St. Louis Community/University Health Research Partnerships
Tuesday, March 8, 2016
St. Louis Community/University
Health Research Partnerships
(CUHRP)
Grant Proposal
Instructions, Resources and Template
Template begins on page 11
St. Louis Community/University Health Research Partnerships (CUHRP) is a program
designed to provide a vehicle through which to focus research efforts on health care
problems of importance to the community with the goal of improving health outcomes
and reducing health disparities. The $1.5 million in funds provided by Washington
University, Saint Louis University and BJC HealthCare will support the development of
research partnerships between community-based organizations in St. Louis City and
County and faculty members at Washington University and Saint Louis University.
This program will award up to $100,000 per project to proposals that partner a
community-based organization with an academic researcher to investigate, analyze and
publicly report findings on an existing health concern within the St. Louis community.
Award determinations will be made by panel comprised of community and university
representatives who will determine scientific quality and potential for positive impact on
health outcomes and disparities, and fit with the interests of the St. Louis Community.
A second year of funding, up to an additional $100,000, may be available for selected
projects that demonstrate a successful model of collaboration throughout project
implementation and develop a framework to produce important findings. Funding
decisions for the second year will be based on the review of a written progress report
submitted toward the end of the first year of funding.
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St. Louis Community/University Health Research Partnerships
Tuesday, March 8, 2016
Table of Contents
Application Checklist
Page 3
Submission Process and Deadline
Page 4
Other Important Dates
Page 5
Tips & Strategies for Developing Strong
Community-Based Participatory Research Proposals
Page 6
Other Helpful Resources
Page 8
Proposal Formatting Guidelines
Page 9
Review Criteria
Page 10
Template
Page 11
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St. Louis Community/University Health Research Partnerships
Tuesday, March 8, 2016
Application Checklist
 Applications that do not contain all of the required documentation will not
be reviewed unless an applicant has contacted and obtained approval
from RHC prior to submission to explain why certain documentation is
unavailable.
 Do not provide any other documentation such as leaflets, promotional
materials, flyers, etc.
 Do not use any special folders or bindings.
Submitted applications must contain all of the items listed below:
□ Application Face Page (CUHRP Form Page 1 - data completed with
signatures)
□ Abstract, Key Personnel, Performance Site(s) (CUHRP Form Page 2)
□ Detailed Budget Page for Community-based Organization(s) (CUHRP
Community Budget Form Page 3A)
□ Detailed Budget Page for University (CUHRP University Budget Form
Page 3B)
□ Budget Summary (CUHRP Summary Budget Form Page 4)
□ Budget Justifications
□ Project Plan Narrative (5 page maximum)
□ Description of the Involvement of Human Subjects (if applicable)
□ Memorandum(s) of Understanding
□ Resumes/ CVs/Biosketches for Key Personnel (2 page maximum)
□ CBO Tax Determination Letter
□ CBO Annual Audit Report
□ 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)
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St. Louis Community/University Health Research Partnerships
Tuesday, March 8, 2016
Submission Process and Deadline
The full proposal must be received in the Regional Health Commission
offices by March 26, 2010 at 5pm. RHC staff will confirm receipt of each
proposal submitted by the due date. Proposals may be submitted by mail
(original) or email (PDF of original) to:
Regional Health Commission
Attn: Community/University Health Research Partnerships
1113 Mississippi, Suite 113, St. Louis, MO 63104
Email: afleming@stlrhc.org
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St. Louis Community/University Health Research Partnerships
Tuesday, March 8, 2016
Other Important Dates
Request for Proposal Available:
October 7, 2009
Letter of Intent Due:
January 8, 2010 (by 5pm)
Project Development Workshop for Approved Applicants
February 2010
Proposals Due:
March 26, 2010 (by 5pm)
Panel Review:
April and May 2010
Anticipated Award Announcement:
June 2010
Anticipated Award Start Date:
July 1, 2010
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St. Louis Community/University Health Research Partnerships
Tuesday, March 8, 2016
Tips & Strategies for Developing Strong Community-Based
Participatory Research Proposals
Sarena D. Seifer, Executive Director, Community-Campus Partnerships for Health
What drives reviewers crazy?
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When applicants don’t follow the instructions
When there are inconsistencies between what’s described in the proposal
narrative and what’s included in the budget
When acronyms are used and not explained
When numbers in the budget don’t add up
When there are multiple spelling mistakes
When tiny type is used and there is hardly any white space
When the data sources cited are old
When the argument for the study’s significance and relevance in a particular
community are based on national data
When a community is described only in terms of its needs and not also its
strengths and assets
When no sound rationale is provided for the composition of the partnership
When letters of support don’t actually say anything (e.g., they all simply
repeat the same language, they are not consistent with commitments
described in the proposal narrative and/or budget)
When there is not a clear link between community-defined priorities and the
proposed focus and approach
When the study design is so specific and detailed that there is no room for a
participatory process
When no attention is paid to barriers to community participation (e.g.,
childcare, transportation, interpretation services)
When attention is paid to the research methods but not the methods of
building/sustaining community partnerships and community participation
When a community board is to be established, but no detail is provided about
board member recruitment, composition, role, staff support, etc.
When there is no evidence of community capacity building (e.g., creating
jobs, developing leaders, sustaining programs)
When it is not easy to discern how funding is being divided among partners
(e.g., show what % is going to the community vs. the university)
When it is not clear who was involved in developing the proposal and how it
was developed
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St. Louis Community/University Health Research Partnerships
Tuesday, March 8, 2016
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When most or all of the funding is retained by the applicant organization.
Ways to strengthen your proposal
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Be creative (e.g., use stories, quotes and photos to help make your case)
Ask trusted colleagues not involved in the proposal to review drafts and be
brutally honest
Invite representatives of potential funding agencies to visit your community
to see your work in action up-close (e.g., invite to be a speaker at a
community forum, to serve on an advisory committee)
Debrief on any and all comments received by reviewers
Volunteer to be a proposal reviewer – reviewing proposals will make you a
better grant writer
Review the reviewer and applicant guidelines in the appendix of the Agency
for Healthcare Research and Quality Evidence Report on CBPR
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St. Louis Community/University Health Research Partnerships
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Other Helpful Resources
Populate as needed
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St. Louis Community/University Health Research Partnerships
Tuesday, March 8, 2016
Proposal Formatting Guidelines
Format Specifications
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Project plan narratives should not exceed 5 single spaced pages.
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Use Arial 11 points or larger and one-inch margins.
o Figures, graphs, diagrams, charts, tables, figure legends and footnotes:
you may use a smaller type size, but it must be readily legible
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Consecutively number all pages in the application, including supporting
documents.
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Include both Principal Investigators’ names at the top of each page.
Grantsmanship
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Use English and avoid jargon.
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If terms are not universally known, spell out the term the first time it is used and
note the appropriate abbreviation in parentheses. The abbreviation may be used
thereafter.
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Develop a logical outline with good use of transition phrases (“First….”
“Second….”,
“Finally….”; “As indicated earlier….”; “As explained earlier….”; “To
achieve this goal….”; “Previous studies have shown…”)
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Use section headings to help reviewers “find things”
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Use major and minor section headings. Reviewers should understand your work
simply by reading only the headings.
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Write clearly and concisely
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Make it easy for reviewers. Don’t make them work hard.
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St. Louis Community/University Health Research Partnerships
Tuesday, March 8, 2016
Review Criteria
Award determinations will be made by a panel comprised of community and university
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. Research Model – Demonstrates a novel or unique approach that adds to the
current canon of health knowledge.
3. Approach – Demonstrates a solid scientific approach to program design and
dissemination.
4. 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.
5. Budget – Demonstrates a reasonable, achievable and collaborative financial model
for completing the work.
6. Dissemination and Impact – Demonstrates potential for sustainable impact.
Include a summary statement here, if available.
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St. Louis Community/University Health Research Partnerships
Tuesday, March 8, 2016
Template for Project Plan
How to Use this Template: Fill in the blank areas beneath each of the sections and delete the
instructions as you write, leaving the bold-faced headings. This template is to serve as a
guideline only and should be modified as needed based on the specific project
This template is formatted in 11-point Arial font
Project Plan (Maximum of 5 pages)
***Begin Template Below***
Provide a statement of the community’s need, including a detailed description of the target
population.
A. Problem or Need
Describe the specific need or problem the proposed program seeks to address, how this
need was identified and its specific benefit or relationship to the community. Provide data
regarding the nature and extent of the identified problem or issue and be specific about how
the problem/need impacts the proposed target population.
B. Program Overview
 State the specific goals/objectives. Goals/objectives must be measurable and timespecific.
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Describe the specific activities, strategies, or methods that will be used to achieve
each stated objective.
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Identify the specific demographics and health-related characteristics of the
population to be served, and the recruitment strategy.
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Describe capacity of applicants to collaborate and achieve program goals.
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Describe how program activities will be evaluated (process evaluation) and how the
success of each objective will be determined (outcome evaluation).
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Identify the plan for sustaining the proposed program after CUHRP funds end.
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Describe plans to sustain the collaboration after CUHRP funding ends.
C. Dissemination Plan
Describe how the project team plans to maintain communication with the community and
inform members of the community or population served of its findings and future steps.
***End Template Here***
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