California Health Care Access and Information (HCAI) staff outlined application steps, funding levels and deadlines for the Song Brown Primary Care Residency Program in a recorded Microsoft Teams webinar, telling new and continuing applicants that the e-application opened July 25, 2025, that early completeness review will occur Aug. 27, 2025, and that the application deadline is Sept. 8, 2025, at 3 p.m.

The webinar matters for programs that train primary care clinicians because Song Brown awards support education and training intended to place providers in medically underserved areas. John Nguyen, Program Officer for Song Brown, said, "Song Brown provides funding to education programs, including primary care, family nurse practitioners and physician assistants, registered nurses, and midwifery programs." HCAI staff said the cycle makes up to $31,000,000 available across funding categories.

Program and funding details
HCAI listed award categories and nominal amounts: existing primary care residency slots, $8,600,000; teaching health centers (THC), $5,600,000; expansion slots, $3,300,000; and new programs, $3,300,000, for a total program pool of up to $31,000,000. New programs may apply either without a match (eligibility generally requires completion of A–D accreditation phases) or for "new programs with match," which requires a 25% organizational match and can increase the total budget (example provided: a $2,000,000 HCAI award plus a $500,000 match yields a $2,500,000 total budget). The maximum requestable award for a new program is $1,000,000; with a 25% match the maximum requestable total is $2,000,000.

Eligibility, phases and required attachments
HCAI described the ACGME-related phases A through G used to determine new-program eligibility. Programs that have completed phases A–D may apply for new-program funding without a match; programs that have completed A–C but not D–G and that will provide a 25% match may apply for the larger "with match" awards. For new-program applications, attachments are required at the time of application based on the phases selected: Phase A requires proof of application for sponsoring institution accreditation; Phase B, fiscal plan; Phase C, timeline; Phase D, training sites recruited. If a program indicates it has completed Phases D–G, only a letter of sustainability is required at application.

Portal, roles and required data
HCAI said applicants must register in the HCAI funding portal and use two-step authentication for new accounts. The legal name and address entered must match IRS records; HCAI will review new organization requests within five business days but applicants may begin applications while that review is pending. Accounts are initially assigned the grant preparer role; only accounts granted the program director role can initiate and submit applications. John Nguyen said program directors may "initiate, view, edit, submit applications, payment certifications, and final reports," while grant preparers can view and edit but cannot submit.

Training sites and payer mix
Applicants must provide primary outpatient training-site information (only primary continuity sites are required, not every rotation site). Payer-mix data are required for each listed training site and should reflect the last 12 months; HCAI said the payer-mix values must be whole numbers and do not have to total 100. Facility type must be verified using HCAI-provided links.

Data collection and scoring
HCAI said race and ethnicity information for current residents and graduate data will be collected for reporting; the agency also said underrepresented-in-medicine (URM) resident and graduate counts must be provided for data collection but will not be scored in this cycle. On that question John Nguyen said HCAI's legal office is "reviewing if it aligns with Proposition 209," and that the agency will provide further guidance after that review.

Technical and common errors
HCAI removed an import feature that previously allowed copying training sites and graduates from prior applications; staff explained they removed it because many applicants did not complete the imported fields correctly and HCAI wants current, accurate entries. Common application errors HCAI described include mismatched contract organization names (must match W-9/IRS records), incorrect or missing STD-204 payee data record signatories, failing to include resident or graduate counts when applicable, and adding training programs without first searching the portal's existing entries.

Support, review and contact
The early submission review on Aug. 27 is a completeness review; HCAI staff said they will flag missing items and contact applicants to streamline review but will not provide substantive scoring suggestions at that stage. The webinar and an earlier session are being recorded and will be posted on the Song Brown web page within seven to 10 business days. HCAI staff directed application questions about personal or program-specific circumstances to the Song Brown support address provided in the webinar resources (SongBrownHCAI@hcai.ca.gov) and to the grant guide and technical-assistance guide available on the program web page.

What applicants should do next
HCAI advised programs to register now in the funding portal (do not wait), confirm the organization's legal name and address match IRS records, verify who at their institution is authorized to sign the STD-204 and grant agreement, assign a program director account to the person who will submit the application, assemble required attachments tied to accreditation phases, and plan for the early-completeness review and the Sept. 8, 2025, 3 p.m. deadline. The agency encouraged applicants to read both the grant guide and the TA guide and to contact Song Brown staff for unresolved questions.