CFAR Stephaun Elite Wallace Community Investigator Awards

Eligible applicants must be actively involved in and have a strong commitment to community-based HIV work in Washington State as either a leader, staff member, volunteer, or research collaborator of a community-based organization. Eligible applicants must be employees of the organization receiving Wallace Award funding or have long-standing relationship with that organization. Individuals whose primary professional affiliation is with the University of Washington, Fred Hutch, or other affiliated academic institutions are not eligible.

Eligible applicants include those with a high school diploma/GED or some college experience (including associate and bachelor’s degrees), associate degrees, relevant professional certifications, bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Applicants with terminal degrees (MDs, PhDs, JDs) are not eligible. Current HIV investigators are also ineligible.

Applicants may submit only one application to this program per cycle.

Contact cfaroce@uw.edu if you have questions about eligibility.

There are two kinds of projects that can be accepted for this award, defined broadly as traditional research projects and nontraditional research projects. 

In scientific inquiry, we often distinguish between traditional research projects and their nontraditional counterparts. While traditional research projects conform to conventional methodologies and topics within a discipline, nontraditional research projects venture into areas less recognized but intrinsically connected to the overarching aims of HIV research.  

Traditional research projects in the realm of HIV research are typically characterized by their focus on biomedical investigations, basic science, clinical, epidemiological, behavioral and implementation science research. These endeavors are aimed at understanding the pathophysiology of HIV, developing new prevention or treatment strategies, and studying the viral transmission dynamics. 

A nontraditional HIV research project may not be immediately identifiable as typical “research,” yet it: 

• Contributes to the overall knowledge and understanding of HIV science and/or service implementation.   
• Offers vital support to both HIV research initiatives, researchers, or research participants themselves. 
• Enhances the capacity for conducting HIV-related research or establishing collaborative efforts. 
• Expands the scope of who is involved in conducting research, notably incorporating members from communities affected by HIV. 
• Prioritizes the interests and issues critical to the community. 

Examples of Research Projects 

The HIV-related research projects funded under this award can take various forms, such as: 

• Enhancing PrEP/TasP uptake
• Uncovering factors that can increase HIV testing 
• Communicating about HIV cure research priorities and methods;  
• Assessing the need and design for low barrier care models; 
• Increasing capacity for community engagement and related projects; 
• Providing training to researchers to liaise between the community and the research community; 
• Simplifying complex scholarly articles for broader public comprehension; 
• Organizing workshops that equip individuals with essential research skills; 
• Understanding facilitators/barriers to medication adherence; 
• Strengthening patient-provider relationships to increase health outcomes; 
• Evaluating programs to determine their effectiveness and impact; 
• Disseminating research findings or updates from recent conferences; 
• Creating community-friendly research materials or social media platforms; 
• Executing community surveys, focus groups, or qualitative interviews to gather first-hand data; 
• Innovating with new technologies, for instance, developing applications or chatbots to facilitate research processes; 
• Hosting research-related events with community, policy makers, health agencies and researchers; 
• Authoring conference abstracts submitted and presented, or manuscripts submitted and presented.  

Nontraditional research projects hold significant promise for HIV investigation. These innovative approaches serve as powerful tools to affect HIV outcomes observed in healthcare, medicine, and public health. By broadening the spectrum of researchers and engaging communities affected by HIV, nontraditional research projects not only may enrich the field of HIV research but also may amplify its relevance and reach. 

Additional Considerations 

1. We can only accept applications related to the NIH’s HIV research high or medium priority areas. Please contact cfaroce@uw.edu with questions about whether your proposal qualifies.  Also, please review the additional guidelines below.
2. Projects that cannot be funded through the CFAR include: 
   • Any clinical trial (NIH definition of a clinical trial). If unsure, please discuss with your CFAR-affiliated mentor.
   • Studies involving new drugs, treatments, or devices 
   • Activities such as lobbying and political actions 
3. Projects that can be funded via CFAR but require additional NIH review if selected for an award. Please note that this review can take several months to complete, delaying the project start. 
   • Studies involving new ways of using known drugs, treatments, or devices (allowed on a case-by-case basis) 
   • Studies that are deemed above minimal risk by the Institutional IRB 
   • Studies involving vulnerable populations 
   • Studies with populations with additional considerations for confidentiality and safety (sex workers, refugees, etc.)
   • Studies involving behavioral interventions (above minimal risk)
4. Projects that do not require additional NIH review
   • Research activities that do not include vulnerable populations (see Category 3.c. above) and present no more than minimal risk to human participants as described in the OHRP Expedited Review Categories. Examples include but are not limited to the following: 
     • Routine blood draws 
     • Non-invasive procedures routinely employed in clinical practice (e.g. ultrasound, MRI) 
     • Surveys, focus groups 

An important hallmark of the Wallace Awards program to grow capacity for local community-led HIV research is that applicants will receive mentoring from academic researchers in preparing and executing their proposal. We view mentorship as non-hierarchical shared learning that is guided by the needs of the mentee. The CFAR OCE and Developmental Core will assist applicants in identifying a mentor for their project, based on information submitted by the community investigator in their interest form (including goals of the proposed project, mentorship areas, and mentor preferences identified by the community investigator). Community investigators are also welcome to identify their own mentor, with approval from the CFAR OCE and Developmental Core. Mentors must be appointed at a US-based affiliate of the UW/Fred Hutch CFAR [University of Washington, Fred Hutch, Seattle Children’s, University of Hawai’i at Mānoa].  

The primary mentor is expected to meet with the community investigator throughout the application process and give substantive input on the application, as well as provide mentorship and support throughout the project. Each Wallace Award submission must include a letter of support from the applicant’s primary CFAR-appointed mentor. In addition to this mentor, a CBO-based mentor at the organization where the work will be conducted is strongly encouraged. Additional mentors may be identified prior to submission. Mentors must provide a letter of support stating they have read and discussed the proposal with the applicant as part of the full application. The CFAR can provide resources to support the mentoring relationship throughout the project, including providing example mentoring agreements.  The CFAR will also aim to provide successful awardees with professional development and capacity-building opportunities to further their success. 

Awards will be $5,000-$20,000 total (direct costs) per year for 1- to 2–year projects. Project awards will scale proportional to the complexity and duration of the proposed work. 

Please note that the pre-submission process is designed to support applicants in strengthening their proposal and success if selected for an award. Pre-submission requirements include the following:

1. Non-Binding Letter of Intent (LOI) – Submit by May 16, 2025
2. 3 Required Consultations – Request by August 15, 2025
   • Office of Community Engagement (OCE) Consultation
   • Data Sciences and Methods Core (DSMC) Consultation
   • Budget Compliance & Allowability Review

Only applicants who have fulfilled the pre-submission requirements will be considered during the application review phase. Please refer to the RFA for detailed instructions on pre-submission requirements, and contact cfaroce@uw.edu with questions.

To help track completion of pre-submission requirements, we encourage applicants to utilize the 2025 Stephaun Elite Wallace Award Pre-Submission Checklist.