National Medical Fellowships's mission is to provide scholarships for underrepresented minorities in medicine. Our primary goal is to achieve equity of opportunity in medicine and equity of access to quality healthcare for all groups in American society by increasing the number of minority physicians and changing the face of medicine to better reflect-and serve—our diverse nation.

NMF programs fund need-based and merit scholarships during the first years of medical study and experience-based opportunities for more senior students, increasing the number of culturally competent providers and addressing some of the cultural barriers that ultimately contribute to disparities.

NMF adheres to the Association of American Medical Colleges' definition that underrepresented minorities in medicine are "those racial and ethnic populations that are underrepresented in the medical profession relative to their numbers in the general population."

NMF awards give preference to racial and ethnic minorities that are underrepresented in the medical profession relative to their numbers in the general population with specific attention to: African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, and Asian Americans.