About the Foundation

The ABFM Foundation (Foundation) was formed in 2000 as a separate legal entity with its own board of directors and qualifies under IRS code as a 501(c)(3) supporting organization to the American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM). The primary purpose of the Foundation is to support ABFM’s mission.

The mission of ABFM is summarized as follows:

Certification

ABFM certifies family physicians who have a commitment to professionalism, lifelong learning and self-assessment, cognitive expertise, and a dedication to improving the care they provide.

Training Standards

ABFM sets rigorous standards for ABFM Board Eligibility, supports excellence and ongoing innovation in residency education, and promotes continuous professional development.

Research

ABFM conducts research that advances the science of certification, monitors how family physicians’ practices evolve over time, improves the clinical and policy environment that family physicians practice in, and advances the scientific basis of family medicine.

Leadership Development

ABFM supports the development of future leaders for the specialty, the profession, and health care.

Collaboration

ABFM collaborates with organizations, specialties, and other partners who share our commitment to a higher standard than licensure, and to the improvement in health care and the health of the public.

The ABFM Foundation advances the mission of ABFM through activities focused on education, training, and research for the family medicine specialty. Recent initiatives include the identification and evaluation of quality metrics that capture the contributions of family medicine; support for Family Medicine for America’s Health; establishment of a fellowship for international family physician educators to study best practices in family medicine education; development and assessment of the Preparing the Personal Physician for Practice and Length of Training initiatives; creation of a national collaborative to improve medical student onboarding and engagement of family medicine preceptors; the Strengthening Outcomes and Assessments in Residencies (SOAR) initiative in partnership with the Association of Family Medicine Residency Directors; support for the Advancing Innovation in Residency Education (AIRE) initiative of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education; and various leadership development initiatives. Since July 1, 2018, the ABFM Foundation has also housed the Center for Professionalism & Value in Health Care.