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Today VCU Massey Cancer Center announced it is now accepting Letters of Intent (LOI) for two-year, $20,000 cultivate grants. The funding makes up the second phase of the Massey Community Grant Initiative, which invests in community-led efforts that promote health, health equity and person-centered care across the cancer continuum while also reducing suffering from cancer.

“Cultivate grants allow us to focus on research that is truly important to our community partners,” said Vanessa Sheppard, Ph.D., associate director for community outreach and engagement (COE) at Massey. “Communities can lead research and drive the agenda.”

Organizations interested in submitting a proposal must meet the following criteria:

• Applicants must be recognized in the state of Virginia and by the IRS as a non-profit with documented exemption from income taxes with a 501(c)(3) public charity designation OR must be a government agency OR must be a recognized house of worship.
• Applicants cannot be a political or lobbying organization OR represent an individual OR individual- or family-based foundation.
• Applicants must not have any record of discrimination related to age, sex, race, color, sexual orientation, national/ethnic origin or disability.
• Applicants must provide evidence of being able to successfully manage a budget of $20,000, the amount of the award.
• Applicants must agree to jointly develop, implement and evaluate their project under a joint Massey/Community Organization oversight or leadership team.
• Applicants invited for a full application must agree to participate in a joint proposal development workshop.

“Massey’s cultivate grant will not only enhance local projects but will connect organizations to researchers within the cancer center,” said Brad Williams, MSPH, senior program coordinator for COE at Massey. “It will increase impact and bridge the gap between resources and healthier outcomes, while also lowering the burden of cancer.”

The program is part of an effort to foster organizational collaboration across Massey’s catchment area, defined as the 66 contiguous localities in central, eastern and southern Virginia served by the cancer center.

According to Sheppard, who is also a professor in the VCU School of Medicine’s Department of Health Behavior and Policy, there are not many funding mechanisms for community groups to do research.

“When you look at what’s widely available, academic centers start the process and then develop a subcontract for the community group to conduct the research,” said Sheppard. “At Massey, we've flipped it: The ideas come from community groups, and they get to decide who they want to partner with for their research.”

The deadline for qualifying organizations to submit their LOI for Massey cultivate grants is April 25. Massey leaders will then invite select applicants to attend a proposal development workshop and submit a full proposal.

“Our mission at Massey is to improve cancer outcomes by eliminating inequities for all Virginians,” said Debbie Chatman Bryant, DNP, RN, FAAN, executive director of operations for COE at Massey. “These cultivate grants will advance our collaborative efforts with community partners to enhance and save more lives.”

Massey will fund two awards in the amount of $20,000 per recipient on or around July 25.

Awards for the Massey cultivate grants will be competitive. Guidelines concerning the criteria and process can be found within the Request for Applications (RFA).

Through the Community Grant Initiative’s first phase, Massey awarded seven $5,000 seed grants in 2022 and six $5,000 seed grants in 2023.

The third phase of Massey’s Community Grant Initiative will roll out in 2024, offering one $50,000 harvest grant to a selected applicant.

Written by: Amy Lacey