Introduction

The Columbia Center for Homelessness Prevention Studies annually conducts a program which funds junior investigators to carry out pilot studies that will further the Center’s overall strategic plan:

• To develop and test interventions intended to prevent or ameliorate homelessness among persons with mental disorders.

• To conduct dissemination research that identifies key ingredients of emerging best practices intended to prevent or ameliorate homelessness.

• To initiate research on potentially modifiable population-level factors associated with homelessness as a step toward designing and testing population-level interventions.

• To conduct studies of the policymaking process pertaining to services and housing for persons with mental illness who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, in order to suggest strategies to improve this process in the future.

Proposed studies must be designed to lead to larger projects that will be appropriate for independent funding and to result in one or more peer reviewed publications. Studies should be designed to be completed in one year and applicants must describe the larger study that will follow, as well as a specific funding announcement under which future funding will be sought.

Each CHPS Scholar will be mentored by a senior investigator from the Scholar’s department or from CHPS, who will be involved in the application and conduct of the project. All applicants are strongly encouraged to attend a pre-application information session with CHPS investigators that will be held approximately one month before the application deadline (details will be announced on the CHPS website http://cchps.columbia.edu) and to seek advice from CHPS faculty (see website for contact information) in developing their proposals. Pilot studies that further participatory research partnerships with community-based providers are strongly encouraged. CHPS values interdisciplinary collaborations.

Guidelines for Applicants

Eligibility
The program is open to members of the Columbia University and New York State Psychiatric Institute communities and is intended to provide support and mentoring for junior investigators new to the experience of developing grant applications (e.g., post-doctoral fellows and other doctoral-level researchers or junior faculty who have obtained doctoral degrees within the last five years and have not previously obtained independent NIH or equivalent funding).

Funding
Awards will average $15,000 and may range from small grants for conceptual work or secondary data analysis to larger needs assessments, feasibility studies, or field testing of interventions.

Application Process
Proposals are solicited once a year through a CHPS Request for Proposals. Applicants will be expected to contact Center faculty in advance of submission to identify potential collaborators or mentors and to receive guidance on the application process. Applicants are encouraged to attend an “Information and Guidance” session to be held one month before the deadline (date, time, and place will be announced on the Center website).

Procedures and Format
The application will consist of a cover page (specifying descriptive title of proposed project; name and contact information for the Principal Investigator; name of Co-investigators, if any, and Mentor; amount of funding requested) followed by a 4-page concept paper (formatted in 11-point font or larger, single-spaced, one-inch margins) organized as follows:

A. Larger study

1. Research Question and Design: Briefly describe the larger research project for which this is a pilot study, including the research question that the larger study is expected to address and the kind of design envisioned.

2. Funding Announcement: Provide the name and number of the NIH or other federal or foundation funding announcement under which the larger study will be submitted.

B. Pilot study

1. Specific Aims and Hypotheses
2. Background and Significance
3. Preliminary Studies (if applicable)
4. Research Design and Methods
5. Plan for Further Research (showing how the study will inform the development of a larger federal or foundation grant proposal)
6. Protection of Human Subjects
7. Timeline for the pilot study
8. Budget and budget justification

C. Attachments (not included in the 4-page limit for the concept paper)

1. Applicant’s and Co-Investigators’ CVs
2. Mentor’s CV
3. Funding announcement for subsequent grant application

Applications should be submitted electronically to Shoshana Vasheetz szv1@columbia.edu, with cc to Dr. Susan Barrow (sb2525@columbia.edu). For additional information, contact Dr. Barrow at 212-740-5904 x16.

Review Process

Proposals will be assessed by a review group consisting of members of the CHPS Providers/Stakeholders’ Group and the Executive Committee. Each application will be assigned to a member of the review group who will prepare and present a scientific review based on relevance to the Center’s mission and theoretical perspective, scientific merit including innovation, and potential for generating publications and future grant applications. The group as a whole will assess each project’s relevance to the CHPS research agenda and feasibility. Funding decisions will be determined by the Executive Committee. Applicants will be provided with written feedback on the outcome of this process.

Investigators whose proposed studies are approved will be referred to (1) Methods and Research Core faculty for an early review and consultation; (2) the Trials Operations and Management Unit for assistance with the application to the Columbia Institutional Review Board, which must be submitted prior to funding; and (3) to the Center’s Director of Finance and Administration for implementation of the budget request. Six months into a study, investigators will again meet with Methods and Research Core faculty for ongoing support and review of post-pilot planning.

Investigators will be required to submit a final progress report upon completing the study.

Investigators with more developed proposals will be encouraged to move straight to NIH R03, R21, or R34 applications or to apply for foundation funding. When appropriate, applicants will also be informed about requests for applications for pilot studies from other sources.

Administration of Awards

Approved grants will be administered through the Center’s Director of Finance and Administration, who will process all purchases, reimbursements, personnel action forms, etc. Funds will not be disbursed until Columbia University IRB approval has been obtained.