Frequently Asked Questions

All of Us Research Program Engagement Partners (OT2)

Eligibility

  1. My type of organization is not included on the eligible applicant list. Can I still apply?
    A: No. Only organizations that are on the eligible applicant list will be considered for this funding opportunity. However, please do note that some of the categories are quite broad. It is possible that while your specific organization type is not listed, you are eligible under a broader category that is listed.
  2. My organization has never received NIH funding. Should we still apply?
    A: Yes. Eligibility criteria are outlined in the Funding Opportunity. Having received NIH funding in the past is not a requirement. We welcome new applicants.
  3. Can an individual be the lead applicant for an application? Is the answer different if I plan to partner with an organization that is on the eligible applicants list?
    A: For this funding opportunity, only organizations are eligible to apply. Individuals are not eligible to apply. You are welcome to partner with other organizations; however, only organizations that meet the eligibility requirements may apply.
  4. My for-profit organization is interested in applying. Are we eligible? Is the answer different if we plan to partner with an organization that is on the eligible applicants list?
    A: We can accept applications only from eligible organizations, as outlined on the eligible applicant list. All organizations that are involved in an application must meet the eligibility requirements.
  5. I am affiliated with a health care provider organization (HPO) that is one of your awardees. However, my department or office is not part of the HPO's All of Us team. Are we eligible for funding?
    A: No, not under this funding opportunity. The goal of this funding opportunity is to complement efforts already in place and expand our reach to communities beyond those already covered by existing awardees, so components that are affiliated with our current awardees and sub-awardees aren’t eligible at this time.
  6. I am an employee with an HPO that is an All of Us awardee. I am also affiliated with (i.e. volunteer board member, part time staff, etc.) another organization that is interested in applying for funding. Are we eligible for funding?
    A: Awards are made to organizations, rather than individuals. As long as the applicant organization is not a recognized awardee or sub-awardee with All of Us, they can apply, and you can be part of the application.

  7. I see that current awardees are not eligible to apply for this funding opportunity. If my organization applies and is awarded under this funding opportunity, will we become ineligible for future All of Us funding opportunities?
    A: Not necessarily. Each funding opportunity has its own eligibility requirements. In this specific case, the NIH is interested in expanding our outreach in communities beyond the ones already covered by existing awardees, which is why we’ve structured the eligibility as we did. Future funding opportunities may have different goals and different eligibility requirements.

Application Process

  1. Is there a limit to the number of applications you will accept from a single institution? In other words, should we coordinate an internal selection process to ensure that only one application goes forward?
    A: There is no limit to the number of applications that we will accept from a single institution. However, please note that we anticipate only funding approximately 3-4 awards in the spring of 2017 (with additional awards over the course of FY17) as you consider how many applications to submit. We encourage applicants to partner with other eligible offices or groups as needed to best engage the community of interest.
  2. In the funding opportunity it states the total project period will be approximately three years. Does that mean the award needs to cover that entire three-year period? Or will I be awarded the amount each year for three years?
    A: Your application should indicate the amount of funds needed for a three-year period. The amount of funds requested should be compatible to the scope of work to be achieved. Your plan should also include quarterly milestones for each year of the three-year period. 
  3. Are we allowed to have multiple PIs on our application? I know that one organization must be the lead applicant but can more than one PI be named if multiple organizations are submitting as a consortium?
    A: Yes, multiple PIs are allowed.

  4. Are there font and/or spacing parameters for the application?
    A: We do not have set font or spacing requirements for applications. However, we encourage you to select fonts and spacing settings that will make the application easily readable for the reviewers since we cannot review applications that we are unable to read. This usually means using no smaller than 10-point font and no less than ½-inch margins.

  5. Do we need to include a communications plan in our application?
    A: No, we do not require a communications plan as part of your application for this funding opportunity. However, you are welcome to describe your communications plans in the proposal, especially if they are integral to your engagement activities. Funded engagement partners will be asked to have an initial communications plan approved by the All of Us Research Program by the end of the first quarter of their award.

  6. Could you please clarify the submission deadline for my time zone?
    A: Applications must be submitted on Friday, March 24th by 5:00 PM in your local time zone. For example, if you are based on the east coast, your deadline will be March 24th at 5:00 PM EDT. If your organization is located on the west coast, your deadline will be March 24th at 5:00 PM PDT or 8:00 PM EDT.

  7. Do we need to include any NIH or OMB budget forms in our submission?
    A: No NIH or OMB budget forms are required.  A description of how the requested funds will be expended is sufficient for the application submission. The justification for the funds requested should be specific enough such that the reviewers can understand the need for the funds in relation to the activity to be conducted.

  8. Do you have published metrics that we should use in our proposal?
    A: No, we do not have published metrics. We are asking your group to propose appropriate metrics based on your engagement plan and expected activities. The metrics could be measurable commitments by your specified milestones, such as: to train x trainers, to educate x community members, to facilitate the enrollment of x community members, to plan x community events, to generate x website visits, to educate x nurses, etc. by __ date.

  9. Do we need both the DUNS and SAM numbers to apply?
    A: At the time of application, neither DUNS nor SAM registration is required. However, any applicant that is being considered for funding will be required to have completed both DUNS and SAM registration by April 15. The registrations have to be completed sequentially with the DUNS number being obtained first. This process can take several weeks.               

Use of Funds

  1. Can funds be used for food at awareness events?
    A: Meals cannot be funded. Other food expenses (ex. snacks, refreshments, etc.) at awareness events may be considered on a case-by-case basis and must be well justified.
  2. Can funds be used for health screenings at awareness events?
    A: No.
  3. Can funds be used to hire staff?
    A: Yes. However, the applicant organization should understand the OT award program and know that NIH will not be responsible for continued support of hired staff once the award period is completed.
  4. Can funds be used to purchase equipment (ex. tablets for facilitating enrollment, etc.)?
    A: If well justified and necessary for the scope of the project to be completed, equipment may be purchased.

  5. Can funds be used to purchase small promotional items (ex. pencils, wristbands, etc.)?
    A: Small promotional items are generally not allowed. Any funding proposals for these items would need to be significantly justified to be considered.

  6. Can funds be used to cover the cost of shuttles to transport participants to their biospecimen and physical measurements appointment?
    A: Yes, if well justified and necessary for the scope of the project to be completed.

  7. Can funds be used to compensate community members who we train to serve as enrollment facilitators?
    A: Yes, you can compensate enrollment facilitators.  Please include staffing costs in your budget proposal.  Please also make sure that your organization understands the OT award program and knows that NIH will not be responsible for continued support of hired staff once the award period is completed.

  8. Can funds be used to for registration and travel costs for participation in conferences?
    A: Yes, if well justified and necessary for the scope of the project to be completed.

  9. Should our organization budget for travel to All of Us Research Program meetings?
    A: Yes, you should include costs for staff to travel to participate in program meetings. Currently, we anticipate 3 consortium-wide meetings in Bethesda, MD each year. Your organization may also be invited to participate in additional All of Us meetings on relevant topics.

  10. Can you define “direct costs” in the context of this Funding Opportunity?
    A: Direct costs are costs that can be identified specifically with a particular project activity such as personnel costs, supplies, travel, other, etc.  Direct costs would generally not include costs that are incurred for common or joint objectives.

  11. Are indirect costs allowable in our budget request?
    A: Yes. Applicants may use their established federal indirect rate agreement. The Funding Opportunity focuses on the direct costs submissions AND allows for those with an established indirect rate to request those funds. If your organization does not have an established indirect rate, then they may propose one for review and consideration.

  12. What is the reimbursement schedule for this funding opportunity?
    A: The award mechanism used is “other transactions” so the reimbursement process is not based on a fixed schedule like a contract.  Once a Notice of Award is issued, award recipients will be able to draw down the funds needed after activity completion.

  13. Can we submit an application with a budget proposal that is outside of the ranges listed in the “Funds Available” section?
    A: The funding ranges provided in the “Funds Available” section are suggested funding levels for each category of activity. You should include a budget proposal that will be appropriate for the proposed scope of the work. All applications will be evaluated based on the relationship between the funds requested and activity to be conducted.

  14. I understand that participants who complete the baseline physical measurement and supply biospecimens will be provided a one-time payment of $25 to help defray the cost of their participation. Do we need to include this payment in our budget proposal?
    A: No. The affiliated health care provider organization or direct volunteer clinic or laboratory will provide the $25 payment to participants who complete the baseline physical measurements and supply biospecimens.

Engagement Activities and Materials

  1. Can an applicant propose an engagement activity that is not listed in the Funding Opportunity?
    A: Yes. The activities listed in the Funding Opportunity are intended to provide examples of the types of activities that an applicant can propose. Applicants are encouraged to propose approaches and activities that will be most helpful in motivating their communities and/or members.
  2. Will organizations be able to create their own educational and recruitment materials?
    A: The All of Us Research Program is developing communications and engagement materials (including fact sheets, brochures, videos, infographics, etc.), which will be available to our partner organizations to support their engagement and recruitment efforts. If you wish to create additional materials, they must be reviewed and approved by the All of Us communications team at NIH and potentially also by the Program’s Institutional Review Board (IRB) to ensure consistency and accuracy in messaging. All awardee communication products must follow the Program’s branding and co-branding guidelines.
  3. Will All of Us provide print materials? If so, will there be a cost to the organization?
    A: All of Us is developing communication and engagement materials (including fact sheets, brochures, videos, infographics, etc.), and we will share the digital design files for these products with our awardees, but we will not be providing print copies. Printing expenses will be incurred by the awardee and should be included in the funding proposal.
  4. Can an organization’s logo be added?
    A: Organizations may add their logos to communications and engagement materials as long as they follow the Program’s co-branding guidelines.

  5. Is it okay to create materials in languages other than English and Spanish?
    A: Materials for the program are created centrally as part of our “asset portal.”  As we adopt other languages, we will be looking for awardees to help evaluate our translated materials, as we proceed through our rigorous testing process for all generated materials.

  6. Do all of the proposed engagement activities need to be focused around All of Us or can some of the engagement be about the broader ideas around the initiative, i.e. precision medicine in general?
    A: In your application, you are certainly welcome to propose engagement activities that are focused around education about precision medicine in general, rather than All of Us specifically. We recognize that more education about precision medicine and research in general will be helpful in raising awareness and understanding about All of Us. That said, our ultimate goal with this funding opportunity is to motivate and engage potential participants in the All of Us Research Program, so we would be interested in understanding how your proposed activities tie into this objective.

  7. The funding opportunity states that education activities should commence no later than the second quarter of effort.  Does this mean that our organization must start the planning for education activities by then or that we must diseeminate educational materials and information by then
    A: We are asking organizations to commence the dissemination of educational materials and activities no later than the second quarter (months 4-6) of their effort.  The planning effort should start earlier to accommodate this timeline.

  8. Due to the nature of the education activities that our organization would like to propose, we do not think it will be possible for us to commence those activities by the second quarter of effort. Is there any flexibility in this requirement?
    A: We will be open to considering a different timeline if you can clearly justify in your application why the extended timeline is necessary and would improve the quality of your engagement activities.

Program Details

  1. Is the program described more fully somewhere, so I can read up on it?
    A: You can find additional information about the All of Us Research Program here.

  2. When will the program launch?
    A: The program will launch in stages, beginning with a beta phase and then a larger rollout later in 2017. Before we begin enrollment, we want to make certain that all systems are successfully up and running with the highest levels of data security, and our processes are well in place to ensure a good experience for participants. Following launch, we will make continuous improvements and updates to the program based on participant feedback and emerging scientific opportunities and technological advances.

  3. Will organizations need to collect or report any information related to citizenship or residency status?
    A: No. All of Us is not planning to ask participants any questions about their citizenship or residency status.

  4. Can individuals living in Puerto Rico enroll in this program?
    A: Yes. All of Us is open to anyone who resides in the United States or a territory of the United States and meets our other eligibility criteria.

  5. Is there an All of Us app?
    A: Yes. It will be free and is available for both iOS and Android phones.

  6. Can you share a list of your Health Care Provider Organization and Direct Volunteer enrollment clinic locations?          
    A: You can view a list of our health care provider organization partners on our website. We currently do not have a list of Direct Volunteer enrollment clinic or laboratory sites. While DV sites may be more limited in the initial phases of the program, our goal over time is to make this program accessible to all interested participants across the U.S.

Programmatic Priorities and Evaluation Metrics

  1. I noticed that there are certain priority geographic regions and my state/region is not listed. Should I assume that our organization will not be selected based on that list?
    A: All applications will be evaluated on a variety of metrics and the geographic region served is only one of them. We will also be considering other metrics such as reach into communities that are historically underrepresented in biomedical research, past performance, and engagement approach. That said, the goal of this funding opportunity is to find additional partners to complement our current efforts by helping us expand our outreach in communities beyond the ones already covered by existing awardees, and this is reflected in the programmatic priorities we listed.
  2. How many individuals should we seek to reach with our engagement activities?
    A: All applications will be evaluated on a variety of metrics and the number of individuals reached is only one of them, so we do not have specific numerical targets to recommend. The community or geographic region being reached, engagement approach, past performance, and other factors will also be carefully evaluated.
    It should also be noted that applications in one category (i.e. community engagement local scale, community engagement regional/national scale, health care professional engagement regional/national scale) will be considered in comparison to other applications in the same category.
    Applicants should be thoughtful in estimating their potential reach, based on organizational capacity and engagement strategy. NIH will assess awardee progress throughout the project period, and continued funding will require that awardees meet their milestones.
  3. How were the geographic areas in priority 1 chosen?
    A: For direct volunteers (those not served by participating health care provider organizations), we will focus enrollment efforts in this initial set of cities and states, comprising a diverse set of communities across the country.

  4. Could you provide clarification on the types of organizations that you are hoping to target with this funding opportunity?
    A: The All of Us Research Program is a bold research effort that seeks to set the foundation for new ways of engaging people in research. In order to accomplish this goal, NIH must engage new partners including organizations that are not typical NIH-awardees.

    Programmatic priority will be given to organizations who can increase the diversity of the geographic regions represented and expand into communities that have been historically underrepresented in biomedical research.  All eligible organizations that can fulfill these programmatic needs are encouraged to apply.  Prior NIH award experience is not required.

  5. Sacramento, CA is listed as one of the priority 1 target cities. Is the intent to focus on the city municipality itself or to encompass the entire metro area (i.e. City of Sacramento vs. 6-county Sacramento region)?
    A: We will be focusing on the entire Sacramento metro area.

  6. Does the term “health care professionals” refer only to licensed professionals or does it include all staff, such as medical assistants, community health workers, front-line staff, etc.? Could we include a proposal for engagement and education of these additional types of staff in our application?
    A: We use the term “health care professionals” very broadly. We seek to engage and educate all health care staff who might interact with potential participants. If you believe medical assistants, community health workers, front-line staff, or others will be engaged in spreading the word and answering questions about All of Us in your community, then efforts to engage and educate these staff could be within the scope of an application.

  7. We are interested in proposing both community engagement and health care professional engagement activities. Can we submit an application with a hybrid engagement approach?
    A: You are welcome to propose a hybrid approach that would engage both community members and health care professionals. If the engagement activities for providers and for the community are separate programs, we may recommend submitting two separate applications, one for each engagement target population. This is because we would be interested in comparing apples to apples when we are evaluating applications, so it would be easier for our reviewers if they could easily evaluate your approach to engaging health care professionals against that of other organizations that are also seeking to engage health care professionals. However, if you feel it wouldn’t serve your engagement approach well to separate the activities, you can submit one joint application.

Review Process

  1. To address the unique nature of the organizations who will apply (community-based organizations, typically underserved populations), will the application review include experts other than those who typically review NIH applications?
    A: Yes. The review group convened by NIH will include federal and outside (non-federal) reviewers with experience and expertise in community engagement of diverse populations.
  2. If my organization applies and does not get funded in this round of awards will we need to reapply in the future?
    A: There is only one application receipt date for this funding announcement. NIH intends to fund 3-4 awards in the spring of 2017 and additional awards over the course of fiscal year 2017. If you do not receive an award in the spring of 2017, you may still be under consideration for an award later in the fiscal year.
  3. If we apply and are not selected for an award, will we get a debrief on the reasons why? Can we reapply?
    A: We are not planning to provide feedback about why an application was not selected for an award. We have only one submission deadline for this award, though you are welcome to apply for future funding opportunities as long as your organization meets the eligibility criteria for those opportunities.
  4. When will the next round of awards be since only 3 are being given in this first cycle?
    A: NIH intends to fund 3-4 awards in the spring of 2017 and additional awards on a rolling basis over the course of FY17.

Other Questions

  1. Can I speak with someone about my idea or to get additional information about All of Us?
    A: You may want to view our webinar, which provides an overview about the All of Us Research Program and this funding opportunity. If you have additional questions, please email us at PMICPFOAInquiries@mail.nih.gov. Please note, we cannot give advice or feedback about your specific idea or proposal.

  2. Is this the only opportunity to apply for funding? Will there be future funding cycles in fall of 2017 or 2018?
    A: Currently, this is the only open funding opportunity for community engagement activities through the All of Us Research Program.  We may have additional funding opportunities in the future subject to funds availability and Program priorities. If you haven’t already done so, please consider signing up for updates on our website, so you can receive an email alert if additional funding opportunities are announced.

This page last reviewed on March 24, 2017