Request for Proposals (RFP)
To Community Health organizations, Public Health Faculty and Graduate Students
The Western Massachusetts Public Health Training Center (WMPHTC) at the University of
Massachusetts School of Public Health and Health Sciences (SPHHS) announces a second round of
funding in a Request for Proposals to promote collaborative health related interactions with community
based organizations. The WMPHTC anticipates providing funding for up to five (5) collaborative projects
yearly.
These collaborative projects are specific community interventions, studies or analyses. The project team
must include the community partner and involve a UMass faculty member who will advise at least 1
student. The faculty involvement in a collaborative project could range from mentoring the student to
having the student assist with an ongoing faculty driven project within a medically underserved
community. Federal regulations stipulate that faculty members must directly contribute to the project.
The students and faculty advisors collaborate with the agency to address specific public health needs of
the population. Simultaneously, these practice-based projects should contribute to the achievement of
public health competencies and the development of leadership skills for the students.
The overall purpose of these collaborative projects is to promote beneficial interactions between
community health organizations and faculty and to disseminate successful programs to other
communities. The WMPHTC has used the spectrum of diabetes (from prevention through management of
complications) as a model chronic disease from which broader approaches and programming can be
developed. For 2013, the projects will focus on a chronic disease prevention strategy that will employ the
skills of the community partner, students and faculty. Each project award will be up to $10,000 and
projects are expected to be completed within one year. An interim progress report is due August1, 2013.
LETTER OF INTENT: An initial letter of intent is due by December 14th. The letter of intent (LOI)
should provide a one or two paragraph broad description of the project. In addition, the applicant
organization can either identify a UMass SPHHS faculty mentor and student or can request assistance in
identifying an appropriate faculty mentor and student. A list of faculty members interested in
community-based research will be attached for reference. Applicants selected for a full proposal will
be notified no later than January 7th. The final applications will be due on January 21, 2013, and a
rapid turnaround is expected so that projects will begin February 15th.
The specific goal of these collaborative projects should focus on an area of interest to the community
organization. Examples include (but are not limited to):
 Establishing a baseline needs assessment for future programmatic development;
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Proposing and implementing innovative solutions where none currently exist; or
Expanding pilot programs to larger scales within the community.
Awardees agree to collaborate with the WMPHTC evaluation team and to provide a final report
which includes a description of:
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The extent of the chronic disease being addressed and its complications in the community;
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Prevention and/or screening programs for chronic diseases offered through the organization;
and
Progress towards achieving the goals of the collaborative project implemented by the applicant.
CONTENTS OF FULL APPLICATION (2-3 pages):
 Statement of community issue related to chronic disease prevention or management
 Specific needs assessment plan
 Existing efforts to address the community issue
 Description of a project plan (should not be used for an existing program but can be used to
evaluate and expand an existing program or to develop a new pilot program)
 Outcomes (what is to be accomplished); both quantitative and qualitative methods should be
included to describe progress towards goals
 Identification of a UMass faculty member who will be working on the project (preference given
to faculty in the School of Public Health and Health Sciences)
 Fiscal agent and name of person with signature authority.
ELIGIBILITY: Any not-for-profit organization with appropriate UMass faculty sponsor.
ADMINISTRATIVE REQUIREMENTS: Each project must identify a contact person who will serve as a
liaison to WMPHTC personnel. The contact person will commit to attending an estimated two meetings
per year with other awardees to describe their project and its findings. An interim progress report will
be due in August and a final progress report at the conclusion of the project. Each application must
contain the signature of both a community partner and a UMass faculty member.
BUDGET: Details for a budget up to $10,000 must be provided. If desired, graduate students can be
written in to the proposal, for approximately 190 hours of work during the spring semester. This would
be for approximately $4500 of the $10,000.
CONTACT: Contact Dawn Heffernan at dheffernan@schoolph.umass.edu or (413) 545-6142 for more
information.