Community Academic Partnership Fund Opens 2010 Cycle April 23

The Wisconsin Partnership Program's Community Academic Partnership Fund will issue its 2010 Request for Partnerships on April 23. Grants will be awarded to community academic partnerships for project aimed at improving the health of the state of Wisconsin. Applications for the following grant types will be considered:

• Implementation Grants: Up to $400,000 for three years for projects that either employ or test evidence-based health interventions.
• Development Grants: Up to $50,000 for between one and two years for the development of new partnerships, demonstration or pilot projects, or smaller implementation projects.

In advance of April 23, we wanted to call your attention to some key points about the 2010 RfP and plans for future funding cycles. This information should help community groups and academic partners with their planning.

Web-Based Application Process: The entire application process can now be completed online at the Wisconsin Partnership Program Website. Information about how to use the system will be available soon.

Notice of Intent Evaluations: Notices of Intent to apply for a Community Academic Partnership Fund grant are due June 18, 2010. The centerpiece of the Notice of Intent will be the Letter of Interest, a short description of the aims of the project, a description of the applying organization, and the intended outcome.

The Oversight and Advisory Committee will evaluate these submissions to ensure both the eligibility of the community group and the viability of the proposed initiative. Groups will be informed by August 20, 2010 if they will be invited to submit a full proposal.

Funding Priorities: The Oversight and Advisory Committee will accept and evaluate Notices of Intent for all proposed community academic partnerships. Projects that meet its top priorities are more likely to be invited to complete a full application.

The OAC's priorities include projects aimed at reducing health disparities; serving traditionally underserved communities; promoting healthy weight, physical activity, good nutrition and reducing the incidence and severity of overweight and obesity; and addressing focus areas and objectives listed in the state health plan, Healthy Wisconsin 2020. Proposals for Partnership Development grants in any of these areas are strongly encouraged.

Partnership Development Requirement: Beginning in the 2012 funding cycle, only existing community academic partnerships will be eligible for new implementation grants. The preferred way of meeting this requirement will be to complete a Partnership Development Grant, although other demonstrated collaboration will be considered. Community groups interested in future implementation grants should take this into account when planning for future funding cycles. The Oversight and Advisory Committee may award up to half of development grants in this category in 2010. 

Technical Assistance/Information Sessions: In the coming days, grant-writing resources and a database to help identify potential academic partners will be posted to this page. For more information, contact the Wisconsin Partnership Program at (608) 265-8215 or wpp@hslc.wisc.edu.