NRS Funding

Although there is not a specified minimum for New Research Support grants, the type of research funded through E4A typically exceeds $100,000.

The National Network of Fiscal Sponsors explains that fiscal sponsorship “generally entails a nonprofit organization (the “fiscal sponsor”) agreeing to provide administrative services and oversight to and assume some or all the legal and financial responsibility for the activities of the groups or individuals engaged in the work…”

While the overall grantmaking process is the same for fiscally sponsored projects, the lead organization listed on the application should be the fiscal sponsor, not the project or supported organization. Fiscal sponsors are not entitled to indirect costs per se, but they may collect a fee to cover the administrative costs related to the project. Fees vary widely depending on the level of service provided.

While there are two funding levels for New Research Support awards, applicants are welcome to apply for funding amounts that range between $50,000 and $500,000, inclusive of indirect costs. We anticipate awarding at least four grants up to $250,000, for a total of $1M, and at least four grants up to $500,000, for a total of $2M. Please request only what is necessary to allow for maximizing funding for as many recipients as possible. Larger awards should correspond to larger-scale studies and more distributed funding (e.g., multiple activities and multiple people’s salaries). Funds should include what you will need to complete and disseminate findings from your proposed research project—both direct and indirect costs—for the entire duration of your grant. Reviewers will weigh the size of the budget in relation to the importance and likely contribution of the proposed work toward advancing upstream solutions to improving racial and Indigenous health equity when making funding decisions.

Grant durations must be 36 months or less. Based on prior experience, we recommend planning at least 12 to 18 months to account for completing research activities, from the launch of the project to the dissemination of the findings.

We expect to award at least four grants of up to $250,000 and at least four grants of up to $500,000. The total number of grants awarded will depend on the budget requests of the projects that are ultimately selected for funding. Approximately 4% of LOI applicants were invited to submit full proposals. We anticipate funding approximately 20 to 25% of full proposal applications.

Budget requests should be inclusive of both direct and indirect costs over the entire grant duration. Applicants will specify a total budget request at the LOI stage, but please do not provide a detailed budget breakdown in the LOI. Applicants are allowed to modify the budget request at the full proposal stage if needed and within reason.

The Foundation’s maximum approved rate for indirect costs is up to 30% of direct costs (Personnel, Other Direct Costs, and Purchased Services) for non-profit organizations, 15% for colleges/universities and hospitals or health systems, and 0% for for-profit and government entities. More detailed guidance and exceptions are provided in the Budget Preparation Guidelines at the Full Proposal stage. For further detail about permissible uses of grant funds please see the related FAQ.

E4A funds all research-related aspects of a project, including staff time, travel stipends, support for participant involvement, consultant fees, data collection & analysis, meetings, supplies, support for community review sessions, compensation for community advisory board members, and a variety of other costs related to the operations/implementation of the research project itself. In contrast, costs related to program operations/implementation are typically NOT allowed. Additionally, up to 30% in indirect costs for non-profit organizations and up to 15% in overhead or indirect costs for colleges/universities and hospitals or health systems are allowed. For-profit and government agencies are not entitled to indirect costs through RWJF grants.

Research activities include anything related to conducting the research, analyzing results, and disseminating the findings. Examples include salaries, stipends, or other forms of payment related to participant recruitment, community engagement, data collection and analysis, interpreting and disseminating findings, etc.

Programmatic activities are those related to implementing or operating a program, such as salaries for staff who administer or deliver a service or the cost of a program or service. For example, for a study on the impact of voucher assistance (e.g. for housing or education), we would not fund the cost of the vouchers.

We recognize the funding amount and duration could impact the type of studies that may be undertaken under this CFP. We encourage applicants to consider creative ways for achieving high-impact research within the duration and budget parameters of this funding opportunity. For example, by breaking research into phases, utilizing funding to supplement an existing project, leveraging funding from multiple sources, etc.

No, matching funds are not required. Supplemental funding is welcomed and encouraged. The ability to leverage other funding for the proposed research project is not a criterion for awarding grants, but it may be a consideration in the decision-making process.