PRAIRIE WOMEN’S HEALTH CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE

PUBLIC POLICY AND WOMEN’S HEALTH
SEED GRANT PROGRAM

Application Deadline: September 30, 2003

The Prairie Women’s Health Centre of Excellence (PWHCE) offers Seed Grants of $5000 to support the development of research proposals on women’s health and public policy. Four (4) Seed Grants will be awarded in October 2003. Each team receiving a Seed Grant will be expected to develop a research proposal by March 1, 2004.

The purpose of the PWHCE Seed Grant Program is to support community research teams to develop research proposals, which they can then submit to government, non-profit and charitable foundations’ research funding programs.

PWHCE Seed Grants are intended to support the development of community research teams that involve women’s groups or community-based organizations working in partnership with experienced researchers. The Seed Grant provides resources for a team of people to work together to develop a high quality research proposal to investigate an issue of concern to women in Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

Seed Grant funds can support the following kinds of activities:

meetings of the community research team,
conducting literature reviews to identify research gaps,
exploring the policies or policy gaps related to the research topic,
engaging in dialogue with community members to refine the research question,
conducting preliminary work to explore specific research questions or research methods

PWHCE RESEARCH PRIORITIES FOR 2003 - 2004:

This year PWHCE Seed Grants will be awarded to groups developing proposals related to the following research priorities:

Policies to Reduce Women’s Poverty and Improve the Health of Low Income Women
Policies to Address Aboriginal Women’s Health Issues
Policies to Improve Health Services for Women in Rural and Remote Communities

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA:

Teams must include at least one non-profit community-based organization and one experienced researcher. (Researchers may be academic researchers, independent researchers or research staff in non-profit, non-governmental organizations.)
Teams must include at least two women from the communities involved in the research.
Teams must be located in Manitoba or Saskatchewan.
Projects must address one of the PWHCE Research Priorities for 2003-2004
PWHCE staff and board members are NOT eligible to apply for Seed Grants.

SELECTION CRITERIA:

Applications will be selected for funding by assessing how well they meet the following criteria:

Does the application address a significant women’s health issue where more research is clearly needed?
Is the application relevant to public policy by proposing research to identify policy gaps, evaluate existing policies or research specific policy recommendations?
Does the application address program or service delivery?
Does the application outline plans to ensure strong community participation in defining the research question and designing the research project?
Does the team include people with the necessary research skills, relevant background and first-hand experience?
Does the application present a feasible plan to develop a high quality research proposal?
Are the proposed expenditures reasonable and appropriate?

TO APPLY FOR A SEED GRANT:

Please provide all the information requested in the PWHCE Seed Grant Application. Attach the team leader’s resume. Include a cover letter signed by each of the current members of your team.

Send 4 paper copies of your application to:
Prairie Women’s Health Centre of Excellence
56 The Promenade
Winnipeg, Manitoba R3B 3H9

Or email applications to pwhce@uwinnipeg.ca.

The deadline for applications is noon, September 30, 2003.

NOTIFICATION:

Applicants will be notified in October 2003. Initial payments of $4000 will be issued in November 2003.

SUBMITTING RESEARCH PROPOSALS:

Recipients of Seed Grants will be required to submit copies of research proposals and a letter indicating where the team plans to submit the proposal for funding, by March 1, 2004.

PWHCE does not currently have a budget to fund research proposals developed by Seed Grant recipients. However, PWHCE will give you feedback on your proposal and help you identify other potential sources of funding, e.g. Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR), Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), Status of Women Canada, etc.

Final grant payments of $1000 will be issued in March 2004, upon receipt of the team’s research proposal.

PWHCE WORKSHOPS

Seed grant recipients will have the opportunity to participate in a PWHCE sponsored workshop in January 2004. Potential workshop topics include Building Effective Community Research Partnerships, Writing Successful Research Proposals and Finding the Right Funder.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Kay Willson, Research Manager
Prairie Women’s Health Centre of Excellence
Phone: (306) 966-8658
E-mail: pwhce@usask.ca

The Prairie Women’s Health Centre of Excellence is one of four Centres of Excellence for Women’s Health funded by the Women’s Health Bureau, Health Canada. For more information, visit our website at www.pwhce.ca.

PUBLIC POLICY AND WOMEN’S HEALTH
SEED GRANT APPLICATION

Applications must be single-spaced with12 pt font, and no longer than five pages, excluding the attachment. Please follow the format listed below, and attach a copy of the team leader’s resume. Include a cover letter signed by all current team members.

Application Format:

Project Title
Theme (How does your work address one of the Research Priorities for 2003-2004?)
Team Leader
Team Leader’s Contact Information
Team Member Profiles (Name, Organization, Relevant Experience, Anticipated Role in Project) – Ideally teams should include individuals who have experience designing and conducting research and writing research proposals, representatives of women’s groups or community-based organizations, women who come from the communities most directly affected by the issue, and policy analysts who can advise on existing policies or policy gaps. If your team does not include people with this background, please indicate whether and how you intend to recruit them to join your team.
Description and Rationale (Discuss the specific women’s health issue you wish to explore, your preliminary research goals and objectives, and why further research and policy advice is needed.)
Workplan and Timeline (Describe the specific activities your team will undertake to build an effective partnership and develop a research proposal.)
Describe how members of the community affected by this issue will be involved in defining the research question, designing the research project, and selecting or developing appropriate research methods.
Agency that agrees to assume responsibility for managing grant funds.
Budget (Allowable expenditures include paid personnel, meeting expenses, travel for team members, supplies, communications, honoraria for community participants, and other items directly related to the production of a research proposal. Please contact PWHCE for more information about budget guidelines.)
Total Amount of Money Requested
Breakdown of Proposed Expenditures
Rationale for the budget
Additional sources of funding

Submitting your application:

Applications must be received by noon, September 30, 2003.

You may submit applications by mail, courier, or email. By mail or courier, send 4 paper copies of the application to: Prairie Women’s Health Centre of Excellence
56 The Promenade
Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3B 3H9.

If you prefer, applications may be submitted by email to pwhce@uwinnipeg.ca.

Please do not try to submit applications by fax.

For more information, please contact:

Kay Willson, Research Manager
Prairie Women’s Health Centre of Excellence
Phone: (306) 966-8658
E-mail: pwhce@usask.ca

Important Dates for Seed Grant Applicants
Deadline for Seed Grant Applications	September 30, 2003
Notification of Seed Grant Awards	October 22, 2003
Initial Payment of Seed Grant Funds	November 2003
PWHCE Workshops	January 2004
Deadline for Completing Research Proposals	March 1, 2004
Final Grant Payments	March 2004

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