CLOCC Quarterly Seed Grant Application Guidelines

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CLOCC SEED GRANT APPLICATION GUIDELINES

The purpose of the CLOCC Seed Grant Program is to support the development of programs and research efforts to the point that they become promising for increased funding.  Preferred projects include program evaluation to determine efficiency and effectiveness, formative research for intervention or research study development, and collection of pilot data through interventions or research.

Who may apply: 
Type of organization: Non-profit organizations (e.g., schools, hospitals, community-based organizations) and units of local government may apply for funding. The organization is considered
the applicant for grant administration purposes.

Any individual with the skills and knowledge to conduct the proposed project is invited to work with
an eligible organization to develop an application. Applications will not be accepted from individuals. Previously funded applicants may reapply; each proposal is evaluated as separate and new. Organizations based outside the City of Chicago are eligible to apply if the proposal meets project location requirements (see below), but Chicago-based applicants are given priority. 

Project location:  Projects must be carried out within the Chicago city limits. Projects that take place within CLOCC’s 10 Vanguard Communities will receive priority.  These communities are:  Englewood, Humboldt Park, Logan Square, North Lawndale, Pilsen/Lower West Side, Rogers Park, Roseland,
South Chicago, West Garfield Park, and West Town.

Type of project:  Any project supporting CLOCC’s mission will be considered.  Proposals may be for research or community interventions. The CLOCC website has a listing of previously funded seed grant projects.

Intervention-related proposals may be focused at the individual, family, community or societal levels, or at a combination of these levels. Projects that focus on program implementation without sound evaluations will not be funded. Requests for general organizational or program support will not be considered.

Research proposals may include formative research, pilot/feasibility, or other types of studies. Projects submitted by community-based organizations or other non-academic institutions must demonstrate commitment from an established evaluator or researcher. Costs associated with an external researcher or evaluator may be included in the project budget.

Project Timing:  Projects must be completed within 18 months of the grant award.  The first three months of the project timeline must be allocated for contract processing and Internal Review Board (IRB) approval (if applicable). The project may not begin until after IRB approval is received.

Amount of award:
CLOCC seed grants will be awarded twice per year. Approximately $40,000 is available for seed grants each cycle.  Typically, there will be multiple smaller awards.  In rare circumstances, there may be one larger award in a cycle.

As per guidelines from our funders, no indirect costs or overhead support will be funded. All budgeted expenses must be direct project costs.
           
Important Dates: 

• Letters of Interest (LOIs) are due in the CLOCC offices no later than 5:00 p.m. on February 1 and August 1 of each year. Applicants are highly encouraged to contact Lara Jones Jaskiewicz (see below for contact information) to discuss their project ideas before submitting an LOI.
• Invitations to submit a full proposal will be sent within two weeks of the LOI deadline (i.e. February 15 or August 15).
• Full applications will be due six weeks following the invitation to submit. Full applications submitted without an invitation will not be reviewed.
• Funding decisions will be made on or about May 31 and November 30 of each year. 
• Because of the time needed for successful proposals to develop subcontracts and (if relevant) receive IRB approval, project activities should start approximately three months after the award date (i.e. September 1 or March 1).

Review Process: 
Following the LOI deadline, an internal review committee will read each LOI to determine whether it 1) supports CLOCC’s mission and 2) meets Seed Grant eligibility requirements. Letters that meet both of those criteria will be invited to submit a full proposal application.

Full proposals will be checked for completeness upon arrival and then reviewed by a multidisciplinary review committee. The committee will include both CLOCC staff and external partners that have expertise in areas related to the proposals. After review, proposal revisions may be requested, e.g.,
to clarify the proposal, make recommended changes, or revise the budget. Applicants will have two weeks to submit revisions.

Human Subjects:
Many projects receiving CLOCC funds will be required to obtain external or Internal Review Board (IRB) approval. Projects that include an intervention or will collect data from individuals will be required to have written IRB approval (or exemption). IRB approval cannot be obtained through Children's Memorial Hospital or Northwestern University unless you are employed by these institutions or use data-collectors who are (for more information, please read the IRB Fact Sheet). If you are uncertain whether your project will require IRB approval, please contact Lara Jones Jaskiewicz (see below for contact information).   

Letter of Interest Instructions:
All letters of interest (LOI) must be submitted using the LOI form. A one-page cover letter is allowed, but no other attachments will be accepted with the LOI. The LOI consists of three main sections:

Organization background: Briefly describe what your organization does, its location, primary funding sources, and the organization’s primary population of interest. Please provide community area or neighborhood names and list key community partners.

Project summary: State the intent of the project and describe what project activities will take place, what population the project will focus on or serve, how long it will take, and how it supports CLOCC’s mission.

Evaluation summary: Describe what will be measured/assessed and with what tool(s). Provide the name of the evaluator, Principal Investigator, and/or co-investigators as relevant. State which organization’s IRB will be utilized.

Full Proposal Submission Instructions: Full proposals will be accepted only by invitation. The proposal shall consist of the following elements in a single document, except attachments as described below. Elements submitted as separate files will be returned. Use this application form.

• Cover Page - use the format provided in the application form or the same format.
  
  
• Project checklist – use the Project Checklist provided in the application form. All elements
  on the checklist must be included in the application.
  
  
• Lay Summary (1 page maximum) - The Lay Summary consists of a summary of the technical narrative, preferably in non-technical language. This information will be posted on the CLOCC website for the projects that are funded.

• Background Information (2 page maximum)
  • Why the project is important – Specify the research or community need addressed, the population of interest and, if applicable, information on the results of similar or related projects. Note: it is unnecessary to describe overall rates of child overweight or provide history on the increase in child obesity;
  • Organizational experience - Please give background on your organization and the experience of key project staff in implementing similar projects. List the names and organizational affiliations of any project partners who will collect data. Describe your relationships with other relevant community organizations.
    
    
• Technical Narrative (4 pages maximum) – This must address the following: 
  • What will be done – describe the project activities, including the tools/curriculum to
    be used;
  • With/to whom – describe program population or sample and organizational partners;
  • Where – describe and justify the project location(s);
  • When and how often – describe over what period the project will take place and list events and benchmarks for project progress;
  • Evaluation plan – provide information on who will carry out evaluation activities, tools and methods to be used, and analysis plans. If the project will have an external evaluator or researcher, identify and justify who this will be. The Internal Review Board that will review the project must be named in this section.
    
    
• Timeline – The project timeline must end within 18 months after the seed grant award date. The first three months of the timeline must be allocated for IRB approval and subcontracting. For instance, timelines for projects with LOIs submitted in the February round must start the following June 1 or later; submissions for the August deadline must start the following December 1 or later. Projects with human subjects cannot start—will receive no funds—until after IRB approval is received. Administrative and preparatory tasks may also take place during the first three months, but no participant recruitment or intervention activities may be started until after IRB approval has been received.

The format of the timeline must be easy to read and address key project activity dates. A table format is preferred with project months listed individually across the top and project activities in the first column. The table below is an example.

• Post-project Activities (1 page) – The proposal must describe:
  
  • A plan to share project results within CLOCC, including submission of a project fact sheet; a summary report; and willingness to present results at a CLOCC meeting.  
  • Additional plans to share the project results with other organizations and colleagues, especially in the Chicago area.
  • A specific plan for future external funding, including names of potential funders (preferably with relevant calls for proposals). Proposals that are vague here will be considered incomplete, e.g., “Funds will be sought…” will not suffice.
    
    
• Detailed Budget - use the form provided or the same format.  The specific expenses that will be paid using Seed Grant funds must be identified. Indirect costs and/or overhead are not eligible for funding.  If the project is part of a larger effort, you may submit a full-project budget as an attachment.
  
  
• Attachments (5 pages or less) – Attachments may be submitted as a single separate file. Attachments may not be used as an extension of the grant proposal to provide additional project information:
  • Required: Letters of support from participating organizations and researchers.
  • Optional: Tools to be used, full program budget, relevant publications.

Format:  Electronic submission of grant applications is required. The minimum font size is 11 point; margins must be 1-inch wide on all sides.  Applications may be single-spaced.  Elements a-h above should be included as a single document or electronic file with the exception of attachments, which may be submitted as a single separate file. Applications should not exceed 12 pages in total length. The submitted document must not contain editing marks.

Application Evaluation Criteria: 

• Adherence to CLOCC’s mission
• Realistic and appropriate timeline
• Feasibility
• Partnerships with other organizations
• Quality of project design, including evaluation plan
• Likelihood of project success
• Reasonable and realistic budget
• Future funding potential

See the Seed Grant Review Form for details.

Grant Award:
No grant funds will be paid until after a subcontract has been completed. Subcontracts will not be issued until after an IRB approval letter has been received by CLOCC staff (if applicable). Grant payments will be made on the following schedule:

• 50% at the time subcontract process is completed
• 25% invoiced by the awardee after receiving documentation that 75% of initial funds have been expended. Invoice and reporting instructions will be included with the subcontract
• 25% after completion of the project, including final invoices, project fact sheet and final report

Proposal submissions:
Proposals are to be submitted to:

                                    Lara Jones Jaskiewicz, MBA, MPH
                                    Project Manager, CLOCC
                                    2300 Children’s Plaza, Box 157
                                    Chicago, IL  60614
                                    lmjones@childrensmemorial.org

If you have any questions, please call 312-573-7759 or email lmjones@childrensmemorial.org.