St. Louis Community-University Health Research Partnerships

St. Louis Community-University Health Research Partnerships- 2012 Request for Proposal

Partnership Development Grants

St. Louis Community-University

Health Research Partnerships

2012 Request for Proposal

Partnership Development Grants

BACKGROUND

In 2009, Washington University, Saint Louis University, and BJC HealthCare partneredto fund the St. Louis Community-University Health Research Partnerships (CUHRP). The CUHRP initiative focuses on health care problems of importance to the community with the goal of improving health outcomes, reducing health disparities, and fostering long-term collaborations between university faculty and community-based organizations in St. Louis city and county.The St. Louis Regional Health Commission administered the first round of grant funding and coordinated the initiative’s activities.

Through this 2012 Request for Proposals (RFP), the CUHRP initiative will provide another opportunity to fund an additional round of community-university partnerships grants. The administrative aspects for this RFP will be managed by Washington Universityin collaboration with Saint Louis Universityin the same manner as the initial CUHRP funding program.

FUNDING PROGRAM GOALS

The goals of the 2012 CUHRP funding opportunityare to continue to:

• Build capacity of communities and university partners to engage in meaningful, collaborative research partnerships;
• Enhance networks and infrastructure that will promote community-engaged research that not only takes place in the community, but involves the community; and
• Foster preliminary work and collaborative research projects that pursue issues important to St. Louis communities and lead to larger research projects that will promote community health by combining knowledge with action.

GRANT TYPES

Applicants may apply for two types of grants: Partnership Development and Implementation. This document outlines the submission process for Partnership Development grants.

Partnership Development grantsare intended to help foster potential or newly developing community-academic partnerships. Proposals can focus on activities such as:

• Building relationships between partners with structured discussion meetings;
• Gathering input from stakeholder groups;
• Defining common goals, roles, and responsibilities of various partners through facilitated meetings;
• Developing community boards or other appropriate partnership infrastructure; and
• Planning future research collaboration and project development proposals through facilitated discussions.

Funding requests may go to expenses such as meeting space, supplies, paid facilitation, consultants, etc. We do not anticipate a large portion of the monies to go to applicant personnel costs. Project activities must ultimately lead to a clear path for future collaboration on research projects and related proposals to external funding sources.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

• Each Partnership Development proposal must have at least two principal investigators (PIs): one or more from established 501 (c) (3) community-based organizations (CBOs) in St. Louis city or county and one or more from Washington University, Saint Louis University, and/or Goldfarb School of Nursing.
• Proposals must supporta new community-academic partnership.
• Projects must focus on health problems of importance to the community as identified by broad and balanced input from the community-based organizations and sponsoring academic institutions.
• The academic and community-based partner(s) must be co-creators of the project design and budget.Co-PIs from the academic and community-based partnerships should jointly oversee project-related activities.
• Grantees will be required to share the outcomes of their projectsand lessons learned with other investigators and community members at a local public event sponsored by the universities and other partners. Expenses will be covered by theCUHRP initiative and event sponsors. Event date and location to be determined.

FUNDING GUIDELINES

Applicants may apply for a maximum of $5,000 for a Partnership Development grant to cover costs for a one-year period. It is anticipated that up to four Partnership Developmentgrantswill be awarded from this funding opportunity, depending on the quality of proposals and the level of funding requested by each applicant.

PROGRAM SCHEDULE

AWARD PROCESS
The financial administrator for the awards will be the Washington University Institute of Clinical and Translational Sciences (ICTS). The ICTS will issue grant awards for the approved project amount to the universities of the academic PIs. Please note that the Center for Community Health and Partnerships (CCHP) at Washington University will be the primary point of contact for the CUHRP grants. CCHP and the ICTS will work closely to help ensure grantees needs are met in a timely and efficientmanner.

HOW TO APPLY

Proposal Registration

Registration is the required first step in the CUHRP application process. Registration is required in order to confirm PI eligibility and anticipate the number of full proposals toidentify an adequate number of reviewers. Registration of your proposalmust be received by CCHP by November 15, 2012at 5pm (CST). This deadline will be strictly adhered to with no exceptions.

All applicants will complete the information outlined in the Registration Form (Page 9). Universities and community-based organizations are allowed to participate on multiple projects, but individuals are only allowed to serve as the principal investigator on one project. In addition to contact information and anticipated budget, applicants will submit the following:

• Need or Case Statement: Description of the community need that the partnership seeks to address and how the proposed partnership is new.
• Grant Purpose Statement: Description of how the support will be used to build a partnership (e.g., project activities, specific partners involved).

Registration will be submitted online at .

Applicants will receive an email reply indicating their registration was received. If you do not receive an email within 24 hours please contact the Center at or 314.747-9212.

Please direct all questions about the grant types or application process to Stephanie Herbers, CCHP Manager, at 314.747-9234 or .

Full Proposal – Application Instructions

Proposals will be evaluated based on the information provided in the sections outlined below.

Format Specifications

• Applications must include the form pages specified for the grant type.
• Project plan narratives should not exceed 3 single spaced pages for Partnership Development grants.
• Use Arial 11 point or larger and one-inch margins.
• Figures, graphs, diagrams, charts, tables, figure legends and footnotes: you may use a smaller type size.
• Consecutively number all pages in the application, including supporting documents.
• Include both Principal Investigators’ names at the top of each page.

Forms and Narrative

• Form 1: Face Page (Page 10)
• Regulatory Approvals: Most partnership development activities should not need human research participants. However, should a partnership development project involve the use of human research participants, certification of IRB approval is required prior to the release of funding. Pending approvals at the time of application submission are acceptable.

Institutions are required to follow their own IRB regulations. It is expected that PIs will work with their institutional offices and IRB to ensure that all project activities, including shared responsibilities, are appropriately covered and, if applicable, meet regulations governing the participation of engaged performance sites. Certifications of approval must be signed, include Federal Wide Assurance (FWA) number(s), approval type, and approval date.

• Signatures:Official Signing for Applicant Organization: Approval signatures must be provided from the Organization/Institutional Official of the university each applicant organization, community and university.

Washington University applicants should provide the signature of their department chair under “Official Signing for Applicant Organization” to show departmental approval.The application does not have to run through the Office of Sponsored Research Services since this is an internal funding program.

Community Based Organization applicants will not have funds subcontracted from their academic partner institutions so the official’s signature signifies the organization’s commitment as a primary collaborator on the project.

Saint Louis University and Goldfarb School of Nursing applicants must provide an approval signature from theirOrganizational/Institutional Official. The signature on the Face Page, of the “Official Signing for Applicant Organization”, signifies that the applicant organization understands and agrees to the following statement: The appropriate programmatic and administrative personnel of each organization involved in this grant application are prepared to establish the necessary contractual agreement consistent with applicable policies.

• Form 2:Abstract & Key Collaborators (Page 11)
• Using the required CUHRP formatted page, providea brief abstract of project and list of key collaborators.
• Key Collaborators: List all key contributors to the project activities with the PIs first and the remaining individuals in alphabetical order.

Key collaboratorsare individuals who contribute to the development or execution of the project in a substantive, measurable way, whether or not salaries are requested.

• Form 3: Budget Summary (Page 12)
• Complete the form, showing the costs for the project.
• Budget Justification
• Provide a short justification for all costs. Describe the role and qualifications of each individual listed on the project. For non-personnel costs, itemize the expenses and describe how they will be used to conduct this project.
• Project Plan (3 page maximum)
• Problem or Need: Briefly describe the specific need or problem the partnership will seek to address, how this need was identified, and its specific benefit for relationship to the community. Provide data regarding the nature and extent of the identified problem or issue.
• Project Overview: State the specific goals/objectives for building the partnership; goals/objectives must be measurable and time-specific. Describe the specific activities that will be used to achieve each stated objective.Describe applicants’ prior experience with partnership development, including those focused on community-academic research partnerships. Describe how project activities will be evaluated.
• Note: In addition to project activities, grantees will be required to share their project and lessons learned with other investigators and community members at a local public event sponsored by the universities and other partners.
• Additional Information
• Resume/CV/Biosketch (2 page limit per individual) from CBO and University Principal Investigators and other key collaborators involved in the implementation of this project. (not included in the 2 page limit).

BUDGET GUIDELINES

Allowable Costs & Activities

Funding will be provided for items essential to the conduct of the project up to the maximum amount available for the grant type.

Direct Costs

Personnel

Allowable personnel expenses include salaryand applicable fringe benefits for key collaborators: The percent of salary requested cannot exceed the percent of effort that will be devoted to the project.Note: Due to the small size of the Partnership Development grants and their primary focus on planning, we do not anticipate significant applicant personnel expenses.

Consultant

Supplies and Other Expenses

Travel

Travel is only allowable if needed to conduct the project. Travel to general scientific and general community meetings is not allowable.

Indirect Costs

Indirect costs are not allowed for Partnership Development grants.

Unallowable Costs & Activities

CUHRP will not fund the following types of activities and expenses:

• Existing service capabilities
• Capital campaigns, annual appeals or other fundraising events
• Direct support of an individual's medical care, education or training
• Endowment building or development campaigns
• Lobbying of any kind
• Ongoing general operating expenses of established programs
• Purchase of health insurance for individuals or groups (other than as a part of employeefringe benefits on approved projects)
• Real estate acquisition, construction or maintenance
• Religious efforts
• Dues and membership fees
• Recruiting/relocation expenses
• Entertainment/social expenses
• Pre-award costs

APPLICATION CHECKLIST

Applications that do not contain all of the required documentation will not be reviewed.

Submitted applications must contain all of the items listed below:

□Application Face Page (Form 1)

□Abstract and Key Contributors (Form 2)

□Budget Summary (Form 3)

□Budget Justifications

□Project Plan Narrative

□Description of the Involvement of Human Subjects (if applicable)

□Resumes/ CVs/Biosketches for key collaborators (2 page maximum per person)

□Copy of IRB approval letter if project involves human subjects

(If approval is marked as “pending” on Face Page approval letter is not applicable at this time)

□Letters of Support (optional)

□Additional Materials submitted as an appendix (2 maximum)

SUBMISSION PROCESS

The full proposal must be received by CCHP at the Washington University Institute for Public Health by December 13, 2012 at 5pm. Proposals must be submitted by email (.pdf of original) to:

Subject line: 2012 Community-University Health Research Partnerships

Email:

Applicants will receive an email reply indicating the proposal was received. If you do not receive an email within 24 hours please contact CCHP at or 314.747-9212.

REVIEW PROCESS AND AWARD SELECTION

Award determinations will be made by a panel comprised of community representatives who will review the grants based on demonstrated competence in the following areas:

1. Statement of Need- Demonstrates a specific, well defined need of high community priority.
2. Capacity and Collaboration- Demonstrates the ability to operationally execute the project as proposed and provides a clear picture of how the organizations will work together.
3. Sustainability- Demonstrates potential for future research collaboration and funding.
4. Budget- Demonstrates a reasonable, achievable, and collaborative financial model for completing the work.

CUHRP reserves the right to reject any and all proposals submitted, to request additional information or clarification from any or all applicants and/or negotiate modifications with applicants any time before, during, or after the award process.

Please direct all questions about the application process to Stephanie Herbers, CCHP Manager, at 314.747-9234 or .

GRANT PROGRESS REPORTING PROCESS

Progress Report Guidelines

Progress reports allow grantees to communicate to CUHRP their progress in achieving goals and objectives. Grantees will be expected to submit a six-month interim report due 15 days after the sixth month of their contract. A final report will be due 60 days after the end of the project period. CUHRP will provide grantees with a form to use for reporting purposes. Reports will consist of three main parts: Progress Toward Outcomes, Other Information pertinent to the grant, and Financial Status.

Progress Toward Outcomes

• List the projectgoals that were included in the grant agreement
• Discuss progress made toward achieving objectives
• Discuss any changes to initial project plan and reasons for those changes
• Discuss significant unanticipated outcomes
• Discuss challenges and how they were overcome

Other Information

• Identify any immediate technical assistance requirements
• Discuss the community reaction to project activities (as relevant)

Financial Status

• Report project expenditures

Grant Extension

Extension of the grant period will be considered on an exceptional basis and requires that a written request for extensionis received by CCHP no later than 30 days prior to the project period end date at no additional cost to CUHRP. In the absence of an approved project period extension, funds unspent after the close of the project period shall revert back to the CUHRP program.

REGISTRATION FORM

Due no later than 5pm (CST) November 15, 2012.

Submit information online at:

Brief Description of Proposed Project (equivalent to one to two pages)

1. Need or Case Statement: Describe the community need that the partnership seeks to address and how this is a new partnership.
2. Grant Purpose Statement: Describe how the support will be used to build the partnership (e.g., project activities, specific partners involved).
3. Budget: Estimate of total amount requested

FORM 1: Application Face Page

FORM 2: Abstract and Key Collaborators

• Rationale for the proposed project, overall goal(s), target population (if applicable), and expected project outcomes

KEY COLLABORATORS

Start with Principal Investigators. List all other key collaborators in alphabetical order, last name first.

Name Organization Role on Project

FORM 3: Budget

DETAILED BUDGET

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