Strategies for collaborating and building partnerships with community groups. Delivered as a part of Research Week 2014.

1. Connecting
with the
Community

2. • What is community-university research?
• Why is this important to me (researcher)?
• What works when doing CBR?
• How do I connect with the community?
• How do I fund CBR?
Agenda

3. What is community engaged research?
• Community situated
• Participatory
• Action oriented
Goal: Research outcomes that address needs
identified by the community
Background

4. • Community situated - begins with a research topic of
practical relevance to the community (as opposed to
individual scholars) and is carried out in community
settings.
• Participatory - community members and researchers
equitably share control of the research agenda through
active and reciprocal involvement in the research design,
implementation and dissemination.
• Action-oriented - the process and results are useful to
community members in making positive social change and
to promote social equity.
Background

5. Knowledge production
Knowledge mobilization
Community mobilization

6. Why community engaged scholarship?
• Supporting the local community
• Academic research that is more reflective of
NGO budgetary concerns
• Supporting your program of research
• Peer-reviewed quality research using new data
sources and adaptable models
• Connecting with Tri-Council principles
• SSHRC is looking for fruitful engagement with
its partners in the academic, public, private
and not-for-profit sectors.
Why?

7. • Academic Excellence means the strict adherence to a
series of research rules that maintain standards of quality
• Community Relevance means the ability of research to
take on problems that require a solution
Why us?

8.  Reflective Action (e.g. Lewin): Ongoing cycles of planning,
acting, & reflecting to imagine and pursue a new future
together that is not pre-determined by past
 Social Justice (e.g. Friere): Linking research and
education, and conscientization in an emancipatory
framework that advocates for equitable access
 Legitimizing community expertise (e.g. Indigenous self-
determination: People most affected by an issue gain
voice and choice that is expressed in their own terms,
motivating them to act
Approaches

9. Community-based Research

10. • Responsive & open communication
• Evaluation committee approach
• Simplified, evaluative research
• Punctual delivery of outputs & products
• Availability for meetings, presentations, etc.
• Multiple final products (reports, summaries,
pamphlets, etc.)
What is expected

11. • Varying levels of
engagement
• Distracted points of
contact
• Frequent
staffing/admin/exec
turnover
• Communications
challenges
• Apathy from organization
(sometimes)
• Top-down support for
recruitment
What to expect
• Top-down support for
recruitment
• Access to
neutral/comfortable
research spaces
• Access to internal/private
documents & data
• Enthusiasm from
organization
(Sometimes)
• On-site support for data
collection/review, etc.

12. • Simple research methods: Surveys, Focus
Groups, Interviews, and Lit review
• Simple data analysis: Descriptives and
correlations (p>.05)
• Subcommittees: Avoid cat wrangling
• Paper-trails: Document processes for
repeatability, continuity
• Ethics: On your end; bolsters the validity of
the research in the partner’s eyes
• Plain language: Summaries should be made
that are digestible by all audiences
What works

13. How to engage communities
• Informal partnership – Leveraging existing relationships with
community leaders. I.E. Best friend’s uncle’s dogwalker’s
sister.
• Outreach – Making on-the-ground connections with community
groups and leaders through dissemination activities. I.E. Open
seminars, community meet-and-greets, newsletter
contributions.
• Engaging – Actively joining and/or contributing to community
groups. I.E. Joining executive boards, volunteering,
participating in meetings.
• Brokering – Making connections with the assistance of a third
party. I.E. Knowledge mobilization officer, existing centres
(CCRLA, SIRG, MCHL), public tendering systems.
How to connect

17. • Partnership Development Grant
• To foster new research and/or related activities with new or
existing partners; and to design and test new partnership
approaches for research and/or related activities.
• $75,000 to $200,000 over one to three years
• Partnership Grant
• Support for new or existing formal partnerships for
initiatives that advance research, research training and/or
knowledge mobilization in the social sciences and
humanities.
• $500,000 to $2.5 million over four to seven years.
SSHRC Partnership Grants

18. • Partnership Development Grant
• November 2014
• Partnership Grant
Stage 1: Letter of Intent Up to $20,000
• February 2015
Stage 2: Formal Application (by invitation)
Deadlines

19. Matching Funds
Partnership Development Grant:
• Applicants must have matching
funds (cash and/or in-kind)
• No minimum
Partnership Grant:
• 35% matching funds from
sources other than SSHRC

20. Adjudication
Partnership Development Grant
• Challenge: 50%
• Feasibility: 20%
• Capability: 30%
Partnership Grant
• Challenge: 40%
• Feasibility: 30%
• Capability: 30%

21. • Supports:
• short-term targeted knowledge
mobilization activities (most often
conferences and workshops)
• outreach activities such as artistic
activities, development of interactive
technologies, media events,
adaptations, software etc…
• emphasis is on connecting Post-
secondary research and the community
SSHRC Connection Grant

22. • There are four adjudications per year
• December, March, June, September
Deadlines

23. Eligibility
• There are Individual and Institutional versions of the
Connection grant
• Researchers should submit the Individual version
(even if the event involves a large team)
• The focus should be on mobilizing Canadian research,
especially if the event is outside Canada
• Applicant must have a primary affiliation with a
Canadian PSE
• Grant funds must be administered by a Canadian PSE
• Co-applicants and collaborators do not need to be
Canadian nor affiliated with a PS institution

24. Value
• Connection grants range from $7,000 to $25,000 for
an event and up to $50,000 for an outreach activity

25. Matching Funds
• Applicants must have 50%
matching funds (cash and/or in-
kind, excluding registration fees for
event)
• For example, if you are requesting
$15,000 from SSHRC, you must
have $7,500 from elsewhere
• The matching funds cannot be
from another SSHRC grant
(although you may use SSHRC
funds for the event provided there
is no duplication of support)

26. Matching Funds cont…
• Applicants should approach their departments and
faculties for financial assistance
• Applicants may have funds from another grant (other
than SSHRC)
• Some examples of relevant in-kind contributions
include:
• Conference space
• Administrative support
• Technical support
• Communications and Knowledge Mobilization support

27. Adjudication
• Challenge: 40%
• Feasibility: 30%
• Capability: 30%