As 2015 draws to a close, we’d like to take a moment to reflect on the incredible experience of launching Evidence for Action (E4A) this year, and share with you some of our highlights to date. We started the year by convening local experts to discuss how we could facilitate the development of evidence to build a Culture of Health (COH). In June, we launched our first Call for Proposals (CFP), and we are closing out the year by awarding some of our first grants. Read more about our accomplishments below.
We have received a tremendous response to our CFP and have learned a great deal from the Letters of Intent (LOIs) and Full Proposals (FP) we’ve reviewed. These represent an impressive diversity of topics and approaches as well as of disciplines and sectors of the research teams. We have been impressed by the creativity, innovation, and ingenuity of the ideas presented. Topics have ranged from metrics development to program evaluation, and include areas spanning smoking cessation, food distribution, residential redevelopment, community coalition building, health systems policies, and beyond. Reviewing these applications has been a wonderful learning opportunity for us and has broadened and refined our own thinking about the evidence necessary to build a COH.
As our program continues to grow and evolve, we look forward to sharing what we have learned. Please forward this email on to colleagues and others who may be interested in E4A, and in the New Year, keep an eye out for our next newsletter, Best Practices for Submitting an LOI to Evidence for Action.
2015 Program Highlights
E4A has made significant progress since the program launched earlier this year. We have:
- Convened an exceptional interdisciplinary working group of experts in population health to inform the development of our CFP;
- Reached a wide range of applicants, from all regions of the country, with over half of the research teams representing multi-sector or interdisciplinary collaborations among academic institutions, non-profit organizations, and government agencies;
- Developed an application process designed to pose a low barrier to entry, which has resulted in the submission of over 300 LOIs, from which we have invited nearly 30 FPs, and will soon be awarding our first grants;
- Launched our website, Twitter feed, & LinkedIn page;
- Formed our National Advisory Committee chaired by Dr. Sandro Galea, MD, MPH, DrPH, Dean and Professor at the Boston University School of Public Health;
- Authored Challenges to an integrated population health research agenda: Targets, scale, tradeoffs and timing, a commentary published in Social Science & Medicine.
Tips & Information for Applicants
- Proposals submitted during the holiday season (November 23, 2015 - January 4, 2016) may experience a longer than typical review timeline of up to 10 weeks.
- In August 2015 we updated the LOI narrative template in the A&R system to provide more clarity about how to prioritize the information included in an LOI. Please ensure you are using the most recent version of the LOI template in submitting your application.
- Please include your Applicant ID Number in the subject line of all email correspondence with Evidence for Action staff.
- Check out our “Frequently Asked Questions” (FAQs) on our “For Applicants” page to access additional information and tips.
News from Our Partners
We are excited for the launch of our fellow RJWF Research Evaluation and Learning Pillar Programs, Systems for Action and Policies for Action.Together we hope to examine those factors necessary to build a COH by supporting the generation and dissemination of evidence about what works to improve population health and health equity.
- Systems for Action aims to discover and apply new evidence about ways of aligning the delivery and financing systems that support a COH. S4A launched their CFP on December 2nd and are now accepting proposals.
- Policies for Action will explore how policies, laws, and other regulatory tools can support RWJF's mission to build a COH as they are put into practice in the public and private sectors. Policies for Action will be launching their CFP in January 2016.