Community-Based Research (CBR) Grants at the University of Utah seek to support research partnerships between academic researchers and community-based partners that inquire into and address real-world issues through an approach rooted in enhancing societal impact for our local, national, and global communities. The University of Utah recognizes the value of CBR as a method for enriching our understanding of the world; while also advancing scientific knowledge within contextualized practice, guiding community and economic development, impacting policy, fostering learning, supporting organizing and movement building, and enhancing trust between academic institutions and the communities we build, serve, support, and share space with.

CBR requires substantial up-front work from both academic and community partners. Partnership Formation Grants are designed to support this early stage of CBR. To that end, the Office of the Vice President for Research is excited to sponsor the CBR Partnership Formation Grant Program.

The goal of the Partnership Formation Grant Program is to build and foster new relationships between community-based and campus-based partners. This partnership should be either:

• A new relationship between the community organization and the University of Utah (i.e., community partner has never worked with the University of Utah before) or
• An existing relationship between the community organization and the University of Utah being leveraged in a new/innovative way (i.e., a community partner that has worked with the U of U before working on new idea or concept with research faculty/staff they have not previously worked with)

Planning and Partnership Formation Grants provide up to $10,000 in funding and should be designed to support activities such as:

• Analyzing existing data to help inform collaborative research.
• Conducting asset mapping or other processes for identifying community strengths and priorities.
• Developing partnership infrastructure and collaborative operating procedures (e.g., partnership mission and goals, partner roles and responsibilities, communication plans, project funding and support, data use and sharing agreements).
• Co-designing research proposals.
• Building the capacity of partners to conduct the research (e.g., training in research methods, building cultural competency).

For the purposes of this grant program, the VPR Office uses the below definition of “community-based research” (as it is defined by the Community Research Collaborative.)

A family of research approaches that aim both to understand or explore an issue and to implement solutions. CBR focuses on questions that are meaningful to a community and engages both professional academics and community members as experts. Partners share power and collaborate to develop and carry out the research together.

Research approaches that can fall under the umbrella of CBR include, but are not limited to, community-based participatory research, translational research, participatory action research, teacher research, participatory design research, community-based translational research, and action science. CBR Projects can utilize a wide range of research methods and can define the community in a number of ways - most often based off of shared identities or experiences.

Because CBR can look so many ways, there is no single set of step-by-step instructions that would apply to all projects. Instead, offer the following 6 basic principles of CBR, designed and published in May 2021 by the Community Research Collaborative in “In It Together: Community-Based Research Guidelines for Communities and Higher Education.” We understand that these principles will be practiced differently depending on your community, topic, research approach, and goal. We encourage applicants to utilize these principles as guidelines in your Planning and Partnership Formation proposal.

1. Shared Goals and Values: CBR is driven by goals and values that are explicitly shared among partners. Partners should come to a mutual agreement on shared goals. These usually include both addressing community priorities or social issues and adding to academic knowledge/value. Partners also agree on shared values for the project. While values may differ across projects, there are some values inherent in CBR. For example, CBR values different ways of knowing and different types of expertise.
2. Community Strengths: CBR builds on the strengths, knowledge, and cultures of the communities involved. Academics and communities bring knowledge, expertise, and other unique contributions to research. CBR projects identify and build on the strengths of communities and are designed to respect cultures of these communities in the process. This requires partners to understand and affirm cultural practices around their table, while recognizing their own assumptions and biases.
3. Collaboration as a Shared Value: Partners share power and work together to develop and carry out CBR projects. CBR is about researching with people rather than on While partners often play different roles, nobody is left out of key decisions. Collaboration requires open and regular communication. It may require interpretation across languages and cultures. It is important to acknowledge power dynamics and work to share power.
4. Collective Benefit: All partners should see benefits from the process and outcomes of CBR. Just as all partners contribute to CBR, all partners should benefit. Benefits may go to individuals, organizations, communities, society, or the land. Partners decide for themselves what benefits they want to see and what risks they will take. This principle shifts the usually unequal distribution of benefits between academics and communities.
5. Trusting Relationships: CBR requires open, trusting, ongoing relationships. CBR requires partnerships built on honesty, trust, and learning from each other. Without these elements interwoven in partnerships, the other principles are not possible. There are people who can jump-start and support the relationship building process, but it still takes time and effort: showing up, being genuine, and being accountable. Relationship building needs to be worked into a research plan and timeline.
6. Accessible Results: CBR is shared in ways that are accessible and useful to all partners. The results of CBR are meant to be used by the community and contribute to academic knowledge – this often requires creating products for multiple audiences. Community-facing products can be used to support advocacy, practice program design, education, etc. Products need to be timely and in formats that fit the cultures of the communities involved.

Current faculty members who hold at least a .50 FTE appointment are eligible to apply.

Starting FY25, CBR Planning and Partnership Formation applications will be due annually, on the 2nd Thursday in February.

Applications for the FY25 cycle of this program are due by 11:59pm (MST) on Thursday, February 13^th, 2025.  

Required Application Materials

1) Proposal Narrative: 5 page maximum, single-spaced, 12 pt. font, PDF Format Only
Proposal Narrative’s should address the following questions with the understanding that some elements may still be in development and will change over the course of the planning and relationship building process:

• Who are the current and/or potential partners (campus-based and community-based, including you) and what assets does each bring to the table? Include yourself: What backgrounds, experiences, relationships, skills, or knowledge do you have that will help you to successfully carry this out?
• With what community/communities do you plan to work?
• What is the broad topic area, issue, or question your project hopes to address? Why is it a priority for the communities involved? How might your project impact the communities, the university, and relevant areas of research?
• What capacities will need to be built by campus-based and community-based partners and how will you work to build them?
• What do you plan to do over the course of this one-year grant? What challenges do you foresee and how will you address them?
• What products or outputs do you plan to create during the partnership formation period (e.g., a project proposal, a research grant)?
• What is the overall timeline for your proposal? How do you plan to meet deliverables outlined in the proposal?
• How has the team considered/embedded the Six Principles of CBR be into the project?

2) Budget Outline: Must use provided CBR Budget Template; PDF or Excel Format allowed.
The Budget Outline should include all project costs and justifications for each cost. Budgets should also include information on funds from other sources/matching funds, if applicable. Please refer to Budget Guidelines and Restrictions section of this opportunity announcement when creating your project budget.

3) Abbreviated CV or Biographical Sketch: PDF Format Only
Please provide the abbreviated CV or biographical sketch of each University of Utah affiliated investigator listed on the project. Bio-sketches/CVs are not required for associated parties who will not be considered PI or Co-PI on the project.

4) Key Contacts: PDF Format Only
Please provide up to 5 key contacts at the community organization you intend to form a partnership with. This should include the Name, Title, Affiliation, Phone, and Email Address of everyone. You may also include a short (1 paragraph) bio for each contact. These can be existing contacts OR prospective contacts.

5) Appendices (OPTIONAL): 2 page maximum, PDF Format Only
Please use this upload option to provide any additional materials or documents that would be helpful in reviewing your application. Please keep appendices to a minimum. Any health, safety, or compliance documentation that may be required for this project must be uploaded here.

Guidelines and Resources

• A budget outline is required for all applicants. Applicants must use the CBR Budget Template. Add lines as needed to include all pertinent items.
• Budgets should not exceed $10,000.
• Hourly wages of research assistants must be listed and justified. If Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP)students are used in the project, their wages are paid by UROP. Students must apply separately to UROP.
• The basis for figuring travel related to the project and per diem costs must be itemized and made clear and may not exceed rates for per diem and travel set by the Travel Office (801-581- 7142).
• Once the grant is awarded, the awardee is responsible for managing the budget. All funding distributed by the VPR is subject to audit. The VPR will not bear the burden of over-expenditures, which must be rectified by the faculty member and their academic unit.

• ALL expenditures must adhere to relevant UofU Purchasing Policies and Regulations

Allowable Expenditures/Restrictions: 

• Partnership Formation funding should be used to offset costs associated with new partnership formation. Examples of relevant budget items include but are not limited to travel for partner meetings, meals/supplies for partner meetings, childcare for community partners, stipends to community organizations involved in the project (up to 20% of the budget), participation incentive for community members, hiring U of U student with established ties with the community (up to 20% of the budget) etc.
• Partnership Formation funding may not be used for:
  • Travel that is not directly related to successful completion of the project. Travel to present project findings at conferences/meetings is not allowed.
  • Faculty salaries
  • Graduate student-initiated projects, stipends, or fellowships
  • Support to write dissertations or theses
  • Curriculum development
  • Career development (e.g., taking courses, attending professional meetings/conferences, etc.)
  • Benefits on hourly wages except those required by law
  • Computers or computer hardware (unless the applicant can provide strong evidence that the project cannot be pursued without procuring that specific computer hardware or workstation – contact vprgrants@utah.edu with questions)
  • Society/group memberships
  • Consultant costs
• Funding dedicated to faculty salaries or research assistance require meaningful justification. The review committee is likely to favor a high percentage of funds going to community partners and members of their communities. Budget outlines that allow for course buyout must have approval from their Associate Dean for Research or equivalent.
• Careful justification should be given for the purchase of equipment (including computer hardware/software, books, or supplies) which may already exist in the University. Equipment purchased by the research grant becomes the property of the University of Utah. Where leasing equipment is a possible option, the purchase must be justified.
• A request for funds to purchase a computer requires evidence that the project cannot be pursued without procuring that specific computer or workstation.

Proposals will be reviewed by the CBR committee. Committee Reviewers will have expertise in leading, designing, and/or conducting CBR research. Proposals recommended for funding are forwarded to the VPR for final review and award selection. Selected proposals will be encouraged to consider applying to the CBR Project Implementation grant program once the projects are fully developed, but there is no guarantee of receiving that grant.

In general, and at minimum, CBR Planning and Partnership Formation proposals are evaluated on the criteria listed below. Reviewers may also comment on other strengths and weaknesses of the proposal. This is to ensure applications receive a thorough, multi-perspective review of quality, merit, impact, feasibility, and appropriate use of university funds. Criteria for review is below:

• Proposals should be well-developed and research-focused, with strong overall quality and significance demonstrated throughout.
• Proposals should have a feasible and well-developed budget outline and project timeline.
• Proposals should address and apply research topics, questions, methodologies, personnel, facilities, etc. that are important to community partners, academic scholarship, and the success of the proposal.
• Proposals should demonstrate potential to advance both scholarly knowledge and benefit to the communities involved.
• Proposal authors should demonstrate understanding of their own positionality, of the social and cultural context in which they plan to work, and what it will take to build trusting relationships in that context.
• Proposals should clearly explain how this relationship building and planning process will lead to a sustainable and productive community-based research project.
• Proposals should demonstrate the potential to have positive impact by increasing trust and advancing knowledge within contextualized practice.
• Proposals should articulate need/use of CBR funds strategically and in ways that support and value community partners/community members.
• Proposals should be high-quality in terms of both scholarly rigor and collaboration. Proposals should be rooted in current scholarly research and community knowledge, use methods appropriate to the research question as well as the communities involved. Whenever appropriate, proposals should address and align with the Six Principles of CBR.

Grantees will be expected to:

• Submit a final report outlining whether the partnership was successful, what deliverables were achieved, etc. Details will be provided to awardees.
• Define future plans for work with newly established partnership.

Applications for the pilot launch of this program are due to the InfoReady competition portal by 11:59pm (MST) on Thursday, February 13, 2025. Late applications will not be accepted.

Submit an Application

Information on 2012-2023 Community Based Research Programs (CBR) awardees is available HERE.