PCORI Engagement Award: Dissemination Initiative (United States)

The PCORI Engagement Award: Dissemination Initiative supports nonprofit and for-profit organizations in sharing patient-centered comparative clinical effectiveness research (CER) findings with patients, caregivers, families, and healthcare communities. The programme provides up to $300,000 for projects that use active dissemination strategies to improve awareness, understanding, and use of research evidence.

Funding Summary

Funding Programme: Engagement Award: Dissemination Initiative
Funding Organisation: Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI)
Funding Area: Patient-Centered Research, Healthcare Communication, Evidence Dissemination
Maximum Award: Up to $300,000 in total costs
Project Duration: Up to 2 years
Eligible Applicants: Nonprofit and for-profit organisations
Application Process: Two-stage process (Letter of Intent and Full Application)

About the Programme

The Engagement Award: Dissemination Initiative is part of the Eugene Washington PCORI Engagement Award Program, which supports meaningful involvement of patients, families, caregivers, and healthcare communities in patient-centered research.

The initiative helps organisations communicate PCORI-funded research results to targeted audiences in ways that are understandable, relevant, and useful for healthcare decision-making.

The programme focuses on active dissemination approaches that help communities access and apply research findings rather than relying only on passive information sharing.

Objectives of the Programme

The initiative aims to:

Increase awareness of PCORI-funded research findings.
Improve understanding of patient-centered comparative clinical effectiveness research.
Support evidence-based healthcare decision-making.
Strengthen connections between researchers and communities.
Help patients, caregivers, and healthcare stakeholders use research information effectively.

Key Focus Areas

Active Dissemination of Research Findings

Funded projects must focus on active strategies that encourage audiences to engage with and use research evidence.

Examples of supported approaches include:

Targeted communication campaigns.
Community outreach activities.
Educational resources.
Stakeholder engagement activities.
Training programmes.
Collaboration with trusted community organisations.

Projects should ensure that research findings are communicated in clear and accessible language.

Patient and Community Engagement

The programme requires meaningful participation of:

Patients.
Families.
Caregivers.
Healthcare professionals.
Community partners.

Engagement should continue throughout the project lifecycle, including planning, implementation, and evaluation.

Improving Use of Healthcare Evidence

Projects should help audiences understand:

What the research findings mean.
How evidence applies to healthcare decisions.
How patients and providers can use research results.

The goal is to increase the practical impact of PCORI-funded research.

Eligible Project Activities

Supported activities may include:

Developing targeted communication materials.
Creating accessible research summaries.
Conducting community awareness activities.
Engaging community leaders and champions.
Providing resources to improve evidence use.
Training audiences to understand research findings.
Evaluating dissemination effectiveness.

Projects should demonstrate how activities will increase the reach and impact of PCORI-funded research.

Funding Details

Applicants may request:

Up to $300,000 total costs
Project period of up to two years

Most project time and funding should support:

Active dissemination activities.
Community engagement.
Evaluation of project outcomes.

Planning and preparation activities should generally be limited to six months.

Who Can Apply?

Eligible applicants include:

Nonprofit organisations.
For-profit organisations.

Preference is given to U.S.-based organisations.

Foreign organisations may apply if they can demonstrate:

Meaningful benefit to the U.S. healthcare system.
Strong involvement of U.S. partners and stakeholders.
Ability to support patient-centered dissemination activities.

Individuals are not eligible to apply.

Application Requirements

Applicants must provide:

Description of the PCORI-funded research results to be shared.
Dissemination strategy.
Target audience information.
Communication plan.
Evaluation approach.
Organisational capacity details.
Budget information.
Letters of Support from patient, caregiver, or healthcare community partners.

Applicants must ensure that all messages accurately represent the original research evidence.

Engagement Requirements

All funded projects must include active engagement of relevant stakeholders.

Applicants should demonstrate:

Early involvement of community partners.
Shared decision-making.
Meaningful participation of patients and caregivers.
Continuous feedback throughout the project.
Evaluation of engagement activities.

Application Process

The programme follows a two-stage application process:

Stage One: Letter of Intent (LOI)

Applicants must first submit a Letter of Intent describing their proposed dissemination project.

Only applicants whose LOIs meet programme requirements will be invited to submit a full application.

Stage Two: Full Application

Invited applicants must submit a complete proposal including:

Detailed project plan.
Dissemination strategy.
Engagement approach.
Budget.
Evaluation plan.

Selection Criteria

Applications are reviewed based on:

Alignment with programme goals.
Quality of dissemination strategy.
Strength of stakeholder engagement.
Organisational capacity.
Feasibility of project activities.
Budget appropriateness.
Potential impact on healthcare decision-making.

Tips for Applicants

Applicants should:

Clearly identify the PCORI research findings they will disseminate.
Select specific target audiences.
Use plain language communication methods.
Include strong community partnerships.
Explain how success will be measured.
Demonstrate long-term value beyond the funding period.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Using only passive communication methods.
Failing to involve patients or caregivers.
Not identifying specific research findings.
Providing unclear evaluation plans.
Creating messages that do not accurately reflect research evidence.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the purpose of the Engagement Award: Dissemination Initiative?

The programme supports organisations in sharing PCORI-funded research results with communities and healthcare stakeholders to improve evidence-based decision-making.

How much funding is available?

Projects may receive up to $300,000 in total costs for up to two years.

Who can apply?

Nonprofit and for-profit organisations can apply. Individuals are not eligible.

Are foreign organisations eligible?

Yes, if they demonstrate benefit to U.S. healthcare and include meaningful involvement of U.S. partners and stakeholders.

What type of dissemination activities are supported?

The programme supports active dissemination activities such as targeted communication, community engagement, training, and evidence-use initiatives.

Conclusion

The PCORI Engagement Award: Dissemination Initiative provides support for organisations working to make healthcare research more accessible and useful for communities. By funding active dissemination strategies and meaningful stakeholder engagement, the programme helps ensure that patient-centered research findings reach the people who can use them to make informed healthcare decisions.