California Health Care Access and Information (HCAI) staff told applicants in a webinar that the Song Brown Primary Care Residency (PCR) grant application opened July 25 and closes Sept. 8 at 3 p.m., and that $31 million is available across categories this year. "Our EAP registration is now open. We opened our application this past Friday, July 25," said Brianna Romo, Grants Officer for the Song Brown program. Romo and Lead Communications Analyst Chris Romina spent the session explaining eligibility, required documentation, online-portal roles and scoring rules and answered questions from prospective applicants.

The Song Brown program provides grants to train primary care clinicians for medically underserved areas. Romo summarized funding categories and the amounts allocated for 2025: $18.6 million for existing programs, $5.6 million for teaching health centers (THC), $3.3 million for expansion slots and $3.3 million for new program funding. New programs may be eligible for up to $1 million; a "new with match" option can provide up to $2 million if the applicant matches 25% of the award, Romo said, offering an example in which a $2 million award would require a $500,000 match.

The webinar covered portal and application mechanics. Romina and Romo advised applicants to register early, select the correct organization name as it appears with the IRS, and assign a program director account if that person will submit the application. "Only program directors may initiate, view, edit and submit applications," Romo said; grant preparers may view and edit but cannot submit. The presenters demonstrated the portal’s required fields and validation features, including facility-type lookups, payor-mix entries (whole numbers only), and file upload status (buttons change from red to green when required attachments are uploaded). They warned that uploads can take up to 15 minutes.

Romo explained eligibility rules for new programs and the ACGME-related phases that determine which funding streams applicants may pursue. For example, applicants that indicate completing phases A through D are eligible for new-program funding without a match; applicants completing A through C but not D through G may be eligible for new-with-match funding. She emphasized that applicants applying for new programs cannot simultaneously apply for THC existing or expansion funding.

On scoring and awards, Romo said the minimum threshold is 50% of total possible points but cautioned that meeting the threshold does not guarantee funding because awards depend on both scores and available funds. She provided the total possible points for this cycle: 90 points for PCR existing/expansion/THC tracks (down from 120 last year) and 111 points for new-program tracks (down from 117). Romo also confirmed that the import feature that previously copied training sites or graduates from prior applications has been removed; applicants must re-enter that information.

Attendees asked operational questions the presenters addressed, including whether funding can support faculty precepting (yes, Romo said the funding can support faculty time for resident precepting), whether graduate practice-site reporting must be limited to California (there are separate fields to enter graduates practicing in and out of state), and whether precepting counts as primary care for graduates (no). Romo also noted common application errors—mismatched organization names, missing signatories, out-of-state graduate entries where only California practice data is required—and encouraged applicants to use the early-submission review on Aug. 27 to correct issues before the Sept. 8 deadline.

Romo and Romina said the recording and related resources (grant guide, technical assistance guide, Song Brown glossary) would be posted on the Song Brown program web page within 7–10 business days and urged applicants with case-specific questions to contact the Song Brown team via the email address posted in the webinar chat. They also noted related THC funding may be available from other programs such as Cal MedForce and offered to provide additional criteria on request.

The presenters fielded questions about allowable expenses, advising that a formal list of allowable and nonallowable expenses would be posted on the Song Brown website when available. They clarified data-entry rules (payor-mix percentages must be whole numbers and need not total 100%) and reminded applicants that submitting the application is final; an applicant cannot edit a submission after clicking submit. Romo closed by reminding listeners of the timeline and encouraging them to read the grant and TA guides before submitting.

The webinar functioned primarily as an informational and technical walkthrough; no formal program decisions were made during the session.