Mini Grants 2023

Utah AHEC is now accepting applications for mini-grants of $10,000 to support student-led research projects that focus on health issues affecting socially and economically disadvantaged communities inhabiting rural, tribal and in general under-served areas.

Proposals need to address at least three of the following topics.

1. Cultural competence
2. Inter-professionalism
3. Health workforce retention
4. Health & Justice
5. Ethics in Public Health

We understand that there is some overlap in the topics mentioned above.

• Funding is available for undergraduate and graduate AHEC Scholars.
• Mini grant applications are accepted on a rolling basis.

Application Timelines

• Grant Pre-proposals opens: June 1, 2023
• Grant Pre-proposals closes: June 23, 2023
• Announcement pre-proposal acceptance: July 5, 2023
• Final grant proposal application deadline (submitted only by candidates whose pre-proposal gets approved): Aug 5, 2023
• Final funding announcement: Aug 14, 2023

Mini Grant Guidelines

Eligibility

Utah AHEC Scholars

Call for Proposals

The initial call requests pre-proposals. Pre-proposals will be reviewed by a committee and if selected, those selected will be invited to submit full proposals.

Preproposal

This is the first step in the process. Interested candidates must submit the pre-proposal application.

Mini-Grants applications Review Process

A Review Committee comprised of five members will review each pre-proposal application. Reviewers will complete a rating sheet for each application that includes both a numeric rating and comment section. Funding decisions are based on the rating sheets and availability of funding.

Full Proposal

Full proposal (after preproposal approval) application form and submission can be found at the AHEC mini grants home page. The project needs to be completed in 1 year by August 2024.

Required documents for full proposal submission

1. Contact information and a short bio of the applicants and advisors One page
2. Executive Summary – One page
3. Needs Assessment/Rationale up to four paragraphs – One page
4. List Project Objectives with a brief description that includes both short-term and long-term objectives – One page
5. Anticipated Outcomes – one page
6. Gantt Chart
7. Budget Plan. Please provide justifications for the budget
8. Letter/s of support
9. CV/Resume of the applicants and advisors

Format: Times New Roman, 12-point size, double spaced, one-inch margin, captions and citations as needed, APA 7 style references. Please follow this format for all submissions.

Our suggested template for Gantt and Budget charts can be found here.

Please send all the documents in a single portfolio named in the following format:

Applicant First Name_Applicant Last Name__Year of Submission

Example: Maria_Gomez_2023

Grant Reports

• Grantees must submit three reports, one every three months (on 3rd, 6th and 9th months) and a final report (3+1, total 4 reports) on assigned due dates to the Office of Utah AHEC. Due dates will be assigned based on the project.
• In-person/virtual meeting once every three months is required to discuss the progress of the project. Additional meetings as needed.

Budget conditions

Funding requested can be used for the following:

• Research-Related Expenses (e.g., research questionnaires, travel)
• Focus Group Expenses (e.g., transcription, facilitation, transportation etc.)
• Meeting Space Rental
• Materials and Supplies

NOTE: Cash incentives are not permitted under the Mini-Grant Program. If your budget includes incentives for program or research participants, gift cards are allowed with a completed “incentive log” documenting either name or initials of each recipient. If your budget includes food/refreshments, no more than $400 per grant award will be allowed for this line item.

For other requests, the selection committee will review the items and decide on a case-by-case basis. Funding may only be used for activities that can be sustainable and will lead to a project.

IRB Support

Should your project need IRB support, we will offer consults and guidance via Tatiana Allen-Webb Tatiana.Allen@hsc.utah.edu.

Please be aware that the IRB review takes a minimum of 6 weeks.

We will guide you throughout the process from grant proposal to project completion. You do not have to be an expert in grant writing to submit your proposal. One of the objectives of this grant is also to help students gain experience in grant writing and project management.

Please feel free to contact prudvi.marneedi@utah.edu if you need assistance or have any questions regarding the requirements or submission.