Strong Heart Study Funding Opportunities

Strongheart Tribal Approach to Research (STAR) Projects Research for the Heart of Your Community

***Please read the information below about the STAR Projects before applying

  

Overview:

Eligibility:

Any applicant/organization whose research would benefit the Strong Heart Study partner Tribes is eligible to apply.  Community members, college students, and Tribal and other organizations **serving the Strong Heart Study communities** are encouraged to apply.

 Key Dates:

 Funding:

Funding will be provided for the research projects of one-year duration that will be conducted from May 1, 2022 through April 30, 2023.
Applicants may request grant funds starting at $5,000 up to a maximum of $30,000.The funding is for one year only, and must be spent by the end of the grant period.

Optional Pre-Application Instructions

Key Dates

An optional Pre-Application is encouraged and shall include a narrative (not to exceed two and a half pages) about the potential project idea and an additional one-page brief draft budget. This information will be reviewed by the Strong Heart Study Center investigators and the NHLBI representatives who will provide input to applicants via phone/zoom.  Although not required, the pre-application is intended to help applicants develop their public health knowledge and skills and refine their applications before submission.  

Pre-Application Requirements:

• Submit optional Pre-Application by emailing to:
         Dr. Taqueer Ali at tauqeer-ali@ouhsc.edu ( for applicants from Oklahoma)
         Ms. Cynthia West at cynthia.l.west@medstar.net ( for applicants from Arizona )   
         Ms. Marcia O'Leary at marcia.oleary@mbiri.com (for applicants from North and South Dakota)
• The required components include:
  • Curriculum vitae (CV) or a resume – a short written description of a person’s qualifications, career and education
  • Narrative (not to exceed two and a half pages) describing:
    a) What is the research question/community health concern you want to address?
    b) How does your proposed project address the problem?
    c) What data will you gather to answer this question?
    d) How will you accomplish the research work described over 12-month time period?  Please break out answer by quarters and include all activities and deliverables from the start of the research project through the final report.
    e) After completing the research project, how do you plan to use the results? 
  • Draft budget (not to exceed one page; please see next section for format) Please include a brief breakdown of allowable direct costs under the following categories: personnel, supplies, equipment, travel, and other expenses. Indirect costs may not exceed 8%.

 Application Instructions

Key Dates

Application Requirements

The required components include:

• Research Plan (5 pages; References and Letters of Support are not included in the page limit) including:

• References (unlimited)
• Letters of Support
  At least one and no more than three letters of support.  These letters of support might include: Commitment from key collaborators/partner organization with direct involvement in the project; support from anticipated beneficiaries of the work (e.g., communities who would benefit, scientists who might serve as advisors in the development of data being gathered and/or scientific finding being generated).
• Proposed Budget:
  Budget not to exceed $30,000 Direct Costs.  The requested award amount should be appropriate to the level of effort required to engage in the proposed scope of work. Please include a breakdown of direct costs for the following categories: salaries, fringe benefits, participant costs, travel, supplies, equipment, and other expenses. If indirect costs are needed, please include.  Please use the following budget template when uploading the budget to the STAR Projects application portal:
  
• 
• Budget Justification: Please upload budget justification for each line item in the budget to the STAR Projects application portal.

  Appendix

The following are the guidelines that will be used by the review committee members who will be reviewing the proposals submitted for the STAR Community Pilot Research Program.

Proposal will be scored on the four numbered categories described below, plus provide an Overall Impact summary and score. The Overall Impact Score will be used to make funding decisions. An application does not need to be strong in all categories to be judged likely to have a major impact. For example, a project by first-time applicants may be essential to advance community interests. Guidance for assigning numerical scores is provided in the Scoring System section.

Overall Impact Score: Reviewer to provide an Overall Impact score to reflect the assessment of the likelihood for community impact. The principal criterion used to evaluate each proposal is the perceived likelihood that the pilot study will lead to a successful and favorable impact on community health. High-risk proposals are favorably considered provided that the potential reward is judged to justify the degree of risk involved in the investment.

Additional Scored Review Categories:

1. Significance: Does the project address an important health problem or a critical barrier to health for the community? If the aims of the project are achieved, how will scientific knowledge, technical capability, community health, and/or clinical practice be improved? How will successful completion of the aims change the concepts, methods, technologies, treatments, services, or interventions that impact the community?

2. Approach: Are the overall strategy, methodology, and analyses well-reasoned and appropriate to accomplish the project? Are potential problems, alternative strategies, and benchmarks for success presented? If the project is in the early stages of development, will the strategy establish feasibility and will particularly risky and/or novel (not yet tested) aspects be managed? Does the budget represent a realistic allocation of funds to meet the requirements of the project? Does the timeline appear feasible and support the timely completion of the project?

3. Investigator(s): Are the lead investigators, collaborators, consultants, and other researchers well suited to the project? Do they have appropriate experience and training?  Have they demonstrated an ongoing record of accomplishments in their field(s)?

4. Environment: Will the environment in which the work will be done contribute to the probability of success? Are institutional support, equipment and other physical resources available to the investigators adequate for the project proposed? Will the project benefit from unique features of the environment, community, or collaborative arrangements?