Deadline: 01-Jul-20
Healthy Eating Research (HER) has announced the COVID-19 Rapid-Response Funding Opportunity focused on the Federal Nutrition Assistance Programs.
Healthy Eating Research, a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, has a limited amount of rapid-response research funds available to commission:
- issue briefs/ commentaries or papers/research reviews and;
- small studies to explore the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on nutrition and diet quality, food security, and related health consequences for children and families.
This funding opportunity is focused on USDA Federal Nutrition Assistance Programs serving children and families. The goal is to inform decision-making regarding innovative policies and/or programs during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
USDA Federal Nutrition Assistance Programs (e.g., SNAP, school meals, WIC, CACFP) play an essential role in reducing food insecurity and hunger and improving nutrition and health among children and families in low income households by ensuring access to nutritious foods. Thus, these programs are inherently designed to improve health equity. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the need for these programs has grown with the closing of schools and childcare centers across the country coupled with a loss of critical family income and rising unemployment and furloughs amidst the economic crisis.
In response to the pandemic, USDA has provided waivers and flexibilities for the Federal Nutrition Assistance Programs to allow for maintaining or increasing families and children’s access to nutritious foods. In addition, Congress and USDA have provided additional resources and flexibilities to provide more food through charitable institutions and agencies like food banks and pantries, as they also play a critical role in emergency response serving families that may not have access to sufficient federal benefits.
The responses by various state and local agencies to these waivers and flexibilities across the country provide natural experiment opportunities to understand the impact of these program changes on diet quality, food security, and related health and economic consequences for children and families. This understanding can inform how respective programs can be strengthened now and after the COVID-19 pandemic to increase participation and/or quality of services, reduce food insecurity and improve the health and nutrition of children and families.
Sample Questions to Consider
- How far have current policy and program responses gone towards meeting needs of children and families?
- What additional policy or program changes or other supports (e.g., childcare, transportation) are required to support nutritional needs of lower-income families and children?
- How could relationships or connections between the charitable food system and federal nutrition programs be strengthened?
- What potential policy changes or waivers should be made permanent? Why and how? If so, are there additional modifications to consider?
- Are there any policy changes/waivers that have had significant positive or negative implications for food insecurity and/or nutrition?
- What policy changes or waivers have potentially led to narrowing or widening the health disparity gap in the populations they are intended to serve? Why and how?
- What additional policy or program changes should be considered/are needed to address the needs of lower-income and racial and ethnic minority population groups that are at highest risk for poor health, well-being, and nutrition-related health disparities?
- What factors and processes supported the successful implementation of policy or programmatic changes or waivers?
Award Information
- HER has up to $230,000 (total) available to support these rapid-response research projects. Thus, theywill be looking to fund projects that are lower in cost to maximize available funds.
- The following types of proposals will be accepted:
- Issue Briefs/Commentaries and Papers/Research Reviews: A total of $30,000 will be available.
- Issue Briefs or Commentaries: Each award will be for up to $3,000 and for a maximum of 6 months. These products are often HER-branded and intended to distill existing research into an easily digestible brief format for an advocate or policymaker audience.
- Papers or Research Reviews: Each award will be for $5,000-$8,000 and for a maximum of 6 months. These products may be a peer-reviewed manuscript or HER-branded research review.
- Small Studies: A total of $200,000 will be available. Each award will be for up to $50,000 and for a maximum of 9 months in order to ensure they are providing timely and relevant information.
Eligibility Criteria
- Applicant organizations must be based in the United States or its territories. The focus of this program is the United States; studies in other countries will be considered only to the extent that they may directly inform U.S. policy. Governmental entities such as USDA, NIH, the Indian Health Service, and local public health departments may apply, although additional documentation may be required.
- Preference will be given to applicants that are 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 Type III supporting organizations. Organizations that are not classified as 501(c)(3) organizations may be required to submit additional documentation, or complete additional reporting requirements if a grant is awarded.
For more information, visit https://healthyeatingresearch.org/funding/