NMF was founded in 1946, in Chicago, by Franklin McLean, MD, PhD, an eminent physician who saw, well before others, that the lack of opportunities for  Black physicians was a problem for our nation. He understood that we needed more minority physicians to achieve basic equality of opportunity, and to ensure access to quality health care. This was true in 1946, and it is true today.

NMF began by giving scholarships to Black physicians and medical students who otherwise could not have afforded a medical education. As broad social changes swept America, NMF expanded its commitment, giving scholarships more broadly. Despite the shifting political and cultural winds, NMF has committed itself to providing financial, professional, and communal support and opportunities for talented scholars and physician researchers.   

Today, NMF works to address the growing physician shortage by broadening the pathways to medical education, providing leadership opportunities to ensure clinical research includes everyone, and delivering programs and supports to bolster the future success of medical students and current practitioners.