Community Catalyst Awards
UC END DISPARITIES Community Catalyst Award 2024
Request for Applications (RFA): Community Catalyst Awards 2024
The UCLA-UCI Center for Eliminating Cardiometabolic Disparities in Multi-Ethnic Populations (UC END DISPARITIES Center) seeks to improve health outcomes in local communities. Funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Center develops community-academic partnerships to increase health equity through the prevention and/or amelioration of cardiometabolic conditions such as high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and chronic kidney disease.
This RFP aims to support projects with goals to address prevention and improve outcomes in cardiometabolic conditions in Los Angeles and/or Orange County communities that are most disproportionately impacted by these conditions. Types of projects we support include cardiometabolic-related organizational capacity building (e.g., community engagement, needs assessment, training in best practices for staff and/or community members), and community-based strategies to prevent and/or address cardiometabolic outcomes or directly impact prevention/outcomes in the community (e.g., program development or pilot testing, outreach education, program dissemination). We plan to award two Community Catalyst Awards of $20,000 total costs (direct + indirect costs) each to support community organizations working in this area.
ELIGIBILITY/ REQUIREMENTS
Who is eligible to apply?
Non-profit community-based organizations (such as social service agencies, faith-based, and cultural groups) that provide services to historically disadvantaged, disinvested, and under-resourced communities in Los Angeles and/or Orange County, California that are disproportionately affected by cardiometabolic conditions. Groups without their own 501(c)(3) status can apply with a fiscal sponsor.
What are the project requirements?
Funds may be used to support adaptations or scaling up of ongoing projects and/or new projects related to community-based strategies that promote cardiometabolic health.
● Budget: An organization may include indirect costs up to their federally approved Facilities & Administrative (F&A) cost rate; if no federally approved rate exists, the organization may use the NIH’s F&A de minimus rate of 10%.
● Information to include in your proposal is listed below; see the proposal submission link to access the application submission form.
- Organization name and contact information
- Organization characteristics: mission statement, geographic area served, number of community members served, total number of staff, major programs (up to three)
- Project title and focus areas (this is a drop-down menu check all that apply: prevention, intervention, capacity building, other)
- Project description: community of focus, project objectives and activities, how project builds on past work with the community of focus, how project will benefit the community of focus, project processes and outcomes to be measured, project timeline, anticipated number to be served
- Budget: total costs, requested amount of funding, project total personnel costs (and justification), project total other expenses (and justification), indirect costs (and justification)
What are reviewers looking for in a successful application?
The reviewers will include trained community and academic reviewers. Each proposal will be scored from 1 (=exceptional) to 9 (=poor) based upon the following scoring criteria:
● Community engagement: Does this project benefit under-resourced local LA or OC communities that experience higher burdens of cardiometabolic health disparities? Does this application describe previous experience working with this (or these) community/communities?
● Feasibility: Are the project description/goals as described reasonable given the budget for staff and resources? Are the project description/goals as described reasonable given the timeline?
● Community capacity and/or cardiometabolic outcomes: If applicable, does the project specify evaluation processes and outcomes regarding organizational and/or community capacity (e.g., staff training, power building) related to the cardiometabolic health for the communities of focus? If applicable, does the project specify evaluation processes and outcomes related to cardiometabolic health (e.g., knowledge, health behaviors, social factors, built environment)?
● Community impact: Will this project have an impact on cardiometabolic disparities in the local community?
If awarded, what will be required to set-up and implement the award?
● In order to be eligible to receive the award, the organization must have a Unique Entity ID generated in the System for Award Management (SAM.gov). If your organization does not already have one, you will need to obtain one by the time funding decisions are made. This is a simple process, and instructions can be found here: https://sam.gov/content/entity-registration
● Following notification of award, there will be a required orientation meeting with UC END DISPARITIES Center administrative team in order to receive funds.
● Awardees will be required to provide supporting documentation, including but not limited to: Statement of Work, Budget and Budget Justification, Certificate of Insurance (COI), a Financial Audit Management Questionnaire including an audited financial report, IRS Form 990, and signed subrecipient forms.
● Awardees will need to complete and submit all appropriate paperwork to disburse funds (e.g., University of California, National Institutes of Health). UC END DISPARITIES will work with organizations to identify and address any questions about the forms needed to process awards.
● Project work should not begin until the funding is disbursed, which may take several months after notification of award. Once funding starts, awardees will have approximately one year to spend the funds.
● Awardees will be asked to share their work at the annual UC END DISPARITIES retreat (date TBD) and provide a final progress report.
Frequently asked questions
Here are some frequently asked questions about this RFP:
- What types of projects is this award focused on funding? The catalyst awards will be given to projects that either 1) address prevention and/or improve outcomes in cardiometabolic conditions or 2) increase community organization’s capacity to prevent and/or improve cardiometabolic conditions/outcomes. Cardiometabolic health conditions include high blood pressure, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, stroke, etc. For example, if your organization may have an existing program that focuses on hypertension or diabetes prevention, you can apply for funds to amplify or disseminate the existing program. Another example would be if your organization wants to invest in staff training to deliver an evidence-based program or conduct a needs assessment. The funding application may include programs that are in the planning stages (preparation, capacity building), in-progress (outreach/ recruitment or dissemination), or evaluation of an existing project.
- How will awardees be selected? Proposals will be reviewed by community and academic team members of the UC END DISPARITIES Center. Applications will be scored based on how well they align with the RFA’s four criteria: community engagement, feasibility, community capacity and/or cardiometabolic outcomes, and community impact.
- How many awards will be given? Two (2) awards of $20,000 each (total costs).
- If our organization has a fiscal sponsor outside of California, are we still eligible to apply? As long as the project activity is in Los Angeles and/or Orange County, the organization is eligible to apply.
- If our organization is in a different sector than health, are we still eligible to apply? All organizations are welcome to apply, as long as the project promotes health equity through capacity building or direct community activities addressing cardiometabolic health.
- What are indirect costs? Indirect costs are often referred to as overhead expenses (for example, rent and utilities) and general and administrative expenses. It is common for organizations to apply a percentage of an award to cover these types of indirect costs. Each organization may have its own approved indirect cost rate to include as part of the budget; if not, you can use the NIH rate of 10%. The total award amount cannot exceed $20,000.
- What is a budget justification? A budget justification is a brief description of each of the components of the budget, which provides an explanation of how each cost supports the proposed work. The explanations should focus on how each budget item is required to achieve the aims of the project and how the estimated costs in the budget were calculated.
- Can we use funding for food? Yes. Funds can be spent on food as long as the expenses are justified in support of project-specific goals and objectives.
- Is there anything we cannot spend funds on? Funds cannot be spent on activities unrelated to project goals or alcoholic beverages.
Where can I go for more information or assistance in putting together the proposal?
● Click here to complete a voluntary interest form to tell us that you are thinking of applying, and what if any support you need to develop your proposal. It can be submitted on a rolling basis. For support with proposal development, please submit by Monday, April 15th.
● Attend an RFP information session:
Monday, March 18th, 12-1pm: Join Zoom Meeting
Tuesday, April 2nd, 4-5pm: Join Zoom Meeting
● Email us with specific questions: enddisparities@mednet.ucla.edu
Application Submission Portal
Important dates
1. Release of RFP: March 7th, 2024
2. Interest form (optional) can be submitted on a rolling basis. For support with proposal development, please submit by Monday, April 15th.
3. Information Sessions:
Monday, March 18th, 12-1pm: Join Zoom Meeting
Tuesday, April 2nd, 4-5pm: Join Zoom Meeting
4. Original Application due date: April 30th, 2024 at or before 11:59pm
EXTENDED Application due date: May 10th, 2024 at or before 11:59pm
5. Award notifications: no later than June 28th, 2024
6. Orientation meetings for awardees: TBD (within two weeks, based on awardee availability)
Applications will be scored using the below criteria:
| Criteria | Questions | High Impact | Medium Impact | Low Impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Community engagement | Does this project benefit under-resourced local LA or OC communities that experience higher burden of cardiometabolic health disparities? | Proposed activities have a clear connection between activities and eventual benefits in an LA and/or OC community | Activities address a need but there's an unclear benefit in an under-resourced community | Activities do not appear to eventually benefit an under-resourced community |
| Community engagement | Does this application describe previous experience working with this (or these) community/communities? | Activities are based upon experience working with the community/ communities that experience cardiometabolic needs | There is an unclear or weak connection between the proposed activities and previous engagement with the community | Proposal does not describe any experience working with the specific communit(ies) |
| Community capacity and/or Cardiometabolic outcomes | Does the project impact organizational and/or community capacity to improve cardiometabolic health for the communities of focus? | Clear description of training or power-building with clear impact on staff and/or community members | Unclear description of efforts to train or build power among staff and/or community members; or clear description of organizational and/or community capacity building, though the anticipated impact is nominal | No description of any training or power-building activities or no described impact among staff and/or community members |
| Community capacity and/or Cardiometabolic outcomes | Does this project impact cardiometabolic outcomes (or prevention)? For example, outcomes could include changes in health behaviors (diet or physical activity), number of conversations with community members about health issues or social factors or features of the built environment that shape health, blood pressures within range, measures of air quality, food insecurity. | Has a measurable outcome that is clearly linked to cardiometabolic prevention or disease; measures baseline and change in outcome; proposal has a meaningful comparator group; presents a feasible goal for impact cardiometabolic outcomes and has a significant impact (or the potential for) | Measures outcomes that are linked to cardiometabolic prevention or disease; the proposal does not have a clear comparator group; the project has a goal for impact on cardiometabolic outcomes that needs more detail | Does not describe outcome measures clearly (or outcome is not clearly linked to cardiometabolic disease or prevention); does not have a clear or feasible goal for impact on cardiometabolic related outcomes and the impact is nominal |
| Feasibility | Are the project description/goals as described reasonable given the budget for staff and resources? | Description/goals are feasible for the budget; details are sufficiently described, including staff &/or resources for community members | Description/goals are moderately ambitious or under-scaled for the budget; some budget details need to be fleshed out | Description/goals are very ambitious or seem insufficient for the budget; limited details in the budget that address feasibility |
| Feasibility | Are the project description/goals as described reasonable given the timeline? | Reasonable timeline to conduct project activities & achieve goals | Timeline is moderately ambitious or under-developed for the project activities and goals | Timeline is very ambitious or insufficient to conduct project activities and achieve goals |
| Community impact | Will this project have an impact on cardiometabolic disparities in the local community? | Describes cardiometabolic disparities and also how this project will have an impact on those disparities | Unclear description, or nominal predicted impacts, between project activities and cardiometabolic change | Does not describe any impact on cardiometabolic disparities |