November 18, 2021

VUMC Limited Submission Opportunity: HRSA Community-Based Workforce to Build COVID Vaccine Confidence; deadline is Nov. 19

These instructions are for VUMC investigators. VU investigators should apply through InfoReady and address any questions to VU-LSO@vanderbilt.edu.

VUMC may submit only one application to the HRSA Community-Based Workforce to Build COVID-19 Vaccine Confidence program.

The purpose of the program is to strengthen vaccine confidence, provide further information and education on the vaccines and improve rates of vaccination across the country. This program will mobilize community outreach workers, which includes community health workers, patient navigators and social support specialists to the most vulnerable and medically underserved communities, including racial and ethnic minority groups. Community outreach workers will educate, and assist individuals in receiving the COVID-19 vaccination. This includes activities such as reaching out directly to community members to educate them about the vaccine, assisting individuals in making a vaccine appointment, providing resources (e.g. convenient vaccine locations, information for individuals impacted by COVID-19 and its long-term health effects), and assisting individuals with transportation or other needs to get to their vaccine appointments. Specifically, the program will aim to build vaccine confidence in order to get people vaccinated in a quick and efficient manner.

HRSA will fund applicants that have demonstrated experience and expertise in implementing public health programs across broad geographic areas.

Specifically, this program is seeking applicants with strong community ties that have operated in the proposed service area(s) or state(s) for a minimum of 6 months in the last 2 years. This may include applicant organizations and/or partner or sub-recipient organizations. Organizations must also demonstrate experience providing outreach to a broad range of vaccine hesitant communities, including (but not limited to) rural, urban, non-white, non-English speaking, and other underserved communities. Award recipients are strongly encouraged to hire community outreach workers from the communities in which they will serve. Organizations should propose culturally appropriate interventions to ensure that unique characteristics, experiences, norms, values, behaviors, and beliefs of the targeted audience, and relevant historical, environmental, and social forces are taken into consideration in the development and execution of on-the-ground efforts.

This program will require award recipients to have the relationships and capacity necessary to engage at multiple levels, including with national, regional, state and/or local organizations. Award recipients should propose a multi-state approach based on their capability to administer the program. In addition, award recipients will need to demonstrate that they have the infrastructure set up to implement a program of this scale quickly and clearly describe how they will ensure that the funding will directly serve and impact the proposed service area(s); and how the communities will quickly hire local outreach workers to provide outreach, education and assistance related to the COVID-19 vaccine.
Award recipients will need to engage with multiple organizations, and should have existing relationships or the capacity to quickly form new relationships with regional and/or local community organizations. This may include entities such as:

  • Community-based organizations (including faith-based organizations, social service organizations)
  • Regional, state and local chapters of national associations
  • Regional commissions
  • Regional and local health departments
  • Health centers and other community-based health providers
  • Minority-serving institutions such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU), Hispanic serving institutions, and Asian American and Pacific Islander serving institutions
  • Local employers or unions
  • Tribes and Tribal Organizations
  • Philanthropic Organizations
  • Local municipal entities, such as fire and EMS departments
  • Social service providers (e.g. food banks, community transportation, childcare)
  • Community Action Coalitions, Chambers of Commerce, Health Equity Councils, and other community groups

Award Information

Up to $10,000,000 per awardee for a 9-month period of performance: January 27, 2022-October 26, 2022.

See the NOFO for more information.

Internal Application Process:

Anyone interested in being considered to submit VUMC’s proposal must submit the following (in a single PDF) to LSO@vanderbilt.edu by 5 p.m. on November 19:

  • Brief project description including summary budget (2 pages max). Please indicate which aim your proposal is addressing;
  • Letter of support from department chair/center director;
  • NIH Biosketch

Any questions about this opportunity or the LSO process may be directed to LSO@vanderbilt.edu.