Spokane County Medical Society Foundation

What Spokane County Medical Society Foundation does

The Spokane County Medical Society Foundation (SCMSF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established in 1997 as a sister entity to the Spokane County Medical Society (SCMS), a professional membership association founded in 1885 by military physician Cyrus K. Merriam. Headquartered at PO Box 650, Veradale, Washington, the Foundation serves approximately 1,100 physician and physician assistant members of SCMS, along with medical students, residents, and community organizations in Spokane County and Eastern Washington. Its mission is to improve community health and effect positive change for physicians through grants, scholarships, and educational programming, operating distinctly from SCMS's 501(c)(6) advocacy and membership functions.

SCMSF's core offerings include community health grants administered to local organizations, the Bill Sherman MD Memorial Scholarship (funding attendance at WSMA's Annual Leadership Development Conference), the Thomas F. Heston MD Scholarship, and the Medical Education Committee's annual Art/Poetry/Essay Contest (in its 6th year in 2026, awarding three $500 prizes). The Foundation supports annual continuing medical education events including SCMS Medicine 2026 and the Women in Medicine Conference, and publishes The Message Magazine quarterly to members, nonmembers, hospitals, clinics, universities, and allied institutions. There is no proprietary technology product; the Foundation relies on a standard GrowthZone association management platform for its member portal (members.spcms.org), directory, dues payment, and event registration.

The Foundation's revenue model is built on SCMS membership dues, event registration fees, advertising and sponsorship revenue, and contributions supporting grant disbursements to community health initiatives. Membership dues and event pricing are not publicly disclosed. SCMSF maintains a multi-institutional partnership ecosystem spanning the Washington State Medical Association, University of Washington School of Medicine (Spokane campus), Washington State University Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine, MEDEX Northwest PA Program, Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences, Spokane Teaching Health Clinic, Gonzaga University, and Smile Spokane to support medical education, scholarships, residency training, and community health initiatives.

Name

Spokane County Medical Society Foundation

Legal name

Spokane County Medical Society Foundation

Website

https://spcms.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Spokane County Medical Society Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that administers grants, scholarships, and educational programs to support medical education and community health for approximately 1,100 physician and physician assistant members across Spokane County, Washington.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Medical Association Services

NAICS

Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Civic and Social Organizations (8134)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Health & Medical Research Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community Health, Prevention & Health Education (BPAGACAC), Patient Advocacy, Navigation & Access to Care (BPAGACAH)

Keywords

• Professional medical association
• Physician advocacy services
• Continuing medical education
• Medical scholarships and grants
• Community health foundation

Headquarters

HQ city

Spokane Valley

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Spokane County Medical Society Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit foundation that supports medical education and community health in Spokane County through scholarships (notably the Bill Sherman, MD, Memorial Scholarship), an annual Art, Poetry and Essay Contest for medical/PA students and residents, continuing medical education conferences (SCMS Medicine 2026 and Women in Medicine), and community health grants awarded to local organizations. It operates alongside its parent society, the Spokane County Medical Society (founded 1885), which provides physician/PA membership, advocacy representation, a member directory, and quarterly newsmagazine publication.

Product overview

Spokane County Medical Society Foundation is a professional membership organization for physicians and physician assistants, offering membership services, educational programs, scholarships, and community grants. The organization operates primarily as a membership-based society rather than a technology product company. Core offerings include the SCMS Member Directory (searchable physician finder), The Message Magazine (quarterly newsmagazine), Medical Education Committee Programs (including annual Art/Poetry/Essay contests and the Bill Sherman MD Memorial Scholarship), SCMS Medicine 2026 CME Conference, Women in Medicine Conference, and SCMS Foundation Grants to community organizations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Bill Sherman, MD, Memorial Scholarship: Scholarship fund created in honor of Bill Sherman, MD, a psychiatrist in Spokane passionate about medical education and health policy. First consideration is for Washington State students pursuing Primary Care in Spokane County.
• Thomas F. Heston, MD, Scholarship

Products and services

• SCMS Member Directory Online searchable directory enabling the public to find SCMS physicians and physician assistants by name or specialty, serving approximately 1,100 members and supporting referral traffic for member practices.
• The Message Magazine Quarterly digital newsmagazine delivering Spokane-specific news, opinions, and discussion of medical issues and education, distributed to members, nonmember physicians, PA students, hospitals, clinics, and universities.
• Bill Sherman, MD, Memorial Scholarship Scholarship fund providing funding for medical students and residents to attend WSMA's Annual Leadership Development Conference in Chelan, Washington, with first consideration given to Washington State students pursuing Primary Care in Spokane County.
• Art, Poetry and Essay Contest Annual arts and humanities contest hosted by the Medical Education Committee promoting wellness among Spokane medical/PA students and residents, awarding three $500 prizes each year in Best Poem, Best Essay, and Best Image categories.
• SCMS Medicine 2026 CME Conference Annual full-day CME seminar for Spokane-area primary care providers covering challenging management issues such as ADHD medications, cardio-kidney-metabolic framework, and opioid use disorder.
• Women in Medicine Conference Annual conference for female physicians, PAs, nurses, dentists, psychologists, residents, medical/PA students, and allied health professionals in the Pacific Northwest, focused on self-development, leadership skills, and networking.
• SCMS Foundation Grants Grant program administered by the Spokane County Medical Society Foundation to Spokane-area community organizations, providing funding to support health initiatives in the local community.
• SCMS Physician/PA Membership Membership in the Spokane County Medical Society for physicians and physician assistants in Spokane County, providing advocacy representation, directory listing, member portal access, quarterly newsmagazine, CME event invitations, and committee participation opportunities.
• Medical Education Committee Programs Committee programs supporting undergraduate and graduate medical education in Spokane and Eastern Washington, organizing the annual arts and humanities contests for medical/PA students and residents and administering related scholarships.
• Spokane Physician Family Support Group Weekly evening peer support group for physician families and their spouses in Spokane, addressing stress, crisis, substance use disorders, behavioral health issues, and other common family problems, facilitated through confidential peer experience.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Washington State Medical Association (WSMA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSCMS represents Spokane County at WSMA annual conferences and collaborates on advocacy efforts. WSMA provides Annual Leadership Development Conference in Chelan, Washington for SCMS scholarship recipients. SCMS Foundation sends scholarship winners to WSMA conferences. Partnership includes SCMS participation in WSMA House of Delegates.
• University of Washington School of MedicinecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUW School of Medicine Spokane campus provides medical education opportunities. SCMS Foundation Bill Sherman, MD, Memorial Scholarship recipients include UW medical students. SCMS supports UW teaching opportunities and medical student engagement.
• Washington State University SpokanecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWSU Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine is part of the Spokane medical education community. SCMS supports medical student involvement and provides teaching opportunities at WSU.
• MEDEX Northwest PA ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMEDEX Northwest PA Program is a physician assistant school participating in SCMS arts/humanities contests. SCMS supports PA student involvement and provides scholarships.
• Pacific Northwest University of Health SciencesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPNWU is listed among Spokane medical education institutions engaging with SCMS for student support and community health initiatives.
• Spokane Teaching Health CliniccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSCMS Board Trustee Michelle Doby, DO serves as Associate Program Director at Spokane Teaching Health Clinic Family Medicine Residency. SCMS supports residency programs and local GME.
• Smile SpokaneminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with oral health advocates to promote oral health in Spokane community. SCMS leadership participates on Smile Spokane coalition.
• Gonzaga UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed among Spokane educational institutions for medical community engagement and potential student involvement.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Idaho Medical Association: State-level medical association serving Idaho physicians. Comparable professional membership model with advocacy, CME, and member services, but operates in an adjacent regional market that does not directly compete with SCMS in Spokane County.
• Oregon Medical Association: Statewide professional association for Oregon physicians offering advocacy, CME, and member benefits. Similar membership-based physician society model to SCMS but serves a different Pacific Northwest geography with no direct Spokane overlap.

Others

• Washington State Dental Association: Statewide professional membership association for Washington dentists. Comparable organizational structure (state-level society with foundation arm, advocacy, member benefits, and community health grants), but serves a different profession — useful peer for benchmarking society operations.

Broad incumbents

• American Medical Association: National professional association for physicians in the United States. Comparable in mission (advocacy, CME, member benefits, physician community) but operates at national scale with a much broader portfolio; SCMS members are typically also AMA-eligible and interact through WSMA.
• Washington State Medical Association: Statewide professional medical association for Washington physicians. Directly comparable as the state-level body that SCMS partners with through advocacy, leadership conferences, and the WSMA House of Delegates; serves the same physician constituency but at a much larger geographic and organizational scale.

Direct peers

• Medical Society of Metropolitan Portland: Metropolitan/regional medical society serving Portland-area physicians. Closely comparable metropolitan-scale physician membership organization with advocacy, CME, member directory, and a foundation supporting medical education — a direct structural analogue to SCMS at a larger city scale.
• King County Medical Society: County-level medical society serving physicians in the Seattle/King County area of Washington. Closest structural peer: a regional professional membership organization offering advocacy, CME, networking, and a foundation arm for community health — directly comparable membership-based model.
• Pierce County Medical Society: Another Washington state county medical society. Operates the same model as SCMS: physician/PA membership directory, advocacy, CME programming, and a charitable foundation arm supporting medical students and community health initiatives in its region.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/pages/category/Nonprofit-Organization/Spokane-County-Medical-Society-100800808012483
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/spokane-county-medical-society

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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