Frequently Asked Questions - Selection Criteria
FAQ Categories
We would like to review the comments of your reviewers on our brief proposal. Is this feedback possible?
According to RWJF policies we are not allowed to give oral or written feedback on proposals submitted. However, we have crafted a suite of resources this year to help applicants. Please visit the website www.publichealthlawresearch.org and on the home page, you will find a host of podcasts that will help you think about what the expectations are for these proposals. We also have a Web Applicant Call scheduled for March 17th. Please do not hesitate to call or email with specific questions.
Research results may not emerge until the end of the grant period. How should post grant dissemination be addressed in the proposal?
Dissemination can include a wide range of activities, including presentations, publications, and more. We encourage applicants to think creatively about how to disseminate study results effectively and frugally. This grant cannot support dissemination costs incurred after the grant period ends.
The project backgrounder should assess the state of the policy or the state of the law and its relationship to health outcomes. It should also give an overview of the importance of the issue and how the research project will add to the existing knowledge base or fill in gaps in understanding. The NPO will provide guidance on this document at the appropriate time.
There is no required makeup of a research team. However, our selection criteria will favor studies that are made up of interdisciplinary teams, focus on public health practice, that address the needs of practitioners, that inform future policy decisions and that will be salient to practitioners and policy-makers in terms of statutes, regulations, court decisions and other legal mechanisms. Proposals should demonstrate these qualities.
Indirect costs are overhead expenses incurred by the applicant organization as a result of the project but that are not easily identifiable with a specific project. These are administrative expenses that are related to overall operations and are shared among projects and/or functions. Examples include executive oversight, accounting, grants management, legal expenses, utilities, and facility maintenance.
The Foundation's approved indirect rate is 12% of all RWJF costs (Personnel, Other Direct Costs, and Purchased Services) associated with the project. However, if the Purchased Services subcategory equals more than 33% of the total of Personnel, Other Direct Costs, and Purchased Services costs requested of RWJF, 4% indirect is allowed on Purchased Services, and 12% indirect is allowed on other budget subcategories. State the amount requested from RWJF and the amounts being provided from other sources.
It’s acceptable to budget less than RWJF’s allowable indirect rate but not more. No exceptions to RWJF’s indirect rate will be approved so please make certain your organization budgets accordingly.
Yes. Individuals may submit proposals for any amount of funding less than the maximum.
Travel expenses for two senior personnel to the annual meetings will be covered by the NPO and do not need to be included in the applicant budgets. Attendance at the PHLR annual meetings by the principal investigator and co-principal investigator (if applicable) is expected throughout the duration of the funded project.
Proposals will be reviewed through a multistep review process, with participation from expert reviewers, RWJF staff, NPO staff, and the national advisory committee of the PHLR program. RWJF will make all final funding decisions. The Foundation does not provide individual critiques of proposals submitted.
Are there specific requirements regarding publication in peer-reviewed journals (law, health or other)?
While RWJF does not have specific requirements around dissemination, the Foundation seeks to balance communicating information to health practitioners and policy-makers in a timely manner with support of the academic track to publish in peer-reviewed journals. In general, RWJF leans toward the timely release of information to practitioners and/or policy-makers. If the dissemination plan includes publication in a peer-reviewed journal, please look across disciplines.
Dissemination begins with the audience. Identify who will be interested in the work, the desired population(s) and the best way to communicate with them. Based on the audiences identified, select multiple dissemination methods. Examples of dissemination methods include peer-reviewed publications, news conferences, Web sites and policy briefs. We encourage applicants to look at other RWJF programs to see additional examples of creative dissemination. The dissemination plan should address who the audiences are and why the identified communication method was selected to reach them. The NPO and RWJF will help those selected to refine and implement these plans further.
How will reviewers determine if my study will have a clear effect in advancing effective public health policies?
Strong Research Design - Is it a longitudinal or pre/post design? How many baseline and follow-up observations? What is timing or spacing of the measures, and how does that compare with the hypothesized pattern of effect expected? Does the design include comparison groups or comparison jurisdictions? Can you defend the comparison groups selected as similar in important relevant ways to the "experimental" state, city or group? In other words, all the dimensions of design that affect the internal validity of the study—the degree to which differences or relationships observed can plausibly be interpreted in causal terms. Reliable and Valid Measures - If the project plans to collect new original data (e.g., surveys, field observations, event counts) does it use well-developed protocols for accurate measurement? Or if the study plans to use existing data, do the investigators adequately show their reliability and validity, and show awareness of any particular points of weakness in the data to be used? Appropriate Statistical Analyses - Do the analyses match the research design, do they take into account the nature of the measures and data used? Or, for study components that may be analyzing qualitative data, are there clearly defined specific protocols and procedures for collection, coding, organizing and analyzing those data? What software packages and procedures within those packages will be used for the analyses of quantitative (SAS, STATA, etc.) or qualitative (nVivo, Ethnograph, etc.) data? Significance to Public Health Law - Assuming the first three dimensions of good science are met, will the results likely have a significant effect in expanding the knowledge base about effective or ineffective public health law, and will the results and specific plans for dissemination have a beneficial effect on policy-makers, public health practitioners, policy implementers, and ultimately the health of the population?
It is extremely important that the results of our research are effectively conveyed to stakeholders, including public health practitioners and policy makers. The NPO will work with grantees to develop a plan for effective dissemination of the study findings to policymakers and public health law practitioners, as well as to the research community.
Although not required, additional in-kind or external funding is welcome and should be described in the proposal.
Grant funds may be used for project staff salaries, consultant fees, data collection and analysis, meetings, supplies, project-related travel and other direct project expenses, including a limited amount of equipment essential to the project. In keeping with RWJF policy, grant funds may not be used to subsidize individuals for the costs of their health care, to support clinical trials of unapproved drugs or devices, to construct or renovate facilities, for lobbying or as a substitute for funds currently being used to support similar activities.
Please see the program's CFP for the selection criteria.
