The application for Cycle 4 funding is now open until July 14, 2025. To start your application, please request a user account for the online application portal by emailing admin@sjiph.org your name and email address. We encourage all prospective applicants to review the information on this page and watch the Cycle 4 Information Session before starting their submission.
Main Goals
The funding cycle has two main goals:
Use research to improve health outcomes:
SJIPH aims to promote health in our region. This includes characterizing the nature and prevalence of health outcomes throughout the region, and identifying ways to improve them (e.g., developing and testing evidence-informed health interventions, assessing and mitigating health risks). It also includes addressing the myriad determinants of health – e.g., environmental and social conditions, health behaviors, healthcare access.
Strengthen University-Community Partnerships:
Proposals will include partnerships between faculty researchers from either Rutgers–Camden or Rowan University and community-based organizations (CBOs). Partnerships with researchers from both Universities are encouraged.
Process
The path to SJIPH Cycle 4b funding broadly involves: 1) submitting an LOI for review, 2) attending a half-day sandbox meeting (by invitation only), and 3) submitting a final proposal. SJIPH will then 4) review the proposals to determine funding.
Letters of Intent (LOIs)
Due July 14, 2025
Prospective grantees will submit a “letter of intent” (LOI) for review by July 14th. Letters of intent are submitted via applysjiph.org. LOIs involve answering questions about:
- The central research questions or objectives
- Information about the collaborative team
- Capacity building and sustainability
- Potential impact on health outcomes
- Budget outline (see below)
LOIs will be reviewed by reviewers and SJIPH. Applicants will be notified of the status of their LOI review by August 11th. Successful LOIs will form a basis a larger research proposal (details below), and applicants will be invited to the Sandbox Event.
Sandbox Meeting
October 10th, 2025
Selected LOI partnership teams will attend a “Sandbox” event at the Joint Health Sciences Building on October 10th. The Sandbox event will serve three purposes: (1) to clearly communicate to potential grantees the goals of the research funding; (2) to bring researchers with related interests and complementary skills together; and (3) to produce, during the meeting, proposal outlines that can be guided to full research proposals. The Sandbox event will provide a collaborative environment where partnership teams and research facilitators will expand upon the LOI by refining research objectives and developing an outline for a full research proposal due on November 14th. The goal is a collaborative rather than competitive environment.
The Sandbox event will be held at the Joint Health Science’s Building in Camden, NJ, on October 10, 2025 from 9:00 to 4:00 pm (coffee, lunch will be provided). NOTE: To be eligible to apply for Catalyst or Signature grants in this funding cycle, each partnership team must have at least one member from the community organization and one from the university attend the Sandbox event.
Final Proposals
Due November 14th, 2025
Final proposals will be due on November 14, 2025 and will also be submitted through the application portal. Applicants will be asked to provide more detailed responses to the same questions asked in the letter-of-intent process.
The final proposal form will be submitted through the application portal at applysjiph.org. Applicants who are invited to the Sandbox Event will receive feedback on the LOI to be incorporated into the final proposal.
Decisions
December 19th, 2025
Funding decisions will be made by December 19th. Funds will be released in early 2026. For catalyst grants, the funding period is 18 months. For signature grants the funding period is 24 months. Budgets should be planned for this timeframe. Reporting requirements will be outlined at the Sandbox Event. All funded projects will be expected to provide quarterly updates on their project progress and data.
Review
Central Research Question
What is your research question(s)?
Instructions:
Briefly describe your project idea and specific research question or objectives. The proposal must identify the specific target population(s) under study and address the goals of the funding initiative as described in the Introduction Section. Also, please see www.sjiph.org for the overall mission of SJIPH and its overall interest areas.
Evaluation criteria:
Reviewers will consider how the research will affect a population’s health outcomes or determinants of these outcomes.
Strength of Collaborative Research Team
Who are the key members of your partnership team and what roles will they play on your project?
Instructions:
The proposal should identify each key member of the research team, their email address, and evidence of qualifications (e.g., CVs, online information). Key members include those involved in proposal design. Secondary members (those who might be involved with project implementation) do not need to be mentioned. Teams should describe their history of working together (however long or brief) and their capacity to develop and carry out various project tasks. Students and university staff may serve as key personnel or partners. A faculty member at their institution must serve as a PI on the project.
Evaluation criteria:
Catalyst grant teams must include at least one faculty member from either Rowan University or Rutgers–Camden (or both). Signature grant teams must include faculty members from both Rowan and Rutgers–Camden. All teams must include at least one community partner. Based on quality and complementarity of expertise of collaborative teams, reviewers will consider the strength of the partnership team and its capacity to complete the project in a timely fashion.
Capacity Building and Sustainability
How will your project contribute to capacity building and long-term sustainability for the community organization(s) and academic partners involved?
Instructions:
The proposal should describe how the project will enhance the capacity of the community organization(s) and/or academic team to engage in future research, program implementation, or policy work. Applicants should outline specific strategies for strengthening organizational infrastructure, skill development, knowledge-sharing, or resource-building. Proposals should also discuss how the project could be scaled or adapted to increase its impact over time.
Evaluation criteria:
Reviewers will assess how well the project builds long-term capacity for community organizations and collaborative teams. Priority will be given to proposals that include concrete plans for skill-building, resource development, and sustainable implementation beyond the grant period. Additionally, reviewers will evaluate the project’s potential for securing future funding, maintaining key partnerships, and expanding its impact through scaling or integration into ongoing initiatives.
Potential Impact on Health Outcomes
What health outcomes or health determinants does your project aim to affect? How will this affect health outcomes among South Jersey residents?
Instructions:
Briefly describe the project’s likely impact on health outcomes as well as our deeper knowledge and understanding of the health issue?
Evaluation criteria:
Reviewers will consider what measurable health outcomes or health narratives the project will produce. They will consider how health knowledge will be deepened and how this knowledge will be communicated to community and academic audiences (e.g., via presentations, workshops, publications).
Budget
Please upload a draft budget on the budget template listed below.
Instructions:
Upload a budget for the project that takes into account allowable and non-allowable expenses.
Evaluation criteria:
Does the budget fit with the scope of the proposed project? Is the budget consistent with the guidelines?
Additional Considerations
Overall Feasibility of Projects
Proposed projects will additionally be evaluated based on their feasibility – is it doable within an 18-month timeframe?
BUDGETING
Funding for Cycle 4b will consist of two distinct budgeting tracks. The number of awards available in each track will depend on the quality and nature of the applications received and the total amounts available to support research. Final funding decisions will be based on the strength of the applications and alignment with program priorities.
This is an external award and all proper guidelines for external awards by your institution or organization should be followed, including sub-awards to other partners. All project teams will be required to submit a budget indicating the level of funding they are requesting. Project teams can submit a budget for both tracks, should they choose to. Projects can identify matching funds and/or include in-kind support as appropriate. Individual budget determinations will be made by the reviewing committee. Allowable expenses include: % effort for PI/Co-PI (no individual person receiving more than 20% of the grant), hourly student wages, supplies, materials, equipment. For instance, tangible personal property (including information technology systems) having a useful life of more than one year and a per-unit acquisition cost which equals or exceeds the lesser of the capitalization level or $3,000, mileage reimbursement for study-related travel, travel for students to attend professional conferences, software, data analysis/evaluation and publication subvention/fees. Non-allowable costs to include: food (except as related to human-subjects research), and equipment exceeding $3,000. Indirect costs are capped at 10% and should be included in your budgets.
Applicants should access and use SJIPH BUDGET TEMPLATE (linked here) to prepare and submit their budget.
Application Portal
In order to access the portal and start your application, please email admin@sjiph.org your name and email address to request a user account.
Once you receive your username and password, login at applysjiph.org to start your application.
The portal is now accepting applications for Cycle 4 and will close on July 14, 2025.
The application process is meant to be simple and provide reviewers with a general overview of the project, partners, objectives and budget.
If you have questions, please reach us at admin@sjiph.org.
Information Session
An information session for Cycle 4 was recorded in May 2025. This provides an overview of the application process and answers to key questions. This session and slides are available for viewing below.
Interested in Partnering?
What makes SJIPH unique is its collaborative focus. We encourage academic and community partners to reach out to us if they would like to participate but may not be currently paired with a team. Please provide a very brief description of your interest and expertise and a member of the team will be in touch with you.