Deadline: 20-Jul-2020
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) has announced a call for proposals for Systems for Action: Supplemental Research on COVID-19 Response and Recovery.
This call for proposals (CFP) will provide supplemental research funding to teams that are already engaged in the study of a promising system alignment mechanism, with the objective of learning how this mechanism performs in addressing health and social needs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Eligible teams must have an active or recently completed research study (within 12 months of application submission) that can be extended through the use of supplemental research funding.
This CFP is appropriate for studying an existing system alignment mechanism implemented prior to the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic, and about which some pre-COVID evidence has already been created by the applicant. Studies funded under this CFP will make use of existing data and established research procedures and relationships to produce new evidence about the system alignment mechanism on an accelerated time frame of 12 to 24 months. Studies may examine adaptations made to an existing system alignment mechanism to respond to new needs, opportunities, and constraints created by the COVID-19 pandemic.
This CFP is not appropriate for applicants seeking to test a new system alignment mechanism that has not been previously implemented and studied. The S4A program anticipates releasing a second CFP later in 2020 that will be appropriate for studying newly developed system alignment mechanisms that require larger awards and longer time frames for research and that do not necessarily focus on COVID-19.
Studies funded under the S4A program must test mechanisms for aligning systems that involve all three sectors referenced in this CFP—medical care, public health, and social services. The rationale for this requirement is that all three of these sectors address key determinants of health but often through fragmented rather than coordinated efforts. The S4A program uses broad and inclusive definitions for each of these three sectors, as follows:
- Medical care sector: The medical sector includes the organizations, programs, and services that help individuals obtain access to personal health services that prevent, treat, or manage diseases and injuries, including services for physical health conditions, mental health conditions, substance abuse, and developmental disabilities.
- Social services sector: The social services sector includes the organizations, programs and services that work to address fundamental human needs and promote social well-being. This sector includes organizations and programs that provide education; housing; income support; employment assistance; diversity and inclusion initiatives; food assistance; transportation; child and youth development; recreation and physical activity; legal assistance; disability support services; violence prevention; arts and cultural programming; criminal justice and juvenile justice services; and community and economic development.
- Public health sector: The public health sector includes the organizations, programs and activities that work to create the conditions in which people can live healthy lives, including activities to prevent disease and injury and promote health for the population at large. This sector includes governmental public health agencies working at local, state, and federal levels, as well as nongovernmental organizations that pursue a public health mission. A defining feature of the public health sector is its focus on actions designed to protect and improve health at a population level rather than purely at an individual level through delivery of personal health services.
Funding Information
- Studies should be completed in either a 12-month or a 24-month project period.
- RWJF will fund up to $100,000 per year.
- Up to five awards will be funded.
Eligibility Criteria
- Applicants must be either public entities or nonprofit organizations that are tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and are not private foundations or nonfunctionally integrated Type III supporting organizations. The Foundation may require additional documentation from applicant organizations.
- Applicant organizations must be based in the United States or its territories.
- Awards will be made to organizations, not to individuals. Multi-organizational consortia are encouraged to apply if a single eligible organization is designated as the primary applicant responsible for maintaining consortium agreements with other participating organizations. The primary applicant organization must have a demonstrated history of successfully managing funds awarded by foundation or government sources.
For more information, visit https://www.rwjf.org/en/library/funding-opportunities/2020/systems-for-action-supplemental-research-on-covid19-response-and-recovery.html
