Grant Program Research Articles

T‐Mobile awards new round of Hometown Grants

T‐Mobile has announced the next round of grantees under its Hometown Grant program, bringing the total to 275 communities across 46 states that have received funding under the program to support local projects that help people connect and innovate. And since providing more than $12 million in Hometown Grants since the company kicked off its five‐year commitment in April 2021, the company is well on its way to hitting the program's $25 million mark.

Crowding in Private Quality: The Equilibrium Effects of Public Spending in Education

Abstract We estimate the equilibrium effects of a public school grant program administered through school councils in Pakistani villages with multiple public and private schools and clearly defined catchment boundaries. The program was randomized at the village-level, allowing us to estimate its causal impact on the market. Four years after the start of the program, test scores were 0.2 sd higher in public schools. We find evidence of an education multiplier: test scores in private schools were also 0.2 sd higher in treated markets. Consistent with standard models of product differentiation, the education multiplier is greater for those private schools that faced a greater threat to their market power. Accounting for private sector responses increases the program’s cost-effectiveness by 85% and affects how a policymaker would target spending. Given that markets with several public and private schools are now pervasive in low- and middle-income countries, prudent policy requires us to account for private sector responses to public policy, both in policies’ design and evaluation.

D'Addario Foundation grants for music education programs

D'Addario Foundation grants for music education programs

Navigating Grant Program Representative Bias: Insights from Paycheck Protection Program for Hospitality SMEs and Entrepreneurs

Allocation of public funding, such as those of government grants, can be influenced by subjective factors, similar to biases that research has found in commercial business lending based on organizational and ownership factors. However, there is limited research that has investigated biases in grant programs. Using data from the Paycheck Protection Program in the United States this study examined whether biases existed in grant programs for hospitality businesses. Results of regression analyses indicate that hospitality businesses received greater total loan amounts and smaller loan amounts per employee than businesses in other industries. Additionally, male business owners, White business owners, and corporations received greater loan amounts compared to other demographic groups. This study contributes to extending the current literature on commercial lending by enhancing our understanding of representative biases in government-directed lending programs for businesses.

224 Influence of gender on animal science research funding from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture

Abstract According to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, females and males in science disciplines obtain bachelor of science degrees at or near parity, yet females are not equally represented in academic faculty positions. This is true for agricultural field including the animal sciences. The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) administers the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) at USDA, a flagship competitive grants program that fund research, education, and extension efforts with a total appropriation of $455 million in 2023. Our objective was to determine the difference between genders for submission rates (i.e., number of standard and seed grant applications submitted), success rates (i.e., number of grant award/number of applications submitted), and peer reviewers of grant applications in the main animal related AFRI program area priorities. All applications submitted to AFRI programs in animal genomics, reproduction, health, nutrition and growth, and welfare during 2013 to 2022 were evaluated. Gender was assigned to Project Directors (PD) and peer reviewers using first names as input into Gender API software (Gender-API.com; Passau, Germany) with ≥ 95% accuracy and ≥ 20 database occurrences used as quality filters and binary outcomes only (i.e., male or female). Effect of gender on submission rates, success rates, and peer review panel compositions were then analyzed using Pearson’s Chi-squared tests with P ≤ 0.05 considered significant. A total of 3,392 applications were submitted, of which 2,579 (76%) PD genders were assigned and analyzed further. Overall, the proportional submission rate for females was 28% and for males was 72%. Submission rates for females increased (P = 0.0497) over time ranging from 22% in 2013 to 33% in 2021. Submission rates differed by gender across programs (P < 0.0001) and ranged from 22% female in animal reproduction to 48% female in animal welfare. Overall, the funding success rate was 22% and did not differ between genders (P = 0.9826). Success rates did not differ between genders over time (P = 0.4691), but differences among programs approached significance (P = 0.0670). Across 53 panels, 42% of panelists were female; no differences were identified for the proportion of female panelists over time (P = 0.9762) or by program (P = 0.7028). Females submitted less than one-half as many applications as males, but the proportion of submissions by females increased over time. This trend remained consistent despite challenges of relocation of NIFA and COVID-19 during this time. Funding success rates did not differ by gender, but some variation was observed across programs. Overall, the proportion of NIFA panelists who were female exceeded the proportion of applications submitted by females. These results indicate that although differences in gender existed for application submission rate and panel composition, these differences did not impact funding success rate of applications in animal science programs at NIFA, which did not differ between genders.

Abstract PO5-08-07: Ki-67 Expression in Breast Cancer associated with ATM, BRCA1, BRCA2, CHEK2 and PALB2 Pathogenic Variants

Abstract Background: Germline Pathogenic Variants (PVs) in ATM, BRCA1, BRCA2, CHEK2, and PALB2 are known to increase breast cancer (BCa) risk, but the effect of these PVs on tumor biology is not well-understood. Ki-67 is an established prognostic marker in hormone receptor (HR) positive breast cancer but the distribution of Ki-67 in breast cancer associated with germline PVs is not known. Methods: The study included patients with loco-regional (Stage I-III) HR-positive (ER+ or PR+), HER2-negative invasive ductal or lobular breast cancer evaluated at Mayo Clinic for curative intent treatment between 2012 and 2021. PV carrier status was ascertained in more than two-thirds of cases from germline whole exome sequencing (Regeneron) of patients who participated in a prospective registry at Mayo Clinic. Additional PV carriers were identified through a review of the results of clinical germline genetic testing in electronic medical records aided by natural language processing. Clinically performed Ki-67 values were abstracted from electronic medical records and analyzed as continuous and categorical variables (low: < 20% vs. high: ≥20%). Throughout the timeline of the study, a consistent method for assessment of Ki-67 was utilized at Mayo Clinic, Rochester: Immunohistochemical staining of the Ki-67 antigen in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue was performed using MIB-1 clone, the scanned slides were reviewed by a technologist and traced areas further analyzed for Ki-67 using Aperio Software. Patients who received neoadjuvant therapy prior to the assessment of Ki-67, with metastatic disease at diagnosis, with PVs in two or more genes of interest, or unknown germline PV or Ki-67 status were excluded from the analysis. Multiple primary tumors in the same patient diagnosed within one year of each other were analyzed independently. The control (non-carrier) group included randomly selected patients from the prospective registry who tested negative for PVs in the five genes over the same time period. Ki-67 values were compared between germline PV carriers and non-carriers in a multivariable logistic regression analysis adjusting for sex, race, age at diagnosis, stage at presentation, and histology of the tumor. Results: A total of 113 HR+/HER2- tumors from 111 PV carriers (ATM: 27, BRCA1: 24, BRCA2: 28, CHEK2: 22, and PALB2:12) along with 431 HR+/HER2- tumors from 422 randomly selected non-carriers were evaluated. The majority (>95%) of patients were non-Hispanic White. Germline PV carriers in each gene were diagnosed at a significantly younger age (P< 0.05) compared to non-carriers. The median Ki-67 value was 12 (Range: 1 to 93) for non-carriers, 16 (Range: 0 to 79) for ATM, 31 (Range: 4 to 86) for BRCA1, 30 (Range: 6 to 80) for BRCA2, 13 (Range: 1 to 38) for CHEK2, and 20 (Range: 3 to 46) for PALB2 PV carriers. In multivariable analysis, compared to non-carriers, we observed significantly higher odds of a high Ki67 value (≥20%) for tumors arising from germline PV carriers in BRCA1 (Odds Ratio (OR): 7.3, 95%CI: 2.3 – 23.3, p< 0.001), BRCA2 (OR: 3.0, 95%CI: 1.2 – 7.4, p=0.02) and PALB2 (OR: 3.9, 95%CI: 1.1 – 14.5, p=0.04). No such relationship was observed with either ATM (OR: 1.1, 95%CI: 0.4 – 2.9, p=0.81) or CHEK2 (OR: 0.8, 95%CI: 0.3 – 2.2, p=0.63). Conclusion: This study reveals that HR+/HER2- tumors in BRCA1, BRCA2, and PALB2 PV carriers have a significantly higher Ki-67 expression compared to non-carriers. These findings have implications for understanding prognosis and endocrine response PV with HR+ breast cancer. Further exploration of the relationships between Ki67 and germline PV status is necessary to personalize systemic therapy options in germline PV carriers. Acknowledgments: Thank you to Regeneron Genetics Center. The study was funded in part by the NIH Specialized Program of Research Excellence in Breast Cancer [P50CA116201] to Mayo Clinic, Mayo Clinic Department of Oncology Small Grants Program, and the Paul Calabresi Program at Mayo Clinic Citation Format: Robert Scheel, Grace Choong, Tara Rao, Nicholas Boddicker, Chunling Hu, Jie Na, Vinod Kaggal, Sean Murphy, Karthik Giridhar, Saba Yasir, Matthew Goetz, Fergus Couch, Siddhartha Yadav. Ki-67 Expression in Breast Cancer associated with ATM, BRCA1, BRCA2, CHEK2 and PALB2 Pathogenic Variants [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2023 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2023 Dec 5-9; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(9 Suppl):Abstract nr PO5-08-07.

EVALUATION OF THE HEALING MENTAL HEALTH PROGRAM

INTRODUCTION & AIMS The HEALTMing Mental Health (HEALTM-MH) program was a free community-based program offered by Exercise & Sport Science Australia, supported by the Australian Sports Commission, Sport Australia Participation Grants program. HEALTM-MH was targeted at Australians living with mental health conditions in rural or remote areas. Our aim is to present an evaluation of the program effectiveness. METHODS The standard program included one-hour of supervised group exercise per week and a one-hour lifestyle education session for 8-weeks. All outcome data, including The Stages of Behaviour Change, were collected by the site facilitators and was provided in an anonymised format for analysis and reporting. Participants were included in the analysis if they had completed more than 50% of the sessions. RESULTS A total of 182 participants were recruited which included 117 who were enrolled in the adult mental health program, 32 in the standard adult program and 33 in a teen mental health program. All programs were delivered between May and October 2022 by trained HEALTM providers, with 18 sites having AEPs leading the program, and one site was led by a registered nurse. Included in analysis were 99 participants (31 males, 68 females) with a mean age of 59.5 years. There was a statistically significant change toward the desired outcome for fourteen of fifteen measures from pre- to post-testing. Twelve of these measures recorded the desired target change at the population (grouped) level. CONCLUSION The targeted behaviour change was for a one stage shift which was achieved with most participants in the action or maintenance stage by the end of the program. The provision of the HEALTM-MH program was beneficial for those who attended more than 50% of the sessions. The program may increase physical activity and healthy lifestyle choices in individuals who selfreport a mental health disorder.

DEVELOPMENT OF THE NEXT ESSA RESEARCH STRATEGY

INTRODUCTION The generation and use of research is a function within ESSA and the first research strategy was developed for the period 2018 - 2021. Research program activities are diverse. ESSA has hosted the Research Committee and the Publications Committee for 5 years. ESSA has facilitated the development of member-driven Guidelines, Consensus and Position Statements for use by professionals in practice. ESSA has hosted an annual Research Grant Program and a biannual scientific conference. This paper outlines the research strategy development project. METHODS The previous strategy delivered research grants and ESSA publications. Investments were made into administration and research governance including release of the ESSA Research Publications Development Guideline. Consultation on the development of the next Research Strategy included presentations and surveys to engage members, key stakeholders and staff about: the program; the key strategy pillars; principles; and actions. Actions were assessed for feasibility and priority. RESULTS The outcomes of the consultation on the ESSA Research Strategy 2023-2026 identified four pillars of capacity building, engagement, translation and data, and research for policy and practice priorities. The use of research publications by ESSA accredited professionals and industry will be guided by a translation framework, aligning with the objectives of the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Translation Strategy 2022-2025, the resources of the National Centre of Implementation Science and the ESSA Strategic Plan. This will support members to leverage research findings, to encourage researchers to develop translation collateral and to implement new research results. The strategy will have actions, references and tools to help accredited professionals to engage in research translation. CONCLUSIONS The Research Strategy and translation framework will be outlined. The paper will include examples relating to physical activity. ESSA’s next Research Strategy is to further support research generation and use by ESSA accredited professionals, staff and the industry.

ASA Mentoring Grant Program: Then and Now

ASA Mentoring Grant Program: Then and Now

Pendampingan Penyusunan Proposal Program Kreativitas Mahasiswa (PKM) Prodi Manajemen Sekolah Tinggi Ilmu Ekonomi Bima

The PKM program is a routine grant program every year which will be participated in by PTN and PTS which is organized by the Belmawa Directorate as a forum for channeling student creative ideas. The hope is that by launching the Student Creativity Program (PKM) in various fields, it will train students to be able to present solutions to problems faced by the government, society, or the world of work/industry, so that the life of the nation and state moves in a better direction. The participation of students and accompanying lecturers in PKM activities can support the achievement of their higher education's IKU. Especially at IKU 1 (graduates get decent work), IKU 2 (students get experience outside campus), IKU 3 (lecturers carry out activities outside campus), and IKU 5 (the results of lecturers' work are used by the community). Apart from that, the output of this PKM program can be in the form of articles that are declared to have passed by reviewers and can be published in a scientific journal, which is a form of dissemination of activities carried out by students and indirectly contributes to progress and technology. However, the problem in 2024 is that there is still low student participation in taking part in PKM grants and low knowledge and understanding of students in preparing proposals and taking part in PKM and difficulty finding ideas to put into writing. The community service method uses a participatory method through a preliminary stage, core stage and advanced stage. The results of the activity show that it was carried out according to the timeline and increased student interest in developing ideas and skills as well as student interest in proposing PKM, this is proven by the increase in the number of PKM proposals proposed in the Simbelmawa system.

Perioada nord-americană

The purpose of this article is to bring to the forefront the theatrical activity carried out for eight years by Theodor-Cristian Popescu in the North American cultural landscape. Following the path of the Romanian theatre director, the article presents the performances he directed during his master’s degree at the University of Montana and also the theatrical events he staged in Montréal and Toronto, once he moved to Canada. Drawing on a variety of sources (press articles – reviews, interviews, press releases –, as well as program booklets, grant applications or evaluations of his teaching activity), the article aims to provide the Romanian public with a detailed presentation of Theodor-Cristian Popescu’s theatrical activity abroad (theatrical animator, director, teacher).

Kids Run the Nation grants for youth running programs

Kids Run the Nation grants for youth running programs

College student transition program grants

College student transition program grants

Truist Financial launches new grant program

Truist Financial Corp. has announced the initial recipients of its Truist Community Catalyst Initiative, a three‐year program supporting local charitable efforts with statewide impact.

Innovative Finance and Asset Concessions Grant Program (DOT)

Innovative Finance and Asset Concessions Grant Program (DOT)

243 Community-Campus Research Incubator (CCRI) Grant Program: 13 years of partnerships improving community health

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: With the knowledge that population health will not improve without including community voices in research, analysis of the UCI Institute for Clinical and Translational Science (ICTS) Community-Campus Research Incubator (CCRI) grants awarded since 2010 provides the foundation for understanding research partnerships impact on community health. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: Over the past 13 years, the UCI ICTS CCRI program has funded 63 partnered research pilot or capacity-building projects, providing up to $30K annually to academic-community partnerships. Each year since 2010, between 3 and 7 projects were funded up to $5,000 annually for capacity-building activities and up to $10,000 annually for pilot research activities. Additionally, during the COVID-19 pandemic, a collaboration between the UCI ICTS and the local Healthcare Agency provided up to $20,000 to research partnership teams to study impact and interventions related to the pandemic, where 10 CCRI awards were given out. Evaluations of these research teams was completed at the end of the project, and at years 2 and 3 after the project ended. Analysis of the projects and partnerships aim to reveal the impact of these projects. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: In 2023, we compiled all evaluation data collected from 2010 – 2023 from the CCRI partnership grants, including traditional metrics of publications, subsequent grant applications submitted & awarded, presentations given, and return on investment for ICTS granted funds. Less traditional metrics include number of students trained, new tools or databases created, knowledge disseminated, and advances in clinical care. Since 2020, Translational Science Benefit Model metrics have been collected on community, policy, economic, and clinical domains. Since 2015, data on each CCRI partnership has been collected at the start and end of each project, with questions about attributes of each partner, trust, community engagement principles, and anticipated/actual impact of each project. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: Organizing outcomes from the data collected will provide deep understanding of important components, functioning, and types and reach of partnered health research. This understanding will inform future action of the CCRI program in terms of what can be accomplished with a given amount of funding, and the constitution of successful partnerships.

Eco-emotions as the planetary boundaries: framing human emotional and planetary health in the global environmental crisis

BackgroundAffective processes play an important role in physical and mental health and in adaptation responses to the global environmental crisis. Eco-emotions—emotions that are substantially associated with the environment and anthropogenic changes happening within it—are complex and culturally varied. Despite the disproportionate impact of the global environmental crisis on low-income and middle-income countries, most psychological research to date has been conducted in high-income countries and has focused on climate change and negative climate emotions (eg, climate anxiety). The absence of diverse, globally representative evidence about emotions associated with the global environmental crisis beyond climate change hinders evidence-based action on psychological adaptation and the development of contextually and culturally appropriate coping strategies toward the wider range of negative anthropogenic effects. To account for this wider range of anthropogenic effects, we previously introduced an eco-emotions framework built on the planetary boundaries concept. We aimed to apply this framework to the current research on eco-emotional responses to identify remaining gaps that hinder evidence-based action. MethodsWe conducted a literature review of peer-reviewed studies assessing core affect (ie, emotional valence and arousal) and emotions with emphasis on study populations from low-income and middle-income countries and on the eight non-climate change planetary boundaries (biodiversity loss, freshwater use, ocean acidification, chemical pollution, air pollution, land system change, ozone depletion, and nitrogen and phosphorus perturbation). We searched Web of Science from database inception to Oct 31, 2023, for observational empirical studies of adults, using planetary boundary-specific (eg, freshwater use) or wider, newer, or overarching emotional concept (eg, solastalgia, environmental change) search terms. FindingsIn contrast to previous climate emotions work, our preliminary results of 135 peer reviewed studies identified a significant body of literature beyond climate change concerning emotional responses to the planetary boundaries of biodiversity loss, freshwater scarcity, and chemical pollution as well as emerging evidence of emotional responses to the other five planetary boundaries. InterpretationWe found that the spectrum of eco-emotional responses ranged from being specific to a single planetary boundary to encompassing all planetary boundaries. Our findings underscore the importance of and urgent need for more holistic and diverse psychological intervention strategies targeting the wider range of anthropogenic effects during the rapidly intensifying global environmental crisis. FundingEmmett Interdisciplinary Program in Environment and Resources; McGee and Levorsen Research Grant Program; and Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society at Stanford University.

Predictors of liver disease progression in people living with HIV-HBV co-infection on antiretroviral therapy

In people living with HIV-HBV, liver fibrosis progression can occur even with suppressive antiretroviral therapy (ART). We investigated the relationship between liver fibrosis and biomarkers of inflammation, apoptosis, and microbial translocation. In this observational cohort study adults living with HIV-HBV already on effective ART were recruited in Australia and Thailand and followed for 3 years including 6 monthly clinical review and blood tests and annual transient elastography. Differences in clinical and laboratory predictors of liver fibrosis progression were tested followed by regression analysis adjusted for CD4+ T-cells at study entry. A linear mixed model was fitted to longitudinal data to explore changes over time. 67 participants (85% male, median age 49y) were followed for 175 person-years. Median duration of ART was 10 years (interquartile range (IQR) 8-16 years). We found 11/59 (19%) participants during 3-years follow-up (6/100 person-years) met the primary endpoint of liver disease progression, defined as increased Metavir stage from baseline to final scan. In regression analysis, progressors compared to non-progressors had higher levels of high mobility group box 1 protein (HGMB1), (median (IQR) 3.7 (2.6-5.0) and 2.4ng/mL (1.5-3.4) respectively, adjusted relative risk 1.47, 95% CI [1.00, 2.17]) and lower nadir CD4+ T-cell percentage (median 4% (IQR 2-8) and 11% (4-15) respectively (relative risk 0.93, 95% CI [0.88, 0.98]). Progression in liver fibrosis occurs in people with HIV-HBV on suppressive ART. Fibrosis progression was associated with higher HMGB1 and lower percentage nadir CD4+ T-cell count, highlighting the importance of early initiation of HBV-active ART. This work was supported by NHMRC project grant 1101836; NHMRC practitioner fellowship 1138581 and NHMRC program grant 1149990. The funder had no role in study design, data collection, data analysis, interpretation, writing of this manuscript or decision to submit for publication.

335 Federal Research Funding Trends for Cerebrovascular Neurosurgeons: The Decline of the Cerebrovascular Surgeon-Scientist?

INTRODUCTION: With the rise of endovascular neurosurgery, the number of cerebrovascular (CV) surgeons has grown. However, it is unclear whether the number of CV surgeon-scientists has concomitantly increased. METHODS: Publicly available data were collected on currently practicing academic CV surgeons in the US. Inflation-adjusted NIH funding between 2009-2021 was surveyed using NIH RePORTER. The K12 Neurosurgeon Career Development Program grant data were queried for CV-focused grants. Pearson R correlation was used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: From 2009-2021, NIH funding has increased: in total (p = 0.0318), to neurosurgeons (p < 0.0001), to CV research projects (p < 0.0001), and to CV surgeons (p = 0.0018). There has been an increase in the total number of CV surgeons (p < 0.0001), NIH-funded CV surgeons (p = 0.0034), and the percent of CV surgeons with NIH funding (p = 0.370). Additionally, active NIH grant dollars per CV surgeon (p = 0.0047) and number of NIH grants per CV surgeon (p = 0.0078) has increased. However, the percent of neurosurgeon-awarded NIH grants awarded specifically to CV surgeons has trended down over the past decade (p=0.3664). Analysis of early-career research grants showed a decline in the proportion of K12 applicants (p = 0.1840). CONCLUSIONS: Our data show that there are more CV surgeons than ever, and there has been a proportional increase in number of NIH-funded CV surgeons. However, there are fewer early-career neurosurgeons pursuing CV-focused projects, and the proportion of neurosurgeon-awarded NIH grants given to CV surgeons has trended down. These findings suggest a declining trend in CV surgeons pursuing research careers.

Evaluasi Program Rumah Sejahtera di Kabupaten Hulu Sungai Selatan

Implementation of the Prosperous Home Program (PRS) as an implementation of the welfare state concept in alleviating poverty and creating a livable area is the government's effort to realize the nation's prosperity. In this study, the researcher aims to comprehensively analyze and describe how the distribution of the Prosperous Home Program (PRS) grant assistance to poor communities in Hulu Sungai Selatan Regency is implemented. This research uses the method qualitative to comprehensively examine the results of the achievement of the Prosperous Home Program (PRS) without using statistics in the analysis procedure. The data collection process carried out was direct observation, structured interviews and documentation. The results of the research show that the target that the Regional Government wanted to achieve through the Hulu Sungai Selatan Regency Social Service in 2014 has been realized, by repairing around 6,077 units of uninhabitable houses by 2023. Apart from achieving the target, in its implementation there are several obstacles such as failure to provide craftsmen who have an impact on the home repair process and can influence the reporting process for the implementation of the Prosperous Home Program which results in delays in the home repair process.