Practitioner Research Award

The Morgan CARES Practitioner Research Award is a small seed funding initiative intended to support interdisciplinary collaborative teams, working together on health-related projects and initiatives.  The goal of this small award is to promote and strengthen collaboration between practitioners from different disciplines, to ultimately generate knowledge to improve service provision in various community-centered settings.  It is the hope that the connections formed during this seed award provide a strong foundation that supports the emergence of responsive, practice-based public health initiatives that promote health in communities across Baltimore City.  

New partnerships may engage in capacity building activities and trainings hosted by Morgan CARES. Those potential collaborators can participate in those activities for as long as they wish, to forge a strong interdisciplinary partnership before developing and submitting an application.  Interdisciplinary partner teams who have existing collaborations may also apply.

Practitioner Research Award Application

If you are interested in learning more, discussing potential project ideas, or would like to request assistance forming a collaborative team, schedule a consultation session HERE.

Application Process

All applicant teams must have at least one team member from Morgan State University (a faculty member or doctoral-level student). Additionally, applicant teams must include representation from at least two different disciplines in order to be eligible. 

Morgan CARES is able to support two Practitioner Research Award projects (up to $2,500 each) per fiscal year, and applications are accepted on a rolling basis.  Applications are reviewed each quarter and meritorious projects are selected for funding. Applications will continue to be accepted while funds remain available.

Eligible applications must…

• Be submitted by an interdisciplinary team. Each team must have at least one representative (a Faculty Member or Doctoral-level student) from Morgan State University.  Each team must also include representatives from at least two practice-focused disciplines. Disciplines may include social work, nursing, mental health professionals, nutrition, medical practitioners, and many more. 
• Have a project timeline of 1 year or less
• Propose a collaborative health initiative that involves evaluation or quality improvement for service provision, or seeks to better understand or solve practice-related problems or priorities. 
• Result in improvements in health practice, programming or policy that directly impacts a focal community or patient group within Baltimore City 
• Demonstrate a clear alignment of strategies, approaches, and experiences from multiple health-related and practice-oriented disciplines 
• Demonstrate a commitment to utilizing the data and other products from this small award to disseminate the results, and grow and expand the project and partnership
• Include a budget that is not more than $2,500, utilizing the provided template

Review Dates
Partnerships can submit applications any time using this form. Applications will be reviewed on a quarterly basis (beginning January 2026) on the following dates:

• January 15th
• April 15th
• July 15th
• October 15th

Applications will be reviewed first by the Morgan CARES administrative team, then by at least one external reviewer. Final funding recommendations will then be made by the Morgan CARES Steering Committee. Applicants will be notified in writing of the outcome of their application.

Expectations of Funded Partnerships

Once projects have been selected for funding, it is expected that project team members participate in the following activities:

• Program Orientation:  It is expected that all project partners will be present in this orientation session, as pertinent programmatic details will be provided. 
• Training Participation: As a means to support partnership development, and project success, our team will offer regular trainings and workshops to  funded project teams. It is expected that all project partners attend at least two training sessions during the course of their Practitioner Research Award. 
• Data Collection: In an effort to evaluate the Practitioner Research Award program, and track the progress of the projects we fund, we kindly ask that all project teams complete the following: 

1. Pre-Assessment: This is a quick form, to be completed individually, that assesses each partner’s experience, individual knowledge, and skills related to community-based participatory research before engaging in the Practitioner Research Award program.
2. Post-Assessment: This form is a quick follow up to the Pre-Assessment, which aims at measuring the experience, knowledge, and skills gained by partners who participated in the Practitioner Research Award program. 
3. Mid and Final Project Reports:  We ask that partnerships collaboratively submit a Mid-Project Report halfway through the project, and a Final Report at the conclusion of the project. These reports are collected via an online form that will be sent directly to awarded Practitioner Research Award teams. 

• Dissemination and Participation at Morgan CARES Annual Symposium: It is the expectation that each funded project will prepare a presentation capturing the work of the partnership.  This presentation will be incorporated into the annual Symposium, where the work is showcased and disseminated to the broader network and local community. All Community Award partners are expected to contribute to the presentation and attend the event.
• Consultation (optional): Morgan CARES team is available for consultation throughout the duration of the project.