicians living and practicing in the United States. In 2027, this scholarship will only be open to clinicians living and practicing outside of the United States.
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 and understanding of how functional medicine will impact their patients and/or community
- Commitment to pursue certification in functional medicine through the Functional Medicine Certification Program™
Important! Please note: To ensure the authenticity of your voice and experiences, please limit the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) when writing your application.