This is a practical how-to guide for community-engaged researchers who want to successfully secure funding for their research. It is organized as a step-by-step process for planning, writing, and submitting proposals.

Step 1: Start With the Community, Not the Funding Call

Funders rarely support proposals where “community engagement” is added late in the process. 

Strategies

• Build or deepen relationships before identifying a funding opportunity.
• Co-identify the problem or research question with community partners.
• Determine what “success” looks like from the community’s perspective.

What funders look for

• Evidence that the project addresses a community-identified priority
• Evidence that the partnerships that existed before the current proposal