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Caring for Community Grant Program

Award Cycle and Deadline

One grant award cycle will be held during each calendar year.

  • The 2008 Caring for Community Grant Program application cycle is now closed. The 2009 application cycle will begin in November 2008.
  • 2008 applications will be processed and reviewed in March and April 2008.
  • The CFC advisory committee will select 2008 CFC grant recipients in May 2008.
  • All 2008 applicants and 2008 grant recipients will be notified of status by June 30, 2008.
  • 2008 grant checks will be disbursed upon signature of the CFC contract by the AAMC and the institution.
  • The AAMC will present up to 10 CFC grant awards annually.
  • Allopathic and osteopathic medical school institutions (conferring MD or DO degrees), including branch and clinical campuses, are limited to one award every two years.
  • Institutions may submit more than one application for different programs.
Review available funding amounts

Application Requirements

All applications should describe, in detail, the project for which the application is being submitted. Of particular interest to the selection committee will be the extent of student involvement in initiating and maintaining the program. Applications should also include:

  • An assessment of the need for the Caring for Community local project and a demonstration of how project outcomes will address those needs.
  • A projected schedule and budget for the project.
  • A demonstration of how project continuity will be maintained from one academic year to another and from one medical school class to another.
  • A plan for integration of the Caring for Community project into local government/social services programs, if applicable.
  • A plan for the gradual assumption of responsibility for support of the Caring for Community project by the institution.

Costs not supported by CFC funding

  • The CFC grant program does not support indirect costs associated with the implementation of CFC funded projects and/or overhead institutional costs.
  • The CFC grant program does not support indirect costs such as personnel or benefits.
  • The CFC grant program does not support student travel and/or attendance to conferences.
  • The CFC grant program does not support student stipends.
  • The CFC grant program does not support international projects or programs.

How Caring for Community Grant Proposals are Evaluated: Advice for Applicants

When an institution submits a Caring for Community Grant Program proposal, it enters into a competitive process whereby its proposal is reviewed and evaluated for potential funding with all other proposals submitted during the same award cycle.

Among the factors assessed in the evaluation of a proposal are:

  1. The value to the community of the proposed project. Does the proposal include a needs assessment of the community? Is the service unique among the institution's community service activities?

  2. The extent to which the stated project outcomes meet community, institutional, and student needs. Are project outcomes clearly stated?

  3. The extent to which the proposal includes specific plans for collaborating with other local community service organizations.

  4. The extent of student participation in the development of the proposal.

  5. The extent of student responsibility in everyday project operation. How widespread are the opportunities for participation in the service project for students from all four years? How are students recruited for the project?

  6. The quality (stability) of the institutional base to the project. Does the proposal include well-defined roles for the institution and institutional representatives in providing a focus and administrative support for the project?

  7. The quality of plans for ensuring project continuity over time. Are the plans for continuing the project from one year to the next reasonable and achievable? Are the roles of the students and the institution clearly stated? Are the proposed costs of the project within the guidelines noted in the program announcement?

  8. The narrative budget proposal should include explanation and justification for proposed expenses. The Excel budget proposal should include the individual type and cost for items within budgeted categories. Do the proposed expenses directly benefit the community for which the project serves?

Factors Negatively Influencing the Review of a Proposal

  1. The proposal is primarily for salary support of a staff member, consultant fees, or overhead institutional costs.

  2. The proposal does not include a detailed budget that includes an explanation of expenses for the proposed project.

  3. The proposed budget requests funding for items that are not related to direct expenses for the project and community (direct expenses include items such as medical supplies, office supplies, and program supplies, etc.).

  4. The proposal does not estimate costs for the second, third and fourth years of the project (for new and supplemental project grants only).

  5. The proposal is not clear (explicit) regarding the extent of medical student participation, e.g., how many student participants, the proportion of the student body represented, processes/procedures for recruiting/seeking volunteers for future years of the project.

  6. The proposal is not developed, organized, or written by medical students.

  7. Students participating in the project are doing so to fulfill a class requirement or to receive credit at their medical institution.

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