title: A funding initiative for community-based participatory research: lessons from the Harvard Catalyst Seed Grants.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The National Institutes of Health-funded Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) have increasingly focused on community-engaged research and funded investigators for community-based participatory research (CBPR). However, because CBPR is a collaborative process focused on community-identified research topics, the Harvard CTSA and its Community Advisory Board (CERAB) funded community partners through a CBPR initiative.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We describe lessons learned from this seed grants initiative designed to stimulate community-academic CBPR partnerships.
  
  
  METHODS
  The CBPR program of the Harvard CTSA and the CERAB developed this initiative and each round incorporated participant and advisory feedback toward program improvement.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although this initiative facilitated relevant and innovative research, challenges included variable community research readiness, insufficient project time, and difficulties identifying investigators for new partnerships.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Seed grants can foster innovative CBPR projects. Similar initiatives should consider preliminary assessments of community research readiness as well as strategies for meaningful academic researcher engagement.
authors: Institute for Community Health, Cambridge Health Alliance, MI, USA.
authors: Shalini A
authors: SA
authors: Tendulkar
authors: Jocelyn
authors: J
authors: Chu
authors: Jennifer
authors: J
authors: Opp
authors: Alan
authors: A
authors: Geller
authors: Ann
authors: A
authors: Digirolamo
authors: Ediss
authors: E
authors: Gandelman
authors: Milagro
authors: M
authors: Grullon
authors: Pratima
authors: P
authors: Patil
authors: Stacey
authors: S
authors: King
authors: Karen
authors: K
authors: Hacker
mesh_terms: D035843:Biomedical Research / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods / Q000458:organization & administration; D055812:Community-Based Participatory Research / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration*; D003159:Community-Institutional Relations; D006801:Humans; D008404:Massachusetts; D009316:National Institutes of Health (U.S.); D012109:Research Support as Topic / Q000458:organization & administration*; D057170:Translational Research, Biomedical / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods / Q000458:organization & administration; D014481:United States; D014495:Universities