China Medical Board Inc

Quick Stats

Annual Giving: $10+ million
Success Rate: Not publicly available (invitation/nomination only)
Decision Time: Varies by program
Grant Range: $15,000 - $5,300,000
Geographic Focus: China and Southeast Asia (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam)

Contact Details

Cambridge Office: 2 Arrow Street Cambridge, MA 02138 USA

Additional Offices: Beijing and Bangkok

Note: CMB does not accept unsolicited grant proposals. Inquiries or unsolicited proposals may not receive an expeditious reply.

Overview

The China Medical Board (CMB) was established by John D. Rockefeller in 1914 as a division of the Rockefeller Foundation and incorporated as an independent body in 1928. With an endowment of over $300 million, CMB grants more than $10 million annually to advance health, equity, and the quality of care in China and Southeast Asia. In 2016, CMB transitioned to a direct operating foundation, placing it in a stronger position to work with Asian and global partners to initiate, develop, and manage collaborative programs. Since returning to mainland China in 1980, CMB has expanded support in medical education and research to more than a dozen medical universities in China and another dozen in Southeast Asia. The organization works with 24 medical universities throughout the region and is celebrating its 110th anniversary in 2024-2025.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Open Competition (OC) Grants:

$100,000 per project (up to $1 million total commitment)
Duration: Up to 3 years
For early-career researchers from CMB collaborating institutions
Two-stage application: concept note followed by full proposal invitation
Recent focus: Healthy aging (2025 priority)

Institutional Grants:

Range: $15,000 - $5,300,000
Examples include: $950,000 for global health leadership development programs (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Yale School of Public Health)
Smaller research grants: $40,000 - $260,000 for specific projects

Fellowship Programs:

Equity Initiative: $50 million pooled fund (20-year program) to develop 500 transformative leaders for health equity in Southeast Asia
CMB Distinguished Professorships, Mid-Career Faculty Development Awards, Next Generation Fellowships: Managed by Institute for International Education ($5.3 million + $2.5 million supplemental grant)
U.S. Postdoctoral Research Fellowship: 1-2 year opportunities for American scholars in health professions and biomedical sciences (launched May 2024)

Priority Areas

In China:

Health professional education (particularly graduate medical education)
Health policy and systems sciences
Health systems research and practice
Global health engagement
Leadership development

In Southeast Asia:

The Equity Initiative (flagship program) - building leadership for health equity
Community of changemakers from diverse sectors
Health professional training and education
Rural health and reducing urban-rural disparities

Cross-Regional Focus:

Tobacco control and prevention
Evidence-based health policies
Innovative approaches to public health challenges
Safe motherhood and maternal health
Healthy aging (2025 priority)
Training for village doctors and mobile health workers

What They Don't Fund

CMB does not:

Accept unsolicited grant proposals from any organization
Fund organizations or researchers outside their network of collaborating institutions
Support projects outside China and Southeast Asia
Fund researchers who completed their terminal degree (PhD, ScD, DrPH, MD) or postdoc/residency training more than 10 years ago (for OC grants)

Governance and Leadership

President: Dr. Roger I. Glass, MD, PhD (assumed office April 15, 2023)

Internationally recognized leader in global health with four decades of experience
Previous leadership roles in public service, research, capacity building, and international collaboration
Former Director of the Fogarty International Center

Chair of Board of Trustees: Harvey V. Fineberg, MD, PhD

President of the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation

Board Members include:

Margaret (Peggy) Hamburg - Co-president of the InterAcademy Partnership (IAP), internationally recognized leader in public health and medicine
Carin Leong Pai, CFA - Executive Vice President and Head of Portfolio Management at Fiduciary Trust Company International
J. Stephen Morrison - Senior Vice President at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)
Joseph C. Kolars, MD - Executive Director of the University of Michigan's Center for Global Health Equity
Fred Z. Hu - Founder of Primavera Capital Group

Recent Leadership Appointments:

Dr. Thaksaphon (Mek) Thamarangsi appointed Chief Representative and Director of the CMB Bangkok Office (effective January 1, 2026)

Key Quote from Leadership: Dr. Glass emphasized CMB's "long and rich history of advancing interprofessional health education, research, and leadership throughout China and Southeast Asia" and noted that CMB has "historic partnerships with key leaders of health institutions in the region and its trusted voice and unique and independent programs as a philanthropy have great relevance today."

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

CMB does not have a public application process. Throughout its history, the China Medical Board has adopted a policy of not accepting unsolicited grant proposals. The rationale is straightforward: its strategic grant-making is highly focused on targeted activities to advance its mission.

Who Can Apply:

Only researchers and health professionals from CMB's collaborating institutions are eligible. Specifically:

Must be affiliated with one of CMB's 24 partner medical universities in China or Southeast Asia
For Open Competition grants: researchers who received their terminal degree (PhD, ScD, DrPH, or MD) in the last 10 years OR completed postdoc/residency training in the last 10 years
Applications must be submitted through the institution's CMB liaison office

Open Competition (OC) Grant Process (for collaborating institutions):

Stage One: Submit concept note along with CVs for peer review
Stage Two: Principal investigators of suitable projects are invited to develop full proposals for final review
Submit application documents through the institution's CMB liaison office

Partner Universities include:

Peking University Health Science Center (China-based program-operating institution since 2022)
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (program operating institution)
Yale School of Medicine (program operating institution)
Peking Union Medical College
Zhejiang University
And approximately 18 other medical universities across China and Southeast Asia

Getting on Their Radar

Establishing Institutional Relationships:

CMB encourages international groups wishing to work in China to establish relationships directly with CMB's sponsored Chinese and Asian institutions rather than approaching CMB directly.

Specific Strategies:

Partner with existing CMB collaborating institutions on research or educational initiatives
Build relationships with faculty and administrators at the 24 CMB partner universities
Demonstrate alignment with CMB's strategic priorities through collaborative work in health professional education, health policy and systems sciences, or health equity
Contact the CMB liaison office at partner institutions to understand their priorities and ongoing CMB-funded initiatives

Note on Contact: While you may contact CMB to inquire about institutional collaboration opportunities, the foundation states that "inquiries or unsolicited proposals may not receive an expeditious reply" due to their focused grant-making approach.

Decision Timeline

Timelines vary by program type:

Open Competition grants use a two-stage review process (concept note, then invited full proposal)
Institutional grants are developed through ongoing relationships with partner universities
Fellowship programs have specific application cycles managed by partner institutions or IIE

Specific timelines are not publicly disclosed, as grants are typically developed through ongoing dialogue with collaborating institutions rather than fixed application deadlines.

Success Rates

Success rates are not publicly available. CMB operates through a targeted, invitation-based model rather than open competition, making traditional success rate metrics not applicable to most of their grant-making.

For the Open Competition grants (available only to researchers at collaborating institutions), the two-stage process means only promising concept notes are invited to submit full proposals, but specific acceptance rates are not disclosed.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable for general applicants, as CMB does not accept unsolicited applications. For researchers at collaborating institutions applying to Open Competition or fellowship programs, specific reapplication policies would be communicated through institutional liaison offices.

Application Success Factors

Since CMB operates through collaborating institutions rather than open applications, success factors are different from traditional grant-makers:

For Institutions Seeking to Become CMB Partners:

Long-term commitment to health professional education excellence in China or Southeast Asia
Demonstrated capacity for training competent health professionals
Institutional focus on reducing health disparities, particularly rural-urban gaps
Alignment with CMB's strategic priorities in medical education, health policy and systems sciences, or global health

For Researchers at Collaborating Institutions:

Early-career status (terminal degree or postdoc/residency completed within last 10 years for OC grants)
Research proposals aligned with current CMB priorities (e.g., healthy aging for 2025 OC program)
Evidence-based approaches that catalyze new policies and practices
Focus on improved health outcomes and addressing major public health challenges
Strong mentorship and institutional support
Potential for regional or international impact

Language and Terminology CMB Values:

Health equity
Interprofessional health education
Evidence-based policies and practices
Capacity building
Leadership development
Reducing disparities (especially rural-urban)
Competent graduates meeting health sector demands
Global health engagement

Recent Funded Project Examples:

"Improving Chronic HIV Care in HIV Clinics" (Zhejiang University, $40,000)
"CMB Global Health Leadership Development Program" (Yale School of Public Health, $950,000)
Training initiative for early-career Chinese health professionals in global health (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, $950,000)
Promoting healthy work environments (Sun Yat-Sen University, $200,000)
Training village doctors (Xinjiang Medical University, $241,500)

What CMB Has Said: According to their materials, supporting "the career development of young professionals and emerging leaders has long been a priority" for the organization. President Roger Glass emphasized that CMB's "trusted voice and unique and independent programs as a philanthropy have great relevance today."

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

No Public Application Process: CMB does not accept unsolicited proposals. You must be affiliated with one of their 24 collaborating medical universities in China or Southeast Asia to access funding.
Build Institutional Relationships First: If your organization is not a CMB partner, focus on establishing collaborative relationships with CMB's partner institutions rather than approaching CMB directly.
Early-Career Focus: Many CMB programs specifically target researchers and health professionals who completed their training within the last 10 years, emphasizing emerging leader development.
Strategic Alignment is Critical: CMB's grant-making is "highly focused on targeted activities to advance its mission" - proposals must closely align with their three program areas: health professional education, health policy and systems sciences, and Southeast Asia initiatives.
Geographic Restrictions: All funding is directed to China and Southeast Asia (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam). Projects outside this region are not supported.
Long-Term Partnership Model: CMB operates as a direct operating foundation since 2016, preferring sustained partnerships over one-off grants. They invest in institutions for the long term.
Equity Initiative as Flagship: For Southeast Asian health professionals, the Equity Initiative represents CMB's largest investment ($50 million over 20 years) and clearest pathway to engagement, though selection is highly competitive with only 30 fellows per year from 11+ countries.

References

Grantmakers.io Profile - China Medical Board Inc. - Accessed December 27, 2025
China Medical Board Inc | Foundation Directory | Candid - Accessed December 27, 2025
Contact Information | China Medical Board - Accessed December 27, 2025
China Medical Board - Wikipedia - Accessed December 27, 2025
Active Grants | China Medical Board - Accessed December 27, 2025
China Medical Board Foundation Fellowship Programs in Global Health | Yale School of Medicine - Accessed December 27, 2025
China Medical Board Next Generation Fellowships | IIE - Accessed December 27, 2025
Board Members Archive - China Medical Board - Accessed December 27, 2025
China Medical Board Announces the Appointment of Dr. Roger I. Glass as President - Accessed December 27, 2025
CMB Foundation website - Accessed December 27, 2025
Transformative Leaders for Health Equity in Southeast Asia | China Medical Board - Accessed December 27, 2025
China Medical Board 2025 Open Competition Grants Program - Accessed December 27, 2025
China Medical Board 2023 Open Competition Grants Program - Accessed December 27, 2025
Barbara Stoll Reflects on Leadership Transition at CMB | China Medical Board - Accessed December 27, 2025
China Medical Board – China Development Brief - Accessed December 27, 2025