General Program Questions


What do I need to know about a New Connections grant?

  • Award amounts will not exceed $100,000. There will be up to 13 grants awarded per year which includes up to 3 awards through our partnership with the Public Health Law Research (PHLR) national program office.
  • Mid-Career Consultants awards are 12 months in length and Junior Investigator awards extend for 24 months.
  • All deliverables must be completed by the end of the grant period; deliverables will be specified in the CFP. There will be no extensions allowed.

What are the most important to take into account when applying for a New Connections grant?

For both Junior Investigator and Midcareer Consultants:

  • The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's indirect costs rate is 12 percent, and must be included in the total grant. Indirect costs, or overhead, are those costs that are not easily identifiable in an economically feasible way as exclusively related to a particular project but are necessary to conduct the grant.
  • Only one Principal Investigator is allowed to be covered by a New Connections grant.
  • Principal Investigators are not required to show other financial support, but if you have it, there will be an opportunity to indicate this during the application process.

For Junior Investigators:

  • The New Connections grant aims to support researchers by buying out their time so they are able to conduct their research. The minimum FTE requirement for Junior Investigators is 25%.
  • A Junior Investigator must demonstrate in-kind support of his/her mentor in the budget and budget narrative by specifying the full-time equivalent of the mentor's time and salary.
  • The Junior Investigator must be housed at academic institutions and working within a university department, research center, or other organization that is tax-exempt under Section 501 (c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code.

For Midcareer Consultants:

  • A Midcareer Consultant has the option of receiving a grant directly to their home institution or entering into a consultant/program contract with RWJF.
  • While the funding may go to an organization, there should be one Principal Investigator to complete the scope of work proposed.
     

Eligibility


Who is eligible to apply for a New Connections grant?

  • New Connections applicants must not have received prior funding from RWJF as a principal investigator or through a program contract. Alumni of some RWJF Human Capital programs may apply for New Connections funding. In general to eligible to apply for a New Connections award one must:
    • be U.S. Citizens, Resident Non-Citizen Nationals, or Resident Foreign Nationals at the time of application and must not be receiving support from other research fellowships/traineeships at
      the time they begin the program.
    • be from a group that has been historically underrepresented in research activities, such as people from ethnic or racial minorities or low-income communities and/or first-generation
      college graduates;*
    • be a first time principal investigator/program contract grantee of RWJF;
    • demonstrate how a New Connections award would impact their career development; and
    • be committed to the goals and mission of New Connections, RWJF, and its specific interest areas.
    • Additionally, individual candidates for receipt of award funds cannot be related by blood or marriage to any Officer** or Trustee of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, or be a descendant of its founder, Robert Wood Johnson.

Consistent with RWJF values, this program embraces diversity and inclusion across multiple dimensions, such as race, ethnicity, gender, age, and disadvantaged socioeconomic status. We strongly encourage proposals from candidates who will help us expand the perspectives and experiences we bring to our work. We believe that the more we include diverse perspectives and experiences in our work, the better we are able to help all Americans live healthier lives and get the care they need.


The New Connections program is open to applicants from any group that has been historically disadvantaged or underrepresented in research disciplines.

  • This includes, but is not limited to, individuals from ethnic and racial minorities historically underrepresented in research disciplines. It also includes persons of all races and ethnicity who come from groups that have historically been disadvantaged or underrepresented in research disciplines, such as first-generation college graduates (i.e., the first person in one’s family to receive a college degree) and people from low-income communities. These examples are intended to be illustrative, not exclusive. Applicants who do not fall within one of these categories but who believe they are from an historically disadvantaged or underrepresented background should check “other” and explain their individual circumstances in the text box available in the online application system.

** The Officers are the Chairman of the Board of Trustees; President and CEO; Chief of Staff; General Counsel; Secretary; Assistant Secretary; Treasurer; and Assistant Treasurer of the Foundation.

Junior Investigators:

  • In addition to not having received any other RWJF funding and being from an underrepresented group, applicants for Junior Investigator funding should have completed their doctorate within the last ten years.

Midcareer Consultants:

  • In addition to not having received any other RWJF funding and being from an underrepresented group, applicants for Mid-Career Consultant funding should have between 10-15 years of research and/or evaluation experience. However, Midcareer Consultant grantees are not required to have a doctoral degree.
  • Consultants that may have participated in the following Human Capital Programs and retain eligibility to apply to New Connections:
    • Better Jobs, Better Care: Building a Strong Long-Term Care Workforce
    • Developing Leadership in Reducing Substance Abuse
    • Generalist Physician Faculty Scholars Program
    • Health Professionals Partnership Initiative
    • Innovators Combating Substance Abuse
    • Investigator Awards in Health Policy Research Program
    • Summer Medical and Dental Education Program
    • Harold Amos Medical Faculty Development Program
    • Pipeline, Profession and Practice: Community-Based Dental Education
    • Clinical Scholars Program
    • Community Health Leadership Program
    • Executive Nurse Fellows Program
    • Health Policy Fellowships Program
    • Scholars in Health Policy Research Program
    • Health and Society Scholars Program
    • Jobs to Careers
    • Clinical Scholars Physician Faculty Scholars
    • Attracting the Attention of Young Scholars to the Health of the Public
    • State Health Leadership Initiative.

 

Proposal Process

 

 

What is the deadline for proposal submission for the current CFP?

The deadline for brief proposal applications is Thursday August 29, 2012 by 3:00 p.m. EDT.

The deadline for full proposal submission is Thursday November 28, 2012 by 3:00 p.m. EDT.

Full proposal application submission is by invitation only. To be fair to all applicants, there are no exceptions to the deadline for proposal submission.

These submission dates apply to both the Junior Investigator and Midcareer Consultant grants.

 

How will I know that my proposal has been successfully submitted?

There are three ways to confirm your proposal was successfully submitted:

  • You will see a screen confirming your submission.
  • If you registered with a valid e-mail address, you will receive an e-mail message confirming your submission.
  • Sign in at myRWJF and select the Solicitation name from the list of your applications. Once at the solicitation Home Screen, a message will appear at the top of the Home screen stating that your application/proposal has been submitted and is no longer available for editing.

NOTE: Once you have completed all requirements, the "SUBMIT" button located on the home page of the online system will become activated.

 

How can I check on the status of my proposal once it is submitted?

We expect to receive many proposals, all of which must go through the same review process. If you have a question about a specific proposal, please send an e-mail to <info@rwjf-newconnections.org>. Please be sure to include the name of the applicant institution, the principal investigator and contact information in your communication

 

How does one apply for a New Connections grant?

  • You must apply for funding via the MY RWJF online application system. You can access the online system for the most recent Call for Proposals here. Paper applications will not be accepted.
  • Applicants are encouraged to contact the New Connections program at info@rwjf-newconnections.org with any questions about proposal requirements. Please note: Due to the volume of proposals received by the program we are unable to provide feedback on individual proposals once they are submitted.

What are the steps in the proposal process?

  • The New Connections proposal process has two phases:

At the brief proposal stage:

  • To submit your brief proposal you must first register for a My RWJF Account here.
  • Once registered you will have access to the online application system, where you can choose New Connections: Increasing Diversity of RWJF Programming, either Junior Investigator or Midcareer Consultant from the open CFP list.
  • Answer all questions and submit your brief proposal via the online system. Please follow the instructions and guidelines provided for all submissions.

The full proposal stage:

  • We will notify applicants selected to move forward to the full proposal stage. Only those applicants invited to the full proposal stage can submit full proposal at that stage.

 

Who do I contact with questions regarding the Application and Review online system?

 

Grantee Evaluation & Support

 

What is required of New Connections grantees?

  • New Connections convenes grantees at training events two times each year as a way to learn from each other, and for the New Connections program to provide technical assistance. Part of the grant funds should be allocated for this purpose . Grantees should plan to attend one New Connections Annual Symposiam that is usually held in the summer and at least two Research and Coaching Clinic held each fall. Grantees may be required to travel to up to two meetings at RWJF to meet with programming team staff.
  • All grantees will be expected to meet the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's requirements for the submission of a final narrative report and financial reports. Additionally, New Connections has program-specific questions that must be addressed at the close of a grant.

Requirements for Junior Investigators:

  • Grants are made from RWJF to the Junior Investigator's home university or other home institution. Home institutions are required to submit financial reports and other grant-related information on behalf of the Junior Investigators.
  • Junior Investigators are expected to submit at least two manuscripts to a peer-reviewed journal as deliverables
  • Papers should result from work undertaken for the project; papers published prior to the grant will not be considered a deliverable of this project.

Requirements for Mid-career Consultants:

  • Midcareer Consultants will be required to present their preliminary and final results to the New Connections program staff. They will also be required to write mid-term and final reports. Both reports must include recommendations for future program development and ideas for targeted research related to their specific projects.
  • Midcareer Consultants are required to submit financial reports and other contract-related information.
     

What kind of support and technical assistance is provided to grantees?

  • All grantees will be assigned a liaison, usually a Research and Evaluation Program Officer at RWJF, from the team to which their project is connected. In addition to clarifying research and/or evaluation needs of the team, the liaison will help the grantees develop a better understanding of the particular programming team and of the Foundation in general.
  • New Connections program staff and team liaisons will provide broad qualitative assistance to grantees that will further guide and enlighten their work. The New Connections program staff will make every effort to ensure that the funded projects offer a beneficial professional experience for grantees.