CRC TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FOR APPLICANTS

Applying for Community Research Collaboration (CRC) funding? We’re here to help. Whether you're applying for the first time or returning, our goal is to support strong, authentic partnerships between community organizations and academic researchers.

What Is a Community-Academic Partnership?

A strong CRC project brings together community and academic partners as equal collaborators. This takes time, effort, and a shared commitment to learning from one another.

• Teams must include:
  • At least one community co-principal investigator (co-PI) from at least one community organization based in California
  • At least one experienced academic co-PI based in California
  • Community members
• Both the community and academic co-principal investigators (co-PIs) lead the project together.
• True collaboration means working together on:
  • Defining the problem
  • Writing the application
  • Conducting research
  • Analyzing and sharing results
• Projects must reflect broad community involvement throughout.
• Communication, mutual respect, and shared goals are key to successful partnerships.

What Makes a Strong CRC Application?

Your project should ask important, community-driven research questions. These might explore:

• What makes a difference: Examining intervention impact and outcomes to understand effectiveness.
• Why things happen: Investigating risk factors or causes behind community issues.
• How to influence change: Using evidence to inform policy recommendations and improve practices.

To strengthen your proposal:

• Use a literature review to identify knowledge gaps and avoid repeating past research.
• Define your research question clearly — research looks at causes and effects, while evaluation focuses on program performance.

How We Can Help 

CBCRP offers free guidance and technical assistance to help you through every stage of your application.

• One-on-one support:
  Get help with team formation, research questions, and the application process.
  Contact Senaida Fernandez Poole at Senaida.Poole@ucop.edu. 
• Webinars:
  Learn how to navigate the application, understand requirements, and get tips from past applicants. Our next applicant informational webinar will be offered on September 9 1-2 pm PT. We will describe the requirements and application process for the Community Research Collaboration Awards as well as Bridge Funding for Fellows, Predoctoral and Postdoctoral Fellowships, IDEA, and Conference Awards. Register to attend.
• Recorded sessions:
  Can’t make a webinar? View past sessions at your convenience. You can view our September 2024 Webinar Video (112 MB) and Webinar Slides (PDF) now. We described the requirements and application process for the IDEA and Community Research Collaboration Awards.