Track 2 Menu

Track 2: Sustained Community Engagement and the Application of Public Health Research

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Overview

Previous awardees interested in developing and/or expanding community and stakeholder engagement activities as related to their initial Call 1 or Call 2 projects should submit a Track 2 proposal. These projects will not include new data collection or analysis activities. Instead, they should aim to develop sustainable ways to share research findings with community partners or assist practitioners in adopting new practices based on those findings. Funded activities may include, but are not limited to:

  • Community-based interventions. Work with local organizations or agencies to develop new interventions that address the population health needs revealed by the initial research project.
  • Program or project evaluations. Work with local organizations or government agencies to evaluate how well their programs or services meet the population health needs identified in the initial research project.
  • Educational webinars or workshops. Disseminate research findings and train practitioners to apply them through educational events.
  • Websites, videos, podcasts, or other multimedia. Share research findings using multimedia tools or other novel outreach activities.

In addition to identifying the key deliverable(s), all Track 2 proposals should:

  • Identify the audience, community partners, and/or stakeholders. Proposals should clearly identify the primary audience(s) for sharing findings and the primary community partners or stakeholders which will participate in the project.
  • Facilitate dialogue. Project activities should include engaging community groups to facilitate a dialogue about questions, concerns, and education needs related to the initial project topic.
  • Identify outputs and outcomes. Proposals should identify the desired outputs and outcomes of project activities. These outputs and outcomes should be relevant to the targeted community partners or stakeholders.
  • Sustain partnerships and support coalition building. Project activities should facilitate the establishment of ongoing community partnerships and strengthen efforts to build coalitions that support the adoption of evidence-based findings.
  • Increase awareness. Projects should increase community awareness, interest, and understanding of the initial research findings and the broader field of public health disaster research and science.
  • Maximize reach and diversity. Proposals should include efforts to maximize reach to diverse audiences and use the most effective ways to achieve the desired impact.

Proposal Submission Process

  • Project Title: Limit 12 words. (Please use APA title case)

  • Investigator Name(s) and Affiliation(s)

  • Report Title and Link to the Completed Public Health Report this proposal will build on.

  • Full Abstract: Limit 500 words.

    • The abstract should describe how the project builds upon the initial award, the problem(s) or need(s) it addresses, the community partner(s) or stakeholder(s) involved, an overview of project activities, and the expected research applications and public health implications of the proposed work.

  • Brief Abstract: Limit 100 words. To be posted on the Natural Hazards Center website. See examples of the format here.

  • 3-5 Keywords

  • Project Location: Proposals must describe engagement activities that will take place with organizations, agencies, or communities in at least one inhabited U.S. territory.

  • Disciplinary Focus: A 250-word statement describing the disciplinary composition of the team, including whether the team is single discipline, multi-disciplinary, interdisciplinary, or transdisciplinary in nature. For further guidance on these distinctions, please see this paper.

  • Expansion of Previous Public Health Disaster Research Award: A 250-word statement describing how your project will expand engagement with stakeholders or communities, disseminate findings, and/or enhance the public health implications of the initial research project.

  • Proposal: The proposal should be uploaded as a PDF and use the headings for each section listed below. The body of the proposal should be a maximum of 8 single-spaced pages (with additional pages allowed for budget and reference appendices) and include the following content:

    • A brief statement on Intellectual Merit—describing how the proposed engagement activities will advance knowledge—and Broader Public Health Implications—outlining how the proposed engagement activities will benefit public health practice through the achievement of specific, desired public health applications.
    • Project Context and Justification: The proposal should briefly describe the previous research project, including the hazard(s) and/or disaster(s) that the team studied, the study location(s), and the major findings and public health implications. This section should also describe how the research findings have informed the new engagement project’s objectives and design.
    • Project Objectives: Project objectives should be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART). The project objectives should address specific public health needs identified in the previously funded research project.
    • Literature Review: This section should demonstrate the authors’ knowledge of the community engagement or outreach activities being proposed and evidence supporting their effectiveness for addressing public health need(s).
    • Community Partners or Other Stakeholders: The proposal should identify and describe community partner(s) or other stakeholder(s) and their responsibilities and other roles in project activities.
    • Project Activities, Outputs, and Outcomes: This section should include a detailed project plan that clearly identifies each project activity and its targeted outputs and outcomes.
    • Contingency Plan (Optional): We understand that some of you may need to submit proposals with research or outreach plans that change as dynamics unfold on the ground. If this will be the case for you, please use this section to describe the challenges you are anticipating and develop contingency plans if events occur that make your original plans impractical or impossible to carry out. For example, you may want to outline Plan A: What we hope to achieve if everything goes as planned; Plan B: An alternative version of Plan A that includes optional research or engagement activities that can be implemented if access is limited or other expected challenges arise; and Plan C: A reduced version of Track 1 or Track 2 activities that will be accomplished under any circumstances, even including the local emergency situation.
    • Project Timeline: This section should include a clear description of the anticipated timeline for completing all project activities, including writing the Project Brief and other project deliverables. The project should also be designed to adhere to all due dates included in the Post-Award Project Deliverables and Recommendations below.
    • Ethics Statement: This should describe how the project team will ensure the ethical conduct of project activities for the benefit of the communities where they work. All applicants are encouraged to complete the CONVERGE IRB Procedures for Extreme Events Research, Broader Ethical Considerations for Hazards and Disaster Researchers Training Modules, and Reciprocity in Hazards and Disaster Research Training Modules, and in preparation for writing this statement.
    • Sustainability Plan: A plan for ensuring community partners or stakeholders are capable of sustaining ongoing project activities or new organizational capacities after the project end date of Friday, August 4, 2023.

The PDF should also include the following appendices:

  • References: The list of references should be complete and consistently formatted in APA 7th edition style. There is no page limit for the reference list.

  • Budget and Budget Justification: The budget and budget justification should be no longer than 500 words in length and provide a breakdown of anticipated expenditures within the predetermined range (in this case, $10,000 to $25,000).

    • Proposals less than $10,000 will be accepted, but proposals over $25,000 will be returned without review.
    • Funding should be used for expenses associated with the proposed project. Funds may be dedicated to expenses associated with community engagement and outreach activities.
    • Please carefully read the “Funding Agreement” statement, as it provides details for how many investigators can be included in the budget and clarifies how and when the award funds will be issued.
      • Overhead and indirect costs are not allowed.
      • Award recipients are responsible for all personal tax-related expenses associated with accepting award payments. These potential tax obligations cannot be included in the project budget.

  • Statement of Support from Community Partner(s) or Other Stakeholder(s): All applications should include at least one statement of support from an organization, government agency, or other community partner or stakeholder. This statement should be one paragraph and should clearly describe the partner’s roles and responsibilities in supporting the new engagement project.

  • Supporting Documents for Students: Master’s and PhD students are welcome to apply for this call for funding. If a student is listed as the lead investigator they will need to submit:

    • A statement explaining qualifications and ability to implement the proposed activities, a plan for managing a project team (if applicable), and a timeline for completing the proposed work during their degree program.
    • A brief one-paragraph statement from an academic advisor, indicating that they approve of the project and support the students’ application for funding.

  • Certificate of Completion: The lead investigator for each proposal must submit a certificate of completion for the CONVERGE Public Health Implications of Hazards and Disaster Research Training Module. Proposals missing this certificate will be returned without review.

The above information and associated documents must be submitted through the Natural Hazards Center online proposal submission form. Emailed proposals will be returned without review. Proposals are due no later than 5:00 p.m. MDT on Friday, November 4, 2022. To be fair to those who submit on time and as required, no exceptions will be made for late submissions. Award announcements will be made by Friday, December 2, 2022.

Post-Award Project Deliverables and Recommendations

In addition to the above proposal requirements, all award recipients—including the project lead and any other team members, student research assistants, or collaborators—are required to do the following:

  • Present a description of your project activities and preliminary achievements during an internal meeting on Tuesday, May 2 from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. MT with representatives from the CDC and NHC and other award recipients to get feedback on the public health implications and other aspects of your project.

  • Submit a 3-page Project Brief summarizing the project activities, outcomes, and other achievements. The first draft of the brief is due by Friday, June 16, 2023.

  • Submit the final Project Brief, with all editing recommendations integrated, no later than 5:00 p.m. MDT on Friday, July 14, 2023.

  • Participate in a final public webinar on Thursday, August 3, 2023 from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. MDT where all award recipients will share key findings and lessons learned.

In addition to the above proposal and post-award requirements, it is recommended that all award recipients—including the lead investigator and any collaborators—do the following:

Return to the Continuation Award main page to learn more about how funding will be issued.

Questions?

Please contact Jennifer Tobin at haz.research.awards@colorado.edu.

Acknowledgements

The Public Health Disaster Research Award Program is based on work supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) through supplemental funding to the National Science Foundation (NSF Award #1635593). Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the CDC, NSF, or Natural Hazards Center.