Community Organization ENGAGE Award

The Mississippi IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (MS-INBRE) invites community organizations to apply for the Community Organization Proposal Awards. The Community Organization Proposal Awards are intended to provide funding for community organizations to build community-academic teams that can address the critical challenges imposed by Mississippi’s top public health issues. 

Topic areas must align with federal funding initiatives and may focus on a variety of health topics, including but not limited to the following areas: 

  1. Affordable Prescription Drug Access – Initiatives to promote cost transparency, bulk purchasing, or community-led distribution programs to reduce medication costs.
  2. Opioid & Addiction Recovery Programs – Community-based interventions for opioid use prevention, treatment, and non-opioid pain management alternatives.
  3. Veterans’ Health & Well-being – PTSD support networks, community reintegration programs, and innovative mental health therapies for veterans.
  4. Telehealth Expansion – Implementing digital health tools, mobile clinics, and telemedicine services to enhance access in underserved areas.
  5. Rural & Underserved Healthcare Solutions – Strengthening community clinics, mobile health units, and local healthcare workforce training.
  6. Mental Health & Suicide Prevention – Community-based mental health first aid training, peer support networks, and crisis intervention services.
  7. Pandemic & Public Health Preparedness – Localized emergency response strategies, vaccine education, and supply chain resilience projects.
  8. Market-Based Health Insurance Education – Consumer education on alternative insurance models, direct primary care, and cost-sharing networks.
  9. Personalized & Holistic Healthcare – Community-driven wellness programs, including nutrition, alternative medicine, and individualized care strategies.
  10. Regulatory Reform & Healthcare Access – Identifying local regulatory barriers and advocating for streamlined licensing and service delivery models.
  11. Chronic Disease Prevention & Management – Addressing environmental and lifestyle factors contributing to chronic illnesses through education and advocacy.
  12. Alternative & Holistic Medicine Integration – Promoting access to non-pharmaceutical treatments such as supplements, diet-based therapies, and traditional medicine.
  13. Vaccine Education & Safety Research – Community engagement on vaccine policies, informed choice initiatives, and research on natural immunity.
  14. Prescription Drug Reform Advocacy – Supporting policy research and local initiatives aimed at expanding access to off-label and alternative drug treatments.
  15. Medicare & Medicaid Innovation – Piloting community-driven models for cost-effective senior care and Medicaid alternatives.

The Community Proposal Awards occurs in two competitive phases: the ENGAGE Award and PROPOSE Award. Awards will support the meaningful involvement of community organizations with our Community Engagement and Training Core and Data Science Core faculty who have grant experience and expertise in lifestyle behaviors (i.e., nutrition, physical activity, sleep) and interventions, integrative care, mental health, body composition and cardiometabolic outcomes assessment, health communication techniques, health promotion/outreach, digital health innovations, statistical analysis and modelling, and cardiometabolic diseases, such as diabetes, hypertension, obesity and HIV/AIDS.

ENGAGE awardees will create community-academic teams that will undergo a planning process to design a pilot research project and subsequent proposal submission plan. This experience will prepare awardees to submit a second, competitive proposal for a PROPOSE award; these awards are only open to funded ENGAGE awardees who have successfully completed the one-year experience. PROPOSE awardees will execute pilot projects and submit a funding application that is intended to continue the pilot work.

Eligibility

Eligible applicants include community organizations. For this award, a community organization is defined as a non-Federal or non-academic organization whose primary purpose is to provide goods, services, support, resources, or advocacy to members of a Mississippi community. Examples of eligible organizations include faith-based organizations, public healthcare systems, school districts, social services agencies, non-federal government agencies (including local, regional, Tribal or state level governments and their respective departments of public health, commerce, labor, transportation, housing and recreation). Community organizations must also have appropriate systems, policies and procedures in place to manage funds and activities.

Academic research centers and academic healthcare organizations are not eligible to apply for these awards, however, individual academic researchers can be involved as key collaborators and partners of the community organizations.

Amounts

Total allowable direct costs: $20,000/year for 1 year. Indirect costs (F&A) are in addition to the allowable direct costs.

Key Dates

  • Letter of Intent Due Date: April 11, 2025
  • Full Application Due Date: May 30, 2025
  • Application Review: June 2025
  • Finalist presentations to External Advisory Board: Late July 2025
  • Award Notifications begin: mid-August 2025
  • Project Start Date: September 1, 2025
  • Project End Date: August 31, 2026
  • 4-hour required orientation at USM campus: September/October 2025
  • 1-hour Team Meetings and Workshops: Twice per month, September 2025 – May 2026

Download Full Funding Opportunity Announcement

Click the button below to submit your Letter of Intent:

APPLY NOW