Boston BRI…DGE (Building Research Infrastructure…Developing Genuine Engagement) is a community-engaged partnered research program of the Center for Community Health Education Research and Service, Inc. (CCHERS). In January 2019, Boston BRI…DGE received its second Engagement Award from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI)® to support capacity of patients and community members to become fully engaged in research partnerships and governance. 

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Community-based organizations often struggle to build a significant research portfolio and tap into large funding sources. This may occur because of difficulty forming equitable relationships with researchers, the lack of preliminary data, and unfamiliarity with research oversight regulations. CCHERS’ current PCORI® Engagement Award presents an opportunity for Boston BRI…DGE to tackle these challenges by providing pilot grant funding and educational support for community-based organizations interested in advancing their community-initiated research partnerships with academia. We call this initiative the Promising Partnerships.

The Promising Partnerships is the Boston BRI…DGE’s pilot grant funding to accelerate partnerships between community-based organizations and academic community-oriented researchers. Through a competitive award process, selected grantees will receive seed funding and training support to foster a community-academic collaboration and perform preliminary work that will likely lead to a competitive research proposal for larger grant applications at the completion of the project period. Some examples of the larger funding resources are PCORI, National Institute of Health (NIH), Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), US Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health (OMH), and public health philanthropies or foundations.

Scope of funding

The Boston BRI…DGE Promising Partnerships offers seed funding in support of community-academic collaborations seeking to develop research proposals for larger grant submissions in the future. The resulting research proposals must focus on addressing health disparities, achieving health equity, or helping patients, families, and communities make better-informed decisions about their health and healthcare.

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The resulting research proposals should utilize research approaches or methods that ensure equitable partnerships between community members and academic researchers. Examples of these approaches are, but not limited to, comparative effectiveness research (CER), patient-centered outcomes research (PCOR), community-based participatory research (CBPR), and community-engaged research (CEnR).

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Award amount

A total award of S25,000 is available for 5 selected applicants. Each awardee will receive up to $5,000 of funding that must be expended within the award period (August 1, 2020 to January 31, 2021). This is a one-time award. Awardees of this cycle of Promising Partnerships are not eligible to apply for the next cycle.

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The pilot grant may only be used for building relationships and activities related to developing research plans and/or preliminary data collection or analysis. The pilot grant should neither be used for the salary of researchers nor project staff from the community. 

Who can apply?

The following are eligible to apply:

• Community-based organizations

• Patient advocacy and support groups

• Patient-Powered Research Network (PPRN) groups

• Patient and Family Advisory Councils (PFACs)

Researchers working with community partners or looking to strengthen partnerships with the communities are also encouraged to apply. In order to be eligible, the applying entity must be based in Massachusetts and possess a 501(c)3 status. An organization without a 501(c)3 status must be affiliated with a 501(c)3 organization as a fiscal conduit. In this case, the fiscal conduit becomes the applying entity. Individuals and for-profit businesses are not eligible.

Application instructions

The application is due Friday, May 15, 2020 by 3:00 PM EST. Please note the following application instructions:

• A complete application must include items 1-6 listed in the Application Components box below.

• Please use the Application Form and templates for the Abstract, Narrative, Biosketch, and Budget provided.

• The Abstract and Narrative must be written in 11-point Calibri font with 1” margins and 1.5 lines spacing.

  • The Abstract should not exceed 500 words.

  • The Narrative should not exceed 4 pages and should address the items listed under the Narrative subheading in the Application Components box.

• All documents should be submitted as a single PDF or Microsoft Word document. Name your document with “Promising Partnerships_[name of the applying entity]”, for example: “Promising Partnerships_Organization ABCD”.

• Email the document as an attachment to by Friday, May 15, 2020, 3:00 PM EST. The name of your document must also be your email subject line, i.e. “Promising Partnerships_[name of the applying entity]”.

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Post-award requirement

• A final report due by January 31, 2021 that includes:

  • Lessons learned:  What works, what matters, what’s different  

  • A research plan

  • A list of potential funders to pursue

  • Goals after the Promising Partnerships funding

• Mandatory participation in the BRI…DGE Learning Community training series held between September – November 2020 (dates to be determined).