REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
CWP Impact Awards: Enabling Thriving Communities
The CWP Impact Awards: Enabling Thriving Communities application is now closed. Join the Columbia World Projects newsletter to be notified when the next application cycle will open.
Background
Columbia World Projects launched the CWP Impact Awards in 2022 to catalyze bold, interdisciplinary projects with unique potential to achieve social impact. The inaugural request for proposals resulted in three awards focused on CWP's Supporting Generations theme.
Purpose
Columbia World Projects at Columbia Global seeks proposals for the next round of CWP Impact Awards, which support faculty and researchers from across Columbia University who want to address pressing societal challenges with innovative solutions, with the potential to scale and accelerate impact. We seek proposals that involve bold ideas for tackling key challenges that stand in the way of thriving communities. Interventions representing unexplored avenues of thought and action that are currently underserved by existing funding sources will be prioritized.
Priorities for Consideration
CWP works to catalyze innovations and accelerate impact locally and around the world across four themes: Supporting Generations, Renewing Democracy, Building Inclusive Cities, and Enabling Thriving Communities. This opportunity is specifically focused on the Enabling Thriving Communities theme. Proposals are sought that aim to support the well-being and resilience of communities by furthering practices and policies that enable safe conditions for all community members. Example areas of interest related to the Enabling Thriving Communities theme include: peace and reconciliation, mental health, the arts, governance, and civic participation. We welcome other topic areas that fit within the priority theme.
Project Requirements
CWP will consider proposals that meet the following requirements:
- Inclusion of at least two faculty and/or researchers from distinct Columbia units (i.e., schools, departments, institutes, or centers) as part of the project leadership. At least one proposal lead must be eligible to serve as a Principal Investigator per Columbia University guidelines.
- Evidence of partnership and equitable collaborations with partners outside Columbia University (e.g., other universities, government agencies, bilateral agencies, civil society organizations, private sector partners)
- Demonstration of the application of interdisciplinary problem-solving in project design, development, and implementation
- Translation of research, scholarship, and evidence into innovative, practical solutions, policy, or practice
- Demonstration of clear and measurable outputs and outcomes
- Demonstration of engagement with communities or recipients of services
- Inclusion of plans to engage Columbia University undergraduate students, graduate students, and/or postdocs in the project
- Commitment to advancing gender equity and racial justice
CWP will not consider proposals for:
- Projects that are exclusively focused on research or service delivery
- Projects solely focused on training activities, curriculum development, or conducting workshops or convenings
- Projects that do not align with the Enabling Thriving Communities theme
- Sustaining ongoing projects or activities
Frequently Asked Questions
- Are faculty from all Columbia University schools invited to apply? add
Yes, full-time faculty and research scientists from all Columbia University schools are invited to apply.
- Are associate research scientists eligible to apply? add
Associate Research Scientists may not apply as the sole principal investigator without the approval of the appropriate Chair and Dean (or equivalent officers). Please refer to Columbia University guidelines and processes here.
- Who counts as an instructor? Can a lecturer be considered an “instructor”? add
Please refer to Columbia University’s policy on Principal Investigator eligibility. Please contact your appropriate Chair, Dean, or equivalent officer for questions about specific appointments and exceptions.
- For individuals who need a PI waiver, do we need the response prior to concept submission? add
It is not necessary to have the PI waiver finalized before submission of the concept. However, applicants seeking a waiver should clearly note this in their application.
- Does the second Columbia University project lead need to be full time? add
The second required Columbia University project lead needs to be a full-time faculty, researcher or officer of administration at Columbia University.
- Can I submit a proposal that includes project leadership from the same department, but different divisions or centers (particularly because our department is very large)? add
If your proposal includes project leadership from the same department but different divisions or centers, we encourage you to clearly articulate the interdisciplinary aspects of the project and emphasize the distinct areas of expertise or disciplines represented within the leadership team.
- Can Impact Award funds be used to cover a percentage of Columbia faculty salaries? add
Yes, Impact Award funds can be used to support a portion of Columbia University faculty salaries.
- Do we need to consider Global Centers in our project budgets? add
Applicants are not required to budget for facility and administrative (F&A) costs associated with collaboration with Columbia Global Center(s) or ICAP office(s). However, depending on the scope of the proposed activities, it may be necessary to include direct costs, such as Global Center or ICAP staff time to manage a specific activity.
- Is there a limit to how much of the award can be used for sub-awards to external entities? add
There is no specific limit on the allocation of funding to sub-awards for non-Columbia University entities (e.g., NGOs and non-profit partners). The distribution of resources among personnel, contracts, and other direct costs will vary based on the specific needs and scope of the project.
- Are there any restrictions to proposing the scale-up of an existing project? add
Seeking additional funding for an existing project is not permitted under the CWP Impact Award guidelines. However, this funding is designed to be catalytic, allowing for the expansion of promising initiatives. For instance, if you have completed the initial phase of a project and are ready to scale, this would be considered an allowable use of Impact Award funding (e.g., completing a feasibility study on a promising intervention and using the award to officially pilot and evaluate it).
- Is there a preference for projects in specific geographic locations? add
No, there is no preference for specific geographic locations. However projects that demonstrate a clear plan for utilizing Columbia Global Centers and/or ICAP offices operationally and/or programmatically will be viewed favorably.
- If we are proposing to work in a country where there is no Global Center or ICAP office, can we propose collaborating with the nearest Global Center or ICAP office in the region? add
You can propose collaborating with the nearest Global Center or ICAP office; however, in such cases, we encourage you to submit details of your specific proposed country and desired regional collaboration to [email protected] for clarification regarding the capacity and ability of a particular Global Center or ICAP office to meet the specific need.
- Can you propose collaboration with two separate Global Centers? add
Impact Awards are intended to support Columbia University faculty and researchers leading social impact work. Collaborating with Global Centers during the project design stage–to leverage existing resources, relationships, and networks within the Columbia University community–is encouraged. If your project involves testing an intervention in two or more geographies where Global Centers and/or ICAP offices are located, coordination with multiple centers would be encouraged.
- Can I submit more than one application in response to this request for proposals? add
Eligible faculty/researchers may serve as proposal leads on only one application but may serve as collaborators on additional proposals.
- Can I submit more than one application to concurrent Columbia Global funding opportunities? add
Eligible faculty/researchers may serve as proposal leads for different, concurrent Columbia Global funding opportunities but are discouraged from submitting multiple proposals for the same or very similar project.
- If someone isn’t invited to submit a full proposal for an Impact Award, can that person submit a proposal to the President’s Global Innovation Fund (PGIF)? add
Yes, if you have a project idea that meets the criteria specified in the PGIF RFP, you may submit a proposal. The due date for 2024 PGIF proposals is March 10, 2024.
- How many applications did you receive in response to the last Impact Awards RFP? add
During the inaugural Impact Awards call for proposals, CWP received 75 expressions of interest, and 38 full proposals were submitted across 34 schools, institutes, and departments. Three projects were awarded.
- What thinking went into reducing the amount/increasing the number of awards? add
The evolution of CWP's project identification and funding approach aims to create a balanced portfolio, encompassing both large-scale interventions and proof-of-concept, pilot, and early-stage projects.
- In contrast to last year, could you set up the review process so applicants can receive unfiltered feedback from reviewers? add
We are unable to provide individualized feedback to each applicant due to the volume of applications expected and capacity constraints. While we strive to enhance transparency, the current structure of our review process limits our ability to provide feedback at the individual level.
- If the proposed initiative involves the development or deployment of new technologies, does the concept need to articulate specific plans regarding intellectual property (IP) (e.g., IP sharing, IP rights)? add
At the concept stage, it is not required to articulate specific IP-related plans, such as IP sharing or rights. However, we encourage you to share relevant details regarding IP during the full proposal stage (if invited to advance to this stage).
- I have a different question. add
Please send us an email.