PHSSR: Building Evidence for Decision Making
Frequently Asked Questions

FAQs about the application & award process

FAQs about applicant/organization eligibility

FAQs about potential projects

Application & Award Process
  • Where do I go to submit my proposal?
    To submit your proposal, visit www.rwjf.org/cfp/phsne and use the “Apply Online” link for this solicitation. If you have not already done so, you will need to register on MyRWJF (http://my.rwjf.org/login.do).
  • Do I have to submit my application online?
    All applications must be submitted via the RWJF online proposal submission system.  If you have any questions about how to apply online, please contact ASO staff by phone: 504-301-9854 or via email: 
  • Are staff available for consultation before I apply for funding?
    ASO staff are available for general guidance. We are happy to talk to prospective applicants about the application process but cannot review written documents or officially recommend or reject an idea. 
  • Am I required to submit my intent to apply?
    Using the online system, applicants must indicate their intent to apply by 3 p.m. ET on Marc h 6, 2012. If you do not submit your intent to apply by this deadline, you will not be able to submit a proposal. Within 1-2 business days after you indicate your intent to apply, you will be notified that you can proceed to Step 2 the full proposal.  

  • What is the full proposal narrative?
    The full proposal is a fifteen-page document that describes the research project in-depth, including the research questions to be addressed, the policy and practice significance and the relevance of the project, proposed methodology, the role of partnerships, and a detailed dissemination plan,. The full proposal application also requires a complete budget, resumes of key staff, a timeline, and letters of support from collaborating organizations outlining their role in the project. Please see the full proposal template for complete guidelines.

  • Are letters of support required?
    At least one letter of support is required. Applicants will be required to submit a one-page letter of support for each collaborating agency. Letters should not exceed one page in length. Up to six letters can be submitted. Letters can be addressed to "Advisory Committee." 
  • Is there a maximum budget amount or time frame for this solicitation?
    Grantees will receive up to $200,000 each in financial support to be used over a 24-month period. The project start date is September 1, 2012. Applicants must demonstrate the ability to complete the project as planned within two years; no-cost extensions are unlikely to be considered.
  • What can grant funds be used for?
    Grant funds may be used for project staff salaries and benefits, 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 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation policy, grant funds may not be used to subsidize individuals for the costs of their health care (excluding health insurance for project staff), 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.
  • Are matching funds required for this grant?
    Matching funds are encouraged, but they are not required.
  • What are the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's budget guidelines? Does RWJF allow indirect costs?
    View the Foundation's specific budget guidelines, including guidance on indirect costs. RWJF's indirect costs rate for grants is 12 percent. The 12 percent rate applies to all line items. However, if the Purchased Services category of a budget is more than 33 percent of direct costs, then the indirect cost rate allowed on that category is 4 percent. Indirect costs should be included in the total grant amount. i.e. no award will be over $200,000.

  • Should budgets include costs for travel?
    As stated on the budget worksheet, applicants should budget for travel expenses for up to two people to attend two meetings per year including the Keeneland Conference (or a total of four meetings over the course of a 24-month project).  During the first budget period, grantees may be asked to use their travel budget to attend an in-person grantee meeting.  The grantee meeting for the second year will be held in conjunction with the Keeneland conference.  See the Budget Preparation Guidelines for specific guidance on budgeting for travel expenses.

  • What is your deadline for applications and late submission policy?
    The deadline for submitting intent to apply is 3 p.m. ET on March 6, 2012. If you do not submit your intent to apply by this deadline, you will not be able to submit a proposal. The deadline for full proposals with all supporting documentation is 3 p.m. ET on March 27, 2012. To be accepted for review, your proposal must be completed and submitted by the deadline. To be fair to all applicants, RWJF enforces a strict deadline policy.
  • How will I know that my proposal has been successfully submitted?
    There are multiple ways to confirm your proposal has been successfully submitted: you will see a screen confirming your submission; you will receive an email message confirming your submission; and, on logging in to the application system, you will see a "submitted" message on the page.
  • How can I check the status of my proposal?
    We will try to keep you informed of the status as often as possible. You will receive an e-mail from the online system confirming that you have submitted your proposal successfully. If you have a question about a specific proposal, send an e-mail to phssr@nnphi.org  or call 504-301-9854. Please be sure to include the name of the institution and the principal investigator in your communication.

  • How will my proposal be evaluated?
    Proposals will be evaluated by expert reviewers based on the selection criteria outlined in the Call for Proposals. Informed by expert reviewer feedback, the NCC National Advisory Committee will make finalist recommendations to Foundation staff. RWJF will make all final grant decisions. In addition, in keeping with the selection criteria noted in the Call for Proposals, approvals will be based on the project’s fit with and relevance to the RWJF Public Health Team strategy. Original proposals may be negotiated to focus on team interests.

  • How long does the application process take?
    Within 1-2 business days after you indicate your intent to apply, you will be notified that you can proceed to Step 2, the full proposal. Applicants who submit a full proposal will be notified of their status by late July 2012.

  • What is required of grantees?
    Grantees are expected to meet RWJF requirements for submitting narrative and financial reports and periodic information needed for overall project performance monitoring and management.  Principal investigators may be asked to participate in periodic meetings and give progress reports on their grants. Progress reports on interim results will be required on a biannual (semi-annual) basis.  The grantee is also required to develop a research brief in the final quarter of the project that details findings, policy/practice implications, and recommendations.  At the close of each grant, the grantee is expected to provide a written report on the project and its findings suitable for wide dissemination. Additional information about RWJF reporting requirements can be found at http://www.rwjf.org/grantees/grantreporting.jsp.

  • What are my chances of being funded?
    Up to 7 awards will be made through this solicitation.

  • Will I receive specific comments on my proposal after a decision is made?
    Targeted reviewer feedback in regard to project aims, design, methods and potential impact will be provided only to successful applicants. Applicants who are not selected as finalists will be provided with a description of common weaknesses and particular aspects of finalist’s proposals that made them successful.  RWJF does not provide individual critiques of proposals submitted by applicants who are not selected as finalists.

  • Who is providing the funding for this program?
    The funding for this solicitation is provided by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.  The National Network of Public Health Institutes (NNPHI) is serving as the administrative support office (ASO) and is facilitating the call for proposals in coordination with the National Coordinating Center for PHSSR (NCC).
Applicant/Organization Eligibility
  • What types of organizations are eligible to apply?
    Applicant organizations must have 501(c)(3) status in order to be eligible to apply. Types of organizations include, but are not limited to, public charitable non-profit organizations, academic institutions, and governmental public health agencies. Subcontracting is permissible as long as the primary applicant organization meets the eligibility requirements.
  • Are organizations that have been previously funded by RWJF eligible to apply?
    Previous RWJF grantees are eligible to apply for this solicitation; however, proposed projects must be unique and wholly separate in scope from previously funded work. 
  • Is preference given to any particular institutions?
    Proposals are encouraged from academic institutions, governmental agencies and nonprofits. Preference will be given to proposals submitted by multidisciplinary teams that include governmental public health agencies, nonprofit organizations and/or academic institutions. 
  • What is meant by “Junior investigators (less than seven years since doctorate) and first-time applicants to this solicitation are encouraged”?
    RWJF encourages applications from researchers new to the field of PHSSR. Primary Investigators should have an established research background; however, they need not have a background in public health research. 
  • What is meant by “multidisciplinary teams”?
    Multidisciplinary teams refers to both the background/training of the investigators and the types of partner organizations involved in the project. As noted in the CFP, teams can include governmental public health agencies, nonprofit organizations and/or academic institutions. Practitioners, policymakers and researchers from law, public policy, economics, business administration, organizational behavior, finance, urban planning, public administration, information and library science, and industrial and systems engineering are especially encouraged to apply to be principal investigators.
  • Can there be more than one primary investigator?
    Yes. Applicants can include contact information for up to two primary investigators. If the co-primary investigators are from different institutions, the proposal will need to be submitted on behalf of one of the co-PI’s institutions.
  • Can practitioners apply?
    Yes, RWJF seeks to engage and expand the field of PHSSR researchers.  Practitioners, policymakers and researchers from law, public policy, economics, business administration, organizational behavior, sociology, finance, urban planning, public administration, information and library science, and industrial and systems engineering are especially encouraged to apply to be principal investigators. 
  • Will RWJF award grants to multiple institutions to work on the same research project?
    Approximately $1.4 million will be awarded to up to 7 applicants through this solicitation. In some instances, grants may be awarded to single institutions or agencies undertaking the development, implementation, and documentation components of a single project. In other cases, grants may support collaborative efforts among individuals housed at multiple institutions or agencies. When the latter is the case, the grant will be made to a single institution that assumes overall responsibility for the grant including overseeing the collaborative effort with multiple institutions through the use of subcontracting arrangements. 
  • Can an institution or team submit more than one proposal for distinct research projects?
    Yes, however, it is unlikely that RWJF will fund more than one proposal per institution. We advise that you pick the strongest proposal to submit.
Potential Projects
  • Does my proposal idea meet the definition of Public Health Services and Systems Research (PHSSR)?
    The following resources provide definitions of PHSSR. Please review them carefully to ensure your proposal idea fits within the field of PHSSR.
  1. Scutchfield FD, Marks JS, Perez DJ, Mays GP. Public Health Services and Systems Research. Am J Prev Med 2007;33:169-71
  2. Public Health Systems and Services Research Overview Prepared by University of Kentucky Center for Public Health Systems & Services Research, 2008
  3. (Additional resource) Van Wave TW, Scutchfield FD, Honoré PA.  Recent advances in public health systems research in the United States.  Annu Rev Public Health. 2010 Apr 21;31:283-95.
  4. (Additional resource) Scutchfield FD.  To build on the discipline of health services research focused on the public health system. Foreword.  Health Serv Res. 2009 Oct;44(5 Pt 2):1773-4.
  5. (Additional resource) Scutchfield FD, Mays GP, Lurie N.  Applying health services research to public health practice: an emerging priority.  Health Serv Res. 2009 Oct;44(5 Pt 2):1775-87

  • What kinds of projects does this solicitation fund?
    This solicitation seeks to produce evidence to inform public health practice and policy decisions through natural experiments that will compare systems with change in organizational structures, legal infrastructure, financing mechanisms, and service delivery strategies to systems without changes. Research funded under this solicitation will examine ongoing, naturally occurring, or imminently approaching changes in public health organization, financing, or delivery that have the potential for large effects on public health practice and population health. Studies may also focus on laws and policies that precipitate changes in the organization, financing, or delivery of public health services. Studies should examine the effects of these changes on public health practice as well as population health outcomes to the extent feasible. Effects on costs, productivity, and efficiency also are of interest under this solicitation, as are studies of the adverse effects and unintended consequences associated with these types of change.

    Studies should focus on at least one of the following aspects of system change: (1) Organization and Governance; (2) Financing and Resource Allocation; and (3) Staffing and Delivery Models. Please see the Call for Proposals for more details. Please note that this solicitation will not fund research questions that propose study of direct service provision, including Medicaid or Medicare funded services. In addition, this solicitation is not intended for funding project/program evaluations.
  • Can or should proposals address more than one priority area?
    While research questions or elements of a proposed project may address more than one priority area, applicants will be asked to select only one priority area when submitting their proposal.
  • Is this solicitation only interested in projects involving public health departments?
    This solicitation seeks to fund research into the public health system, broadly defined. This system includes governmental public health departments as well as other governmental and nongovernmental entities that work to deliver public health services and support population health.
  • What public health system entities are within the scope of PHSSR?  Will the solicitation fund research on Aging and Disability Resource Centers (ADRCs), Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), or entities that provide mental health services?
    Proposals that include research on other public health system partners could be responsive if the research questions address public health practice, public health policy, or implications for population health.  The solicitation will not fund research questions that propose study of direct service provision.  The May 3rd post, Mental Health: Research and the Role of Law, on RWJF’s blog, NewPublicHealth, provides examples of some of the types of mental health projects that fall within the scope of PHSSR. 
  • Is there a geographic focus for this solicitation?
    This solicitation has a U.S. geographic focus. According to RWJF guidelines, applicant organizations must be based in the United States or its territories, and proposed projects must focus on the U.S. public health system and its services. Proposed projects may be national or local in scope; however, proposed projects at the local level should demonstrate that the research is relevant beyond that community.

 

Please direct additional inquiries to:

Erica Johnson, Program Coordinator
Phone: 504-301-9854
Email: 
 

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