First call is focused on University of California-based researchers and partners
Awards ranging from $50,000 to $200,000, with Nov 21 deadline
For reference, the announcement blog post is linked here: https://aapidata.com/blog/uc-rfp/
Link to Recorded Webinar
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FAQs
1. What are the requirements for the cover sheet and budget template?
Templates for the cover sheet and budget template are available here:
2. What kinds of work would be considered for larger grants closer to the $200,000 level?
We are open to all proposals, but keep in mind that all the work must be completed by September 29, 2023. The work/study must include a strong policy implication and policy impact component. The budget must be realistic about the amount of work achievable in the allotted timeframe.
3. Are there additional guidelines regarding the scope of the project, or submission of the proposal and budget? For example, must all budget items relate to required deliverables listed or is there room for other deliverables (e.g. media campaign)?
All budget items must relate to the three deliverables: the preliminary policy brief, the final policy memo, and the working paper.
4. When must fund be expended?
All funds must be expended by September 29, 2023.
5. Do you want proposals that anticipate policy challenges and solutions for the brief?
For the first brief due in early April, there are likely items in your proposal that should be incorporated into the brief. For example, who are the populations being studies, what is the nature of the problem, why is this problem important to study, a brief description of the study, and what some of the early findings seem to suggest, if any are available. The briefing papers and the final policy memo should provide stronger guidance for decision-makers at the state level and at the local level by addressing what existing policies are, what existing practices and programs are, and how existing resources flow and proposing changes to those policies, practices, programs, and resources are needed to address the problem.
6. As an UC-affliated researcher, are we allowed to bring aboard non-UC researchers as part of the research team?
For this specific RFP, the principal investigator should be a UC-affliate due to the way that funding will flow. The principal investigator will be responsible for making the financial and contractual arrangements with their own research team. We strongly suggest, even though it is not required, that respondents to this RFP work with their Sponsored Research Office to determine what kinds of letters of commitment or other documentation is needed from other institutions and to have them in place by the time award decisions are made. Given the short time line of this round of funding, it is essential to have all your internal agreements put in place so that work can start as soon as possible.
7. Will the RFP require a signature from an authorized official? This will help determine if this needs to be routed internally for approval through my Sponsored Research Administration office. If selected will be this a UC multi-campus agreement?
Since the funding is not considered extramural funds and there are not any prime award terms, by policy it is not required to go through your Sponsored Research Administration office; however, it may be helpful and we would recommend, for your unit’s analyst/administrative key personnel to work with your SRA office for guidance since every campus can be different. This will also ensure that your departmental analyst remains compliant with your campus’ best practices as it relates to reporting and proposal terms. The agreement will be between UCR’s AAPI Data California unit and the individual UC campus.
8. What are the requirements for publicly accessible data for research done for this project? Producing publicly accessible data within the nine-month time frame is tight.
The RFP only requires three deliverables: the initial policy brief in April, the final policy memo, and the working paper by September 29, 2023. Having any data available in a publicly available format is not a requirement for this proposal but is welcomed and can be made available at a later date.
9. Is the RFP looking for geographic diversity or ethnic group diversity in the proposals being evaluated?
Key criteria are the methods and validity of the claims being made by proposals and the issues covered should be relevant to the policy needs of the diverse AA and NHPI communities of California.
10. Does budget and budget justification count towards the page limit?
No, the budget, budget justification, and references will not count toward the page limit.
11. Is there a data crosswalk or codebook where we can explore research question possibilities prior to application?
No, we are not requiring that respondents use any of our data for their research.
12. Are secondary data analyses permitted?
Yes, secondary data analysis is allowable, but must original analysis, not just a literature review. A meta-analysis of multiple studies is permitted if the analysis results in actionable policy recommendations.
13. When it comes to methods, is community participatory research a requirement?
We are open to all methodologies. We are encouraging community engagement in your research, across a whole spectrum from advisory roles to partnerships. Community participatory research is not a required approach, but we are open to it. Community partners can include government agencies or philanthropy.
14. What was the background of this funding effort focused on AA and NHPI research?
The source of funding is the AAPI Equity Budget, which was passed a year and a half ago through the collective effort of the Asian Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus, the California Commission on API Affairs (CAPIAA), and a broad and deep coalition, including the Nail Salon Collaborative, the Stop AAPI Hate Collaborative, as well as other organizations, in the wake of the Atlanta killings. A total of over one hundred and sixty million dollars was allocated for AA and NHPI communities. Most of the funding has been allocated through the California Department of Social Services.
In terms of grants for organizations, the AAPI Equity Budget allocated to 10 million dollars to Stop AAPI Hate for anti-Asian hate research and programming and 10 million dollars was allocated to AAPI Data to build social science research and policy capacity for AA and NHPI communities. AAPI Data had a first wave of research funding with UCLA’s California Health Interview Survey team, to re-analyze existing data and to field new questions through the CHIS that will result in a report in January 2023. There is another RFP to build a scientific and representative survey panel of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in California with in-language support. This RFP seeks to build and support a robust ecosystem of social science researchers in the State of California.
15. Will there be an opportunity for the awardees to get together across institutions?
An AAPI Policy Multicampus Research Program is currently dormant (aapi-mrp.org), funded over a decade ago by UCOP, but did not receive additional funding. There’s an opportunity here to revive the MRP.
16. Are there guidelines or examples to help those less familiar with writing policy briefs?
The preliminary policy brief should state the nature of the issue, the populations affected, why the issue is important, what is already known on the topic, and how the research advances the understanding of the issue and informs policies, programs, practices, and resource allocations. The brief may contain data visualizations if there are data available. The brief and the final policy memo should be written with policy decision makers in mind. These could be staff of government agencies at the state level and local level, elected officials, and philanthropy.
17. Is there an expectation of certain types of journals that respondents to the RFP should submit the working paper?
The only requirement for this funding is the submission of a working paper. The working paper will be made available to the general public on the AAPI Data website. The choice of journal submission is up to the respondent. Arrangements will be made to allow AAPI Data to develop derivative products such as blog posts, social media, and issue-focused one-pagers to help advocates push for change.
18. Is there an REMS waiver number (for UC-based applications)? (added 11/15)
Since this will be state funds that will come through as an ITF (inter-location transfer of funds) from the UC Riverside campus, an REMS waiver is not needed.
19. Can investigators be a part of more than 1 application? For example, could an investigator be PI on one proposal and Co-PI or subcontracted collaborator on another separate proposal? (added 11/15)
Investigators may be part of one or more applications. However, one of the main criteria for evaluating proposals will be to assess whether the applicants can realistically accomplish their proposed research within the proposed budget, timeframe, and staffing. Those investigators on multiple applications will likely be evaluated on whether they have the capacity to complete work for multiple projects.
Key Dates:
Release Date: October 25, 2022
Webinar Date: November 3, 2022
Submission Deadline: November 21, 2022, 9am PT
Notification Date: December 2, 2022
Anticipated Start Date: January 3, 2023
Preliminary Policy Report: April 3, 2023
Anticipated Final Deliverables Deadline: September 29, 2023
Typical Funding Amount: $50,000 to $200,000
Questions: Please contact AAPIdata@ucr.edu (email for any questions about the RFP process)