Pilot for Anti-Racism Research

INDEPENDENT REVIEW

Project Award Amounts: $10,000 or up to $50,000, depending on award type (see below) 

Description

The UCSF Office of Research is committed to guiding equitable research conduct, building capacity for research on racism in biomedical research, and for supporting research using anti-racist and racial equity approaches. Toward this goal, an anti-racism research seed grant program was developed in 2021, piloted and heretofore managed by the Research Development Office (RDO), leveraging the campus Resource Allocation Program (RAP). The program transitioned in 2024 to leadership and management by the Office of the Associate Vice Chancellor for Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Anti-Racism (AVCR-IDEA). Base funding for this initiative is provided by the Academic Senate, the School of Medicine’s Research Evaluation and Allocation Committee (REAC), and the UCSF Clinical and Translational Research Institute (CTSI).

We are offering two separate award types:

  1. $10,000 for a Pilot for Anti-Racism Research Capacity Building Grant
  2. $50,000 for a Pilot for Anti-Racism Research Project Grant

We anticipate making 2-3 $10,000 capacity building grants and 1-2 $50,000 research project awards.

Note: The CTSI and the office of the AVCR-IDEA developed a consultation service to support the conduct of anti-racist research. To request a consultation in support of a RAP application for this mechanism, please email [email protected]. The service can help on a range of topics including study design, application of anti-racist frameworks, and more.

Background and Definition of Terms:

“Race is a social construct, a social classification based on phenotype, that governs the distribution of risks and opportunities in our race-conscious society.”1 In the United States, race is largely centered around skin color and other arbitrary markers of difference. The socioeconomic and political forces that create racism determine its content and importance. An assessment of race, measures this societally imposed identity and consequent exposure to the societal constraints. Racism operates at several levels:

  1. Institutional and Structural: The unfair policies, practices and procedures of particular institutions and systems that routinely produce racially inequitable access for people of color to services, goods, and opportunities.
  2. Individual and Interpersonal: Individual acts of discrimination and prejudice, stereotypes, hate.1

‘Race’ has often been inappropriately used in medicine and biomedical research as a proxy for genetic ancestry and admixture. However, race does play a powerful role in influencing individuals’ health, not due to innate biologic differences but to the health-harming effects of racism and oppressive social forces.1,2

Anti-racism is the active process of identifying and eliminating racism by changing systems, organizational structures, policies, and practices, as well as attitudes and behaviors so that resources, opportunities, and power are redistributed and shared equitably. Anti-racism examines and disrupts power imbalances. Critical Race Theory is a central framework for anti-racism scholarship, driving the understanding and uprooting of the causes of racial hierarchies and their consequences. Anti-racism research uses approaches such as the Public Health Critical Race Praxis for applying Critical Race Theory to empirical research of “contemporary racial phenomena, illuminating disciplinary conventions that may inadvertently reinforce social hierarchies and offers tools for racial equity approaches to knowledge production.”3

Although anti-racism research includes a focus on health inequities, it differs from research more narrowly focused on health disparities by explicitly examining the contribution of racism, particularly structural racism, to disparities and by examining the racial context in which the research is conducted, such as power sharing between academics and community partners in the research process.

1  C. Jones, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11495851/
2  L.N. Borrell et al., https://www.nejm.org/doi/10.1056/NEJMms2029562
3  C. L. Ford & C. O. Airhihenbuwa, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20822840/

Anti-Racism Research Pilot Grants will be awarded in two categories:

  1. Capacity-Building Projects ($10,000 maximum): These awards support the development and strengthening of partnerships between UCSF research teams and communities who have not held power in the research process to enhance their shared capacity for conducting anti-racism research. The goal of this funding is to support the time and effort to identify collaboratively research questions, approaches, and methods for a subsequent anti-racism research project. Through these planning grants, we seek to support efforts to conduct and build capacity for research using anti-racist approaches. We are particularly interested in supporting projects exploring the multiple levels at which structural racism impacts health and well-being and promising approaches to dismantling structural and institutional racism. Applicants must indicate the general subject matter that would be the focus for developing a future specific collaborative research project (e.g., middle school disciplinary policies, housing insecurity, or telehealth barriers). The expected outcome of a pilot award in this category is a collaboratively developed plan for an anti-racism research project that articulates specific research questions and crafts a design for a research study or approach to answer the research question(s).

Applications must specify the community groups or community members partnering in the project, the plan for supporting their involvement, and the process for creating the deliverables required for the pilot award. “Community partners” are broadly defined and may include individual community members or patients, community- and faith-based organizations serving under-resourced or excluded populations, civic organizations (e.g., school districts), and other entities. It is expected that a substantive portion of this award will be allocated specifically to support community partner participation (e.g., salary/stipend, local travel, childcare, meals, etc.).
 

  1. Research projects ($50,000 maximum): These awards will support research studies using an anti-racism framework. Although this award amount may be sufficient for conducting some types of research studies (e.g., analysis of secondary data, an observational study), we will also consider funding projects that collect pilot data or refine interventions if the award may enhance the ability of the study team to apply for larger extramural awards using an anti-racism framework. Research projects must include a clear articulation of the approach to community engagement and the role of community members/organizations as full research partners.

    Research projects may include (but are not limited to):
  • collection of original data intended to understand the role of racism in health and healthcare or to provide evidence or infrastructure to intervene upon racist policies, practices, or institutions;
  • analysis of new or existing data that informs or examines the effects of racist policies or anti-racist initiatives;
  • a historical analysis of the racist origins of current policies or institutions with a focus on addressing racism in today’s policy and practice in the biomedical research or healthcare setting;
  • evaluations of anti-racist policies, programs or training initiatives.

For both Capacity Building and Research Project applications:

This pilot grant program is meant to support anti-racism research. Consequently, traditional biomedical research projects that simply add a focus on the inclusion of diverse or historically excluded populations will not be considered. Similarly, projects that seek only to document disparities without exploring or addressing structural racism will be considered non-responsive.

We encourage a diverse pool of applicants from faculty at all stages of their careers and those from groups that have been historically excluded in healthcare, medicine, and public health.

Pilot projects are for one year and not renewable. (Some funding agencies may allow for no-cost extensions. This will be clarified in the Award Letter.) All funding agencies require progress reports at the completion of an awarded project. The number and timing of those reports may vary between the agencies and detailed information about this will appear in the respective funding agency’s Award Letter.

Eligibility

Eligibility requirements must be met as of date of submission, no waivers will be accepted.

Who is Eligible as a UCSF PI:

UCSF Faculty in any Series (Ladder Rank, In Residence, Clinical X, Health Science Clinical, Adjunct) in the ranks of Instructors and Assistant/Associate/Full Professors may apply. Appointees to the Professional Research Series in the rank of Assistant/Associate/Full Research can also apply. Appointees to the Librarian Series may also apply. Every proposal must have at least one PI that meets the Faculty eligibility requirements defined above. Fellows, specialists, students, and community members can apply only with an eligible UCSF PI listed as contact PI.

NOTE: Academic Senate can only fund those faculty with Academic Senate appointments.
Research Evaluation and Allocation Committee (REAC) can only support projects from UCSF School of Medicine faculty PIs.

Who is Not Eligible as a UCSF PI:

Fellows are not eligible. Specialists are not eligible.

Submission Rules

Criteria for Review/Evaluation of Applications
Projects will be evaluated based on:

  1.  Team composition:
    • The team must include at least one UCSF PI as well as substantively include community partners, some of which may also serve as a multi-PI; If using a multi-PI structure, a UCSF PI will serve as the contact PI;
    • The quality and potential of the applicant and the project team to successfully complete the proposed specific aims of the proposed project should be addressed.
  2.  Quality of the proposed project:
  • For the Capacity Building project grant, the plan for supporting community involvement, and the process for creating the deliverables required for the pilot award should be well articulated.
  • For the Research project grant, the specific aims should be well-described and address a research question using a named and described anti-racism framework. The methods and approach should be well-conceived and described with a clear connection to the anti-racism framework. The feasibility of successfully achieving the proposed project aims in one year should be addressed.
  1. Potential impact and significance of the project: The potential of the proposed project to lead to clear and actionable next steps through the lens of anti-racism and racial equity should be described.

In addition, the following specific evaluation criteria will be considered:

  1. Priority will be given to PIs who have been historically excluded in healthcare, medicine, and public health research (Under-Represented Investigators (URI)), as defined by the UCSF Office of Diversity and Outreach (https://diversity.ucsf.edu/programs-resources/urm-definition);
  2. Priority will be given as well to projects with cross-sector and/or trans-disciplinary teams, where “sector” refers to community, government, non-profit, industry, academia, etc. and where “discipline” refers to research expertise.
  3. Pilot projects that involve human participants will require IRB approval before funding is released.

Selection of Awardees
Funding decisions will be made independently by each funding agency based on factors including:

  1. Scores and ranking from the review committee:
    1. Review by a RAP-independent review committee consisting of UCSF faculty and staff with relevant research expertise and members of the public community, solicited through existing partnerships of CTSI’s Research Action Group for Equity Core and Community Engagement Core;
    2. Projects will be scored on several criteria and then ranked for funding by the committee for project feasibility, potential for impact, and alignment to campus-community partnership goals; 
  2. Alignment with the funder’s strategic goals.

TO APPLY:

STEP 1) Complete the electronic application form. Please note there are several pieces of information that need to be provided directly via the electronic application form (selecting the appropriate grant mechanism, providing demographic information, uploading an abstract, etc.). Click here to preview an inactive template of the electronic application form.

STEP 2) Upload your proposal as a SINGLE PDF that includes all the things listed in numeric order in the instructions below. Do not include form fields in your PDF document.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR PROPOSAL PDF

Please write your proposal following the instructions listed below and create one single pdf file. Do not include form fields in your PDF document.

Proposal Length (see format below): maximum 3 pages for the Capacity Building Project grant and maximum 6 pages for the Research Project grant, including figures and tables, excluding table of contents and literature cited.

Format Requirements: Arial font; 11pt; minimum 0.5 inch for all margins; no appendices; include page numbers and table of contents.

Resubmissions:

Definition: A ‘resubmission’ is an application that was previously submitted to the same mechanism and involves the same research topic with an amended application or research plan. rather than a new research topic and new research plan.

Requirements: Please use up to one extra page to introduce your revised proposal, addressing the issues raised in the review, and any additional changes to your proposal. Make sure the new changes are highlighted in bold or italic font so the reviewers can easily see where and how the proposal has changed. Do not use track changes. A new letter of support from the Department Chair or other Unit Head is required in all cases.

NOTE – Funding Cycle Break: Prior RAP Anti-Racism Program Awardees cannot receive funding in two consecutive cycles for the same mechanism.

Human Subjects Research: It is recommended that PIs with projects involving human subjects prepare an IRB application concurrently with the application for funding. Please refer to the UCSF Human Research Protection Program to determine if your research requires IRB review and if your research meets the definition of human subjects research.

Capacity Building Project Application:

  1. PI Name(s)-You may apply with multiple PIs. If funded, PI1 will be the primary contact for the award set up and management. At least one PI must have a UCSF faculty appointment. Only one RAP application from any person named as a PI (PI1 OR PI2) is permitted per cycle.
  2. Project Title
  3. Proposal maximum 3 pages for the Capacity Building Project grant, including figures and tables, excluding literature cited
    • Lay Summary: Provide a brief summary of the capacity building project that ensures that complex ideas and technical and scientific terms can be understood by those without prior knowledge about the subject (300-word max).
    • Background and Significance: Describe the general subject matter that would be the focus for developing a future specific collaborative research project (e.g., middle school disciplinary policies, housing insecurity, or telehealth barriers) and the importance of this topic. Describe any relevant preliminary research studies and/or existing projects/relationships with community partners.
    • Proposed activities: Describe how you will collaboratively create a plan for an anti-racism research project that articulates specific research questions and crafts a design for a research study or approach to answer the research question(s). Include a clear plan of project execution including a detailed timeline (12-month project period) and intended outcomes.
      • Feasibility: Describe what steps you are taking to ensure the proposed project can be completed within the one-year project period for this grant (300-word max).
    • Community engagement: Applications must specify the community groups and/or members partnering in the project and the plan for supporting their involvement. Proposals should describe current state of the partnership along the community engagement spectrum (e.g., inform, consult, collaborate) and describe the intended stage of engagement at the end of the award period.
    • Anti-racism framework: Clearly name and articulate how the research study will use an anti-racism/anti-racist framework in the capacity building work of this project. This could include discussions of how academic and community partners will collaborate to identify an anti-racism framework for future research. The role of racism in the topic/problem of interest should be clearly articulated.
    • Impact and future directions: Describe how successful completion of the deliverable project outline will enable the study team to apply for larger awards using an anti-racism framework.
    • Literature cited (not included in page limit)
  4. Detailed Budget – $10,000 maximum for Capacity Building per proposal; round up to the nearest thousand (i.e., instead of 9,867, list $10,000). Budgets that do not appropriately support community partners for their role in the project will be considered non-responsive.

Research Grant Project Application:

  1. PI Name(s)-You may apply with multiple PIs. If funded, PI1 will be the primary contact for the award set up and management. At least one PI must have a UCSF faculty appointment. Only one RAP application from any person named as a PI (PI1 OR PI2) is permitted per cycle.
  2. Project Title
  3. Proposal maximum 6 pages for the Research Project grant, including figures and tables, excluding literature cited.
    • Lay Summary: Provide a brief summary of the research project that ensures that complex ideas and technical and scientific terms can be understood by those without prior knowledge about the subject (300-word max).
    • Background and Significance
    • Specific Aims
    • Preliminary research: Describe relevant preliminary research studies and/or existing projects/relationships with community partners.
    • Experimental Design and/or Methods: Effectively detail your experimental design, highlighting the methodological anti-racism framework. Include a clear plan of project execution including a detailed timeline (12-month project period) and intended outcomes.
      • Feasibility: Describe what steps you are taking to ensure the proposed project can be completed within the one-year project period for this grant (300-word max).
    • Anti-racism framework: Clearly name and articulate how the research study will use an anti-racism/anti-racist framework and contributes to a culture of anti- racism in medicine or biomedical/health research. Describe how successful completion of the proposed project increases the understanding of causes of racial hierarchies and their consequences, and/or will identify structural anti-racism strategies or will inform structural policy change.
    • Community Engagement: Research projects must clearly state the community impacted by the research as well as include a clear articulation of the approach to community engagement and role of community members as research partners. Proposals should describe current state of the partnership along the community engagement spectrum (e.g., inform, consult, collaborate) and describe the intended stage of engagement at the end of the award period.
    • Future Directions: Describe how successful achievement of the aims may enhance the ability of the study team to apply for larger extramural awards using an anti-racism framework.
    • Literature cited (not included in page limit)
  4. Detailed Budget –$50,000 maximum for Research Project, per proposal; round up to the nearest thousand (i.e., instead of 49,867, list $50,000). Budgets that do not appropriately support community partners for their role in the project will be considered non-responsive.

For both the Capacity Building and the Research Grant mechanisms:

Budget Preparation Resources:
    OSR: Develop a Budget
    Standard Budget Components, including information on personnel costs (salary and benefits)
    NIH: Develop Your Budget

Allowable Costs Table:

 

Allowable

Not Allowable

PI Salary *

X

 

Co-Investigator(s) Salary

X

 

Post Doc Salary

X

 

Research Staff Support (e.g., RSA; Lab Technician) or Convening Facilitator

X

 

Community member participation compensation

X

 

Administrative Support (only as needed for community engagement)

 

X

Supplies

X

 

Equipment

X

 

Software

X

 

Personal Computers

 

X

Mailing

 

X

Tuition

 

X

Travel (note - local transportation costs allowed)

 

X

Network Recharge Rates

X

 

Patient Care

 

X

International Subcontracts**

 

X

Indirect Costs on Subcontracts at other Universities

 

X

Publication fees (max $5K allowed on Research Grant mechanism only)

X

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

General Guidelines:
*The NIH base salary cap applies. PIs are required to list their effort whether it is paid or in kind.

PI partial salary support should be well-justified with respect to project activities. Due to their small size, RAP grants are designed for project support and are not intended to provide PI salary support unrelated to the project. PI salary amounts greater than ~10% of the requested award amount (e.g., $5,000 of a $50K award proposal, not 10% FTE) must be well justified and it should reflect work done by the PI to conduct specific scientific tasks on the project (e.g., data collection, computation) and not merely general supervision of project goals and personnel.

Multiple PIs can decide how to distribute the 10% salary support among themselves (e.g., 5%/5% or 6%/4%).

  • The 10% limit on salary support is a guideline and includes SALARY & FRINGE BENEFITS.

The award amount is DIRECT COST ONLY.

Update: General Automobile and Employee Liability (GAEL) insurance are NOT allowable costs.

If you need assistance with budgeting for statistical or recruitment help, please contact Consultation Services. Consultation Services offers a free hour to all researchers per project and service, and it can assist with appropriate budgeting if your project is awarded.

5) Budget Justification: Clearly justify all costs fully. Budget Overlap - If the proposed study is closely related or a sub-study of existing funded research listed in the applicant’s biosketch, clarify the relationship between the two projects and confirm that there is no overlap in funding.

For all personnel, clearly identify any discrepancies between the actual effort (i.e., real percent time) the individual will contribute to the project, versus the amount of salary effort they are requesting. This is particularly important for personnel/PI's who expect to contribute project effort with little or no salary, such as those whose salary is above the NIH base salary cap.

NOTE: If your Other Support references projects that may appear to have scientific or budgetary overlap with this proposal, please clearly identify and explain why this proposal is unique and non-overlapping.

6) NIH BioSketch of Principal Investigator and Co-Investigator(s) and UCSF Faculty Mentor(s) (if applicable), (5 page format):

7) Other Support pages of Principal Investigator(s) and Co-Investigator(s) and UCSF Faculty Mentor(s):

8) Letter(s) of support:

  • Provide a letter of support from the department chair or other unit head. In addition, for junior investigators, department chairs/unit heads should comment on the independence of the applicant and availability of research space and other resources for the proposed research. Include the letter of support at the end of your pdf document and address it to the RAP Committee. If there are multiple (two) PIs, a letter of support is required for both PIs. If PIs are in the same department, the chair can vouch for both PIs in a single letter. VIEW SAMPLE.
  • Provide a letter of support from all community partner groups.