The QuickStart Program

The California Breast Cancer Research Program, the Orange County Asian and Pacific Islander Community Alliance (OCAPICA), and the Women of Color Breast Cancer Survivors' Support Project offer the QuickStart program on a regular basis. QuickStart is an innovative three-month program that supports community-academic teams in conducting community-partnered participatory research (CPPR) related to breast cancer. This is a rare opportunity to get technical assistance directly from potential funders on a research proposal that you develop over the course of the program. Participants will be able to build their partnership and workshop a research idea through in-person and online sessions, written assignments, and a mock review of a draft grant proposal. QuickStart participants have a competitive edge when submitting research proposals.  

Participants who complete all elements of the program will receive written and verbal feedback from an expert review committee on a draft application in time to revise and apply for the Community Research Collaboration awards (CBCRP) as well as other funders.

access the 2025 QUICKSTART informational webinar

We held an informational webinar on the QuickStart Program on Thursday, February 13, 2025. Please watch the webinar and reach out to us with any questions at QuickStartTP@gmail.com. 

Our next informational webinars will be offered in the Fall and Winter of 2025 and the Spring of 2026.

QUICKSTART 2026: APPLICATION coming soon

The QuickStart program will include online sessions, face-to-face sessions, technical assistance calls, draft grant proposal, and a mock review of draft grant proposals. The program will be offered from April 2026 through January 2027, with a mock review of applications in January 2027.

We are encouraging both newly forming and established community-academic research teams to apply. If you are an individual community representative or academic interested in the program but do not yet have a partner, please apply by our early deadline in January 2026, and our team will provide you with support in finding potential partners. The team application deadline will be in March 2026.

Priority is given to people based in California. However, individuals and teams outside of California will be considered as space allows. QuickStart is offered free of charge and includes tuition, overnight accommodations for out-of-town participants (if there are in-person meetings), all meals during in-person sessions, and transportation for all participants in California. Please see the call for application for full details. At any point, you can send questions to us at QuickStartTP@gmail.com.

Coming soon:

• Download the QuickStart Call for Applications
• Download the QuickStart fillable application for teams or individuals 

Watch the video below to learn more about QuickStart.

At the end of QuickStart CPPR teams will have:

• Experience working with their potential research partner.
• Partnership agreements that can strengthen a research proposal.
• A completed draft proposal.
• Witnessed an expert review of their draft proposal. Teams will be prepared to submit a proposal to California Breast Cancer Research Program’s Community Research Collaborations (CRC) award program and other funding sources.

Benefits of QuickStart:

• Academics can improve chances of funding by showing strong stakeholder support, maximize the translation and dissemination potential of their research and improve the chances of contributing to changes in policy and practices.
• Community members will build their organization’s capacity, improve credibility for their work, develop new skills, access a new funding stream and have data to support changes in policies or practices.
• All participants broaden their knowledge of the connection between breast cancer, environmental exposures and health disparities.

Who is eligible to apply?

All teams must:

• be interested in breast cancer; including disparities, environmental causes, or prevention 
• be able to participate in all face-to-face and online sessions,
• have access to computers throughout the entire program,
• be interested in conducting research, including submitting grant proposals for research funding,
• agree to submit a draft concert proposal for review, and
• be willing to participate fully in the program, including sharing research ideas, plans, and draft plans with program staff, teachers, and other participants.

Time commitment:

• A series of presentations delivered via four days of in-person meetings. (~46-50 hours total). 
• Online weekly assignments and occasional webinars. Assignments include literature reviews, developing draft research questions, grant writing, participating in educational webinars and others. (Approximately 10 hours of educational sessions plus written assignments)
• Up to four technical assistance calls to give teams feedback on potential research questions, methodologies, partnership development, and grant application. (up to 4 hours)

When will the program take place? QuickStart activities will take place between April 2026 and January 2027. See table below for key activities.

QuickStart Key Activities & Dates

access the 2025 QUICKSTART informational webinar

Our most recent informational webinar on the QuickStart Program was held on Thursday, February 13, 2025. Please watch the webinar and reach out to us with any questions at QuickStartTP@gmail.com.

Coming soon: register for an upcoming Informational webinar meeting 

We look forward to meeting you this year. During our webinars we will provide information on the QuickStart program, the application process, program activities, and the technical support we offer for finding a partner. We will have dedicated time for questions and discussion.

Our next informational webinars will be offered in the Fall and Winter of 2025 and the Spring of 2026. In the meantime, reach out to us at QuickStartTP@gmail.com with questions.