Advocacy involvement requirements

CBCRP requires that breast cancer or other appropriate community advocates be actively involved in the research we fund.

Applicants are expected to work with advocates affiliated with an organization. Letters of intent (LOIs) and applications are evaluated on the extent to which advocates are substantively involved in the project. Advocates from outside California participate in the peer review of every application, and California-based advocates represent one-third of the CBCRP council membership.

CBCRP staff are available to assist applicants with meeting the advocacy involvement requirement. For answers to common questions, see our FAQ about advocacy involvement requirements (pdf).

An informational webinar on advocacy involvement in applications was held on January 17, 2017.

Access a recording of the webinar here.

Access the slides from the webinar here.

IDEA and Translational awards

For IDEA and Translational awards, there are three stages with distinct requirements for advocacy involvement:

For letters of intent (LOIs): The principal investigator (PI) must show evidence of advocate involvement. Specifically, the LOI should name the advocacy/community organization you plan to work with on the full application and why the organization is appropriate for the proposed research project. Attach written documentation (an email is sufficient) from the advocate or a representative of the advocacy organization demonstrating their willingness to explore participating in the research application if the LOI is approved. The LOI should also describe the role of advocate/s in the project design, implementation, interpretation and dissemination.

For full applications, requirements include:

Involving appropriate advocate(s) in the proposed research
A detailed description of how the advocate(s) will be involved in the project
Submission of a Letter of Commitment co-signed by the research advocate(s) and the PI
A budget line item and justification covering the advocate(s) time, effort, and expenses on the project
The PI, research staff and advocate(s) must hold at least quarterly, in-person meetings to discuss project progress and plans.

For active grants, The PI and the designated advocacy or community organization must hold regular planned meetings (quarterly is recommended) to discuss project progress and community priorities.

If you have never worked with breast cancer or community advocates on a research project before, please see advocacy resources or contact CBCRP staff to help get you started.

Community Research Collaboration (CRC) awards

Advocacy involvement in the CRC Awards is distinct from that of the IDEA and Translation Award, due to the structure of the projects. CRCs are community-based participatory research, which includes collaborative decision-making and shared power in all phases of a research project. Therefore, for all CRC Awards, a Community Co-PI is an equal partner in the investigative team with an Academic Co-PI. Community Co-PIs can have a range of experience with advocacy-related work specific to breast cancer. Community Co-PIs must have strong and significant ties to the community that is of interest in the project. Additionally, the investigative team must involve the larger community in the project (e.g., through the establishment of a community advisory board).

It is important to consider the perspective of those involved in research. For that reason, if your project includes a specific population of interest (for example, men with breast cancer), you should include one or more advocates from an organization that represents that population.