The UCSF P30 Center for Environmental Research and Translation for Health (EaRTH), in partnership with the Center to Advance Toxicology and Chemical Hazard Assessment (CATCHA), is offering a pilot award of $50,000 to support community-initiated environmental health research projects that address community-defined needs aligned with Center priorities, with the goal of fostering collaborative efforts to test chemicals of interest using rapid toxicity testing or biomonitoring technologies to the community. EaRTH Center priorities include:

• Women and children (fertility, pregnancy and/or childhood);
• Chronic disease outcomes;
• Developmental, neurodevelopmental, reproductive health effects;
• Environmental chemical exposures and climate resiliency; and
• Health inequities

This award aims to support a partnership project uniting a community-based organization, a UCSF academic partner, and selected labs from the EaRTH Center Bioassay Facility Core  and CATCHA to establish a proof of concept and generate preliminary data for future funding opportunities. EaRTH will issue one award of $50,000 and provide consultation and technical assistance in refining project concepts for a proposal. Pilot projects are for one year, are not renewable, and must take place in Northern California. All applications will be reviewed and scored by the EaRTH Center Executive Committee. A report will be required at the end of the funding period, identifying any resulting publications or products and subsequent funding obtained to support the expanded/extended projects. Any resulting publications, public presentations, or products must directly acknowledge funding from the UCSF P30 EaRTH Center. Awardees will also present their findings at the EaRTH Center Annual Research Forum and may also be asked to give short presentations at other Center meetings.

The anticipated project start date is March 1, 2025.

Deadline extended! Applications are now due Monday, February 17th, 2025 by 11:59 pm PT.

 

Who Can Apply?

To qualify for this funding, all projects must be conducted by partnerships that include at least:

1. One eligible community organization. Eligible community partners are government agencies (such as the San Francisco Department of Public Health, the San Francisco Unified School District as well as individual schools), and non-profits, having 501(c) 3 (504) or 170(c) 1 tax- exempt IRS status including:

• Health, social service, and other community –basedorganizations;
• Faith-based organizations;
• Primary and secondary schools;and,
• Voluntary associations, civic and citizen groups

2. One eligible UCSF academic partner. Eligible UCSF partners include:

• Faculty
• Clinical and professional staff, especially those engaged in professional development programs (Diversity Training, Leadership Forum, etal.)

3. One of the following labs associated with the EaRTH Center and CATCHA:

• High-Throughput Chemical Screening for Reproductive Toxicity; Dr. Jennifer Fung
• In Vitro and In Silico Assessment of Developmental Toxicity; Dr. Joshua Robinson

 

Funding & Budget Requirements

The $50,000 in funding must be allocated to cover both the costs of the selected lab and any associated project expenses. Applicants are required to consult with the lab prior to submitting their application to obtain an accurate estimate of the lab services and associated costs. Please reach out to [email protected] to schedule your consultation.

Funds may not be used for:

• Debt reduction;
• Entertainment; (including meals and refreshments)
• Indirect expenses that cannot be directly tied the project;
• Publication fees;
• Foreign spending and international subcontracts;
• Projects conducted outside of Northern California; and,
• Reimbursement solely for patient care or clinical service delivery. These services may be reimbursed if they are a direct and necessary component of the broaderproject.

 

Submission Rules

Criteria for Review/Evaluation of Applications

We invite the submission of innovative and collaborative pilot projects that relate to environmental health. Proposals will be evaluated based on the quality of the proposed scientific investigation, innovation in ideas or approach, the quality and promise of the applicant and the research team, and the potential of the proposed research or project to impact community understanding and prevention of harmful environmental exposures. Applications must adhere to the following:

• Community and UCSF academic partners are designated as co-investigators.
• No prior experience in environmental health research is required.
• A consultation with the selected lab must take place prior to the application submission in order to estimate cost, timeline and viability of proposed project.
• Current UCSF academic partner’s membership in the P30 EaRTH Center is not required, although awardees will be expected to participate in Center functions during the duration of their project and present the results to the Center and the Scientific Advisory Board.
• Applications should be written for a scientific and lay audience (abstracts will be required for both) and a clear articulation of how the proposal is responding to community environmental health needs.
• Any projects that involve human subjects or cell lines must comply with NIH rules before funds are released. Due to strict time constraints, any projects requiring IRB approval must have the approval in place at the time of application. Projects requiring IRB approval that would take place after the application is submitted are not eligible.

 

Selection of Awardees

Finalists will be asked to present a brief overview of their proposal to the P30 EaRTH Center Executive Committee in early February 2025. Funding decisions are based on several factors – community need, relevance, innovation, and scientific review score; alignment of proposal to the P30 EaRTH Center’s priorities; and conformity to stated guidelines. Information on the EaRTH Center goals are available at https://earth.ucsf.edu.

 

To Apply

Email your proposal to [email protected] as a SINGLE PDF that includes all the things listed in numeric order in the instructions below.  

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

 

1. Proposal Cover Page: Please include the name of the project and primary community and university academic partners involved with contact information for each.

 

2. Proposal Lay Summary.  Please include a separate page with an abstract of 200 words or less which conveys the goals of the project, significance for environmental health and potential impact for stakeholders. This summary should be written for a lay audience and avoid scientific jargon.

 

3. Proposal Narrative: Maximum 2 pages, plus one additional page of figures and/or tables; literature cited should be listed separately and is not included in the page limit. The narrative should include the following information:

• Partnership Background - Identify the key partners involved in the project and the roles of each partner. Describe how the partnership formed (as relevant, and if this is a new partnership) and the community identified need that is being addressed through this project.
• Project Description - Please provide a description of the project and desired outcomes.
• Outcomes and Evaluation - Describe how the project and partnership will be evaluated. What is the anticipated impact from this project on the community?
• - Describe how this partnership project could be sustained after the project period. How will resources be leveraged to maximize project impact?
• Project Timeline (not included in page limit) - Please include a detailed listing of all key project activities and deliverables, including submission of final report to the EaRTH Center. Final reports are due within 3 months of project completion.

 

4. Detailed Budget. $50,000 maximum per proposal; round up to the nearest thousand (i.e. instead of $49,869 list $50,000). Use the following form: PHS 398 Form Page 4, “Detailed Budget for the Initial Period”: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/fp4.pdf

 

5. Budget Justification: Clearly and fully justify all costs including expenses required by the selected lab (1 page).

 

6. NIH Biosketch of Academic Investigator(s) and resume/biosketch of Community Investigator(s) (5 page maximum per biosketch):
Please follow NIH guidelines on current biosketch requirements and view their sample templates: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/forms/biosketch.htm.