Who is eligible to apply for a grant?

Applicants can include, but are not limited to: individuals affiliated with community groups/organizations, schools, government bodies, health/medical clinics, health systems or businesses.

• An individual may not have more than two active Community Partnership Program projects at the same time.
• An organization may receive a maximum of two Tier 2 or two Tier 3 grants for a single project/concept (i.e. three total in Tiers 2 and 3).
• The Community Partnership Program may limit the number of awards made to an organization in a single round or cumulatively.

OHSU employees, students, divisions or departments are not eligible to apply. Projects proposing research that directly benefits OHSU or an OHSU affiliated individual/department are not eligible for funding. While the Community Partnership Program encourages collaboration between community organizations and experts in the field, funds are not intended to solely support the work of an individual who is not affiliated with a community organization.

We highly encourage organizations who are led by and or committed to serving communities adversely affected by cancer in Oregon to apply. There is no previous cancer or research experience necessary. 

Tiered Grants: Applicants who have previously submitted a proposal to the Community Partnership Program and did not receive an award are encouraged to resubmit a proposal up to a maximum of two resubmissions.

Individuals affiliated with an academic institution or university are required to partner with a local community-based organization to ensure funds are invested into the target community. This partnership should include collaboration on proposal development and, if funded, the partner should contribute to or lead project implementation.

When applicable, refer to a current RFP on the How to apply page for specific eligibility criteria.

Are there any limitations on grant funding?

An organization may receive a maximum of two Tier 2 or two Tier 3 grants for a single project/concept (i.e. three total in Tiers 2 and 3). In addition, our Steering Committee may prioritize tiered grant applications that propose a unique or innovative project, thereby reserving the right to deny the funding of proposals that duplicate or are similar in scope to other previously funded and/or proposed CPP projects. 

Can OHSU faculty apply for grants through the Community Partnership Program?

OHSU employees, students, divisions or departments are not eligible to apply. Projects proposing research that directly benefits OHSU or an OHSU affiliated individual/department are not eligible for funding. While the Community Partnership Program encourages collaboration between community organizations and experts in the field, funds are not intended to solely support the work of an individual who is not affiliated with a community organization. OHSU representatives are encouraged to collaborate on a project, but are ineligible from serving as principle investigator and/or leading the direction of any project. Subverting this policy may result in rescinding grant funding.

If an OHSU representative is interested in the Community Partnership Program, email KnightCancerCRO@ohsu.edu to learn more about opportunities to consult with grantees.

Faculty seeking funding from the Knight Cancer Institute have other options. The institute offers several programs to provide support for cancer research. Learn more about these funding opportunities near the bottom of the page.

What role may OHSU staff play on a project?

OHSU faculty, clinicians, and staff cannot be designated as the grantee nor be responsible for directing or carrying out the overall project. OHSU faculty, clinicians and staff may contribute by having a designated role on a project (i.e., consultant, biostatistics services, etc.) as outlined in the proposal. If it is determined that OHSU faculty, clinicians, or staff are acting as the grantee/ project lead and/or principal investigator, the award is subject to revocation.

Are OHSU Health partners and members of the Knight Network eligible to apply?

Employees of OHSU partner organizations are most often eligible to apply. Please contact us to determine eligibility based on the proposed project scope. Funds may not support or underwrite services delivered by OHSU as per existing clinical affiliation.

Can an organization apply for funding to support an existing or ongoing program?

Community Partnership Program funds are not intended to support maintenance of established or existing programs. If proposing work to support an established program or project, the work and funds must be directed toward expanding the effort in some way. Common examples include development of a new component to be adapted/tested or changing the strategy to reach a new and different target population.  

Funds may be used to build on an existing program or effort, but there should be clearly defined objectives demonstrating how the funding would be used, how the project is cancer-related, and how it meets the given tier’s eligibility criteria.

Are policy-focused projects eligible?

Yes, the Community Partnership Program encourages proposals aiming to address cancer-related needs at a policy or systems level.  Policy-focused project activities may include working with a local organization/clinic to collect data to determine the impact of a proposed city or county level policy (e.g. flavored tobacco restrictions), or to assess the feasibility of implementing a cancer-related policy, etc.  Funds may not be used for the preparation, distribution, or use of materials to directly support or defeat proposed legislation.  Please contact us if your team is proposing a policy-focused project and you have questions about its eligibility.

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Should translation/interpretation costs be included in the project budget?

Amounts in excess of $500 should be included in the project budget (template provided on the how to apply page). The Community Partnership Program will provide up to an additional $500 per funded grant toward justified project-related translation/interpretation needs, which applicants may request on the proposal form. 

For example, if translation costs are estimated at $730, include $230 in the budget and request a supplemental translation award of $500 on the proposal form.

Should letters of support for the project be included with a proposal?

We highly suggest including letters of support from any organizations that will collaborate and/or partner in the proposed project. Letters should define the specific role each organization is committing to in the planning and implementation of the proposed project. In addition, letters of support from community groups can be attached to the submission to indicate broad community support for the proposed project.

At least one letter of support is required for Tier 2 and 3 proposals. Additional letters are optional but highly recommended. Letters of support are not required for Tier 1 applications but are highly recommended if the project is a collaboration.

Note: Participant and/or beneficiary testimonials do not constitute a letter of support. Testimonials are not to be included and will be deleted.

What does a strong letter of support contain?

• Letters should be from project partners specified in the application.
• If the letter is from an organization, use the organizational letterhead.
• Letters should clearly state that the person/organization is ready and committed to be part of the project, if funded.
• The text will state that the organization/person is ready to provide any resources that were specified in the proposal, such as providing staff time, access to participants and/or a location (these are just examples, and will vary depending on the type of project).
• The letter will be signed by someone who manages the resources that will be made available for the project.

Note: Do not include letters from organizations or people familiar with your organization's work but will not be part of implementing the project. These will be deleted, as will thank you notes/recommendations from beneficiaries of similar, previous projects.

If a grant proposal is not funded, is it possible to reapply for the same project?

Yes. The Community Partnership Program is not able to fund all qualified applications. Applicants who have previously submitted a proposal to the Community Partnership Program and did not receive an award are encouraged to resubmit a strengthened proposal in response to a subsequent RFP up to a maximum of two resubmissions. Each submitted application is reviewed as a new application and is considered independently on its own merits.

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Why is evaluation important?

Evaluation helps you define your data collection strategy and analyze findings to determine what worked, what didn't, and what adjustments might be needed for improved outcomes. The data you collect can help you monitor the implementation of your project (process evaluation) as well as its impact (outcome evaluation). Ideally, your evaluation plan should include both process and outcome evaluation (Tiers 2 and 3 only).

Evaluation may help you assess the impact of your work, apply for additional funding, and communication your results to a wide range of stakeholders.

What kind of evaluation support do grantees receive?

What are the most common data collection options?

A primary data source provides information you produce yourself using common methods such as pre/post surveys, interviews, and focus groups. Other data collection methods may include observations, photo and video, activity logs, attendance records, knowledge assessments, asset mapping and more.

A secondary data source provides information you can glean from an existing resource such as publicly available health data (e.g. Census.gov) or a conversation (talking with a reporter or professor).

What is data storage?

All collected data needs to be stored securely. Ideally, data is stored in a password protected environment, such as an excel workbook on a secure network drive or your organization's database, which can only be accessed through secure login. If you have data on paper (surveys, etc.), please also remember that it needs to be stored securely in a locked file cabinet or other secure location. You may wish to scan these files and shred them after the study is complete. 

How would I use collected data?

Data can be used to improve your program's processes, to show stakeholders the impact of your work, or to communicate to participants. You can use graphics and visualizations to disseminate your results. Please remember to maintain confidentiality by ensuring anonymity. 

What is a data analysis plan?

A data analysis plan is based on what kind of data you have. For example, if you have a small amount of quantitative data (survey responses or counts), you can just use Excel. For larger amounts of quantitative data, we recommend an analysis package such as R or SPSS. Small amounts of focus group or interview data can be analyzed in Word or Excel. For larger amounts of qualitative data, we recommend an analysis package for qualitative data such as Taguette, Dedoose or Atlas.ti. All applicants, but especially Tier 3 projects should consider allocating budget for data analysis support if not available internally (see analysis resources list). 

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Who reviews the proposals?

• Tier 1 Grants undergo an administrative review process.
• Tier 2 and 3 Grants: A review committee made up of representatives of community, healthcare and academia.
• Special Call Grants: The review process for each Special Call, including review panelists, may vary from cycle to cycle. See the specific Request for Proposals for details.

How are the proposals reviewed?

• Tiered Grants: As an academic research institution, OHSU follows the National Institutes of Health (NIH) review process model. Proposals are assigned to reviewers representing academic, clinical and community perspectives. Reviewers must recuse themselves from reviewing proposals submitted by organizations with which they collaborate and/or have existing relationships that present a real or perceived conflict of interest.
• Special Call Grants: The review process for each specific Special Call may vary from cycle to cycle. See Request for Proposals for details.

Using the review criteria in the relevant RFP, each proposal is reviewed by two to three reviewers. Each reviewer submits an overall impact score and comments based on defined criteria. These scores are given equal weight and averaged to give each proposal a preliminary score. In general, the top half of proposals is discussed during a review meeting at which final scores are submitted by the full panel of reviewers. Proposals are then ranked based on their average final score.

What criteria is used to select community-based grant reviewers and may I apply?

Approximately twice annually the Community Partnership Program seeks people with experience working with Oregon communities on public health issues (ideally cancer-related) who are interested in reviewing Community Partnership Program grant applications. Learn more and apply to review grants in a future cycle.

How are funding decisions made?

Funding decisions are based on the average score of all reviewers. Proposals are ranked according to the average final score and the Community Partnership Program's Steering Committee makes a recommendation for funding the highest ranked proposals (per tier for tiered grants) based on scores and the amount of funding available. The final funding decision is subject to final approval by Knight Cancer Institute leadership. Score cutoffs for funding will vary from cycle to cycle and may be affected by the number of submitted proposals within each tier and the funding available. 

Proposals are funded by merit. Prior relationships with OHSU researchers, faculty or staff are not taken into consideration when making funding decisions.

What is the funding notification procedure for submitted proposals?

The applicant will be notified of the funding status via email.  

Program emails will come from knightcancercro@ohsu.edu, no-reply@email.zenginehq.com and no-reply@webportalapp.com. Applicants should add these email addresses to your safe senders list. 

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What are the reporting requirements?

All funded projects are required to complete a mid-project check-in with a member of staff. 

Grantees will submit a final project report (templates provided) within 30 days of the end of the funding period. See the Grantee Resources page for the current guidelines.

What if a funded project needs additional time to meet the proposed objectives?

At the discretion of the program on a cohort-by-cohort basis, grant recipients may request a no-cost extension for six or 12 months beyond the original project end date if:

• No additional funds are required
• The approved project scope will not change

A no-cost extension indicates that additional work remains to be completed on the project and that funds remain to continue to support the project, or that additional time is needed to meet the proposed objectives. If additional time beyond 12 months is needed, contact us.

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