Foa_Content_of_RFA-CE-24-030.pdf

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

NATIONAL CENTER FOR INJURY PREVENTION AND CONTROL

Research Grants for Preventing Violence and Violence Related Injury (R01)

RFA-CE-24-030

12/01/2023

Table of Contents Section I. Funding Opportunity Description

Section II. Award Information

Section III. Eligibility Information

Section IV. Application and Submission Information

Section V. Application Review Information

Section VI. Award Administration Information

Section VII. Agency Contacts

Section VIII. Other Information

Overview

Participating Organization(s)

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Components of Participating Organizations

Components of Participating Organizations:

National Center for Injury Prevention and Control Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) Title

Research Grants for Preventing Violence and Violence Related Injury (R01) Activity Code

Applications in response to this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) will be funded using the R01 activity code for a research grant.

Notice of Funding Opportunity Type

Reissue of RFA-CE-23-004 Agency Notice of Funding Opportunity Number

RFA-CE-24-030

Assistance Listings Number(s)

93.136 Category of Funding Activity

HL - Health NOFO Purpose

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC) is soliciting investigator-initiated research that will help expand and advance understanding of approaches to prevent community violence and eliminate racial and ethnic inequities in risk for community violence. This initiative is intended to support effectiveness research to evaluate innovative programs, practices, or policies to address risk for violence and inequities in risk for violence among groups experiencing a high burden of community violence.

Innovative approaches are those that have not been rigorously evaluated for effectiveness in reducing community violence. Consistent with CDC’s commitment to achieving health equity, investigation of inequities in exposure to and uptake of the selected approaches, and/or stratified analyses examining the differential impacts of the approach across populations disproportionately impacted by violence is a priority. Funds are available to conduct studies focused on preventing all forms of community violence involving youth or young adults (ages 10-34 years), including assaults, homicides, violence between groups, and threats/use of weapons.

The primary objectives we wish to achieve with this initiative are:

Objective One: Effectiveness research to evaluate innovative approaches with the potential for immediate or near immediate benefits (i.e., within 6 months) for reducing community violence and racial/ethnic inequities in risk for community violence.

Objective Two: Effectiveness research to evaluate innovative place-based prevention approaches for reducing community violence and racial/ethnic inequities in risk for community violence.

Objective Three: Effectiveness research to evaluate approaches that improve the social or structural conditions that contribute to community violence and racial/ethnic inequities in risk for community violence.

Applicants are asked to clearly indicate in the application’s Abstract which objective, or combination of objectives, the research proposal intends to address.

Key Dates

Publication Date:

To receive notification of any changes to RFA-CE-24-030, return to the synopsis page of this announcement at www.grants.gov and click on the "Send Me Change Notification Emails" link.

An email address is needed for this service.

Letter of Intent Due Date:

The LOI date will generate once the Synopsis is published if Days or a Date are entered.

Although a letter of intent is not required, is not binding, and does not enter into the review of an application, the information that it contains assists NCIPC staff with planning for scientific and technical merit peer review.

Application Due Date:

12/01/2023 12/01/2023 https://www.grants.gov/

On-time submission requires that electronic applications be error-free and made available to CDC for processing from the NIH eRA system on or before the deadline date. Applications must be submitted to and validated successfully by Grants.gov no later than 11:59 PM U.S. Eastern Time.

Applicants will use a system or platform to submit their applications through Grants.gov and eRA Commons to CDC. ASSIST, an institutional system to system (S2S) solution, or Grants.gov Workspace are options. ASSIST is a commonly used platform because it provides a validation of all requirements prior to submission and prevents errors.

For more information on accessing or using ASSIST, you can refer to the ASSIST Online Help Site at: https://era.nih.gov/erahelp/assist. Additional support is available from the NIH eRA Service desk via http://grants.nih.gov/support/index.html.

E-mail: commons@od.nih.gov Phone: 301-402-7469 or (toll-free) 1-866-504-9552 Hours: Monday - Friday, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern Time, excluding Federal holidays

Note: HHS/CDC grant submission procedures do not provide a grace period beyond the application due date time to correct any error or warning notices of noncompliance with application instructions that are identified by Grants.gov or eRA systems (i.e., error correction window).

Scientific Merit Review:

03/24/2024 This date is an estimate.

Secondary Review:

06/05/2024 This date is an estimate.

Estimated Start Date:

09/30/2024 09/30/2024

Expiration Date:

02/01/2024 Required Application Instructions

It is critical that applicants follow the instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide except where instructed to do otherwise in this NOFO. Conformance to all requirements (both in the Application Guide and the NOFO) is required and strictly enforced. Applicants must read and follow all application instructions in the Application Guide as well as any program-specific instructions noted in Section IV. When the program-specific instructions deviate from those in the Application Guide, follow the program-specific instructions.

Note:The Research Strategy component of the Research Plan is limited to 12 pages.

Page Limitations: Pages that exceed the page limits described in this NOFO will be removed and not forwarded for peer review, potentially affecting an application's score.

http://grants.nih.gov/support/index.html mailto:commons@od.nih.gov https://grants.nih.gov/grants/how-to-apply-application-guide.html

Applications that do not comply with these instructions may be delayed or may not be accepted for review.

Telecommunications for the Hearing Impaired: TTY 1-888-232-6348

Executive Summary

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and NCIPC are committed to achieving the health promotion and disease prevention objectives of "Healthy People 2030" and to measuring program performance as stipulated by the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA). The proposed program of research addresses the Healthy People 2030 priority area of injury and violence prevention and is in alignment with NCIPC's performance goal to conduct a program of research to prevent injuries and violence, and to reduce their consequences.

The intent of the NCIPC extramural violence prevention research program is to:

Build the scientific base for the prevention of violence by helping to expand and advance our understanding of innovative strategies for the prevention of violence.

Encourage professionals from a wide spectrum of disciplines including epidemiology, behavioral and social sciences, medicine, biostatistics, public health, economics, urban planners and others to conduct research that informs violence prevention efforts.

Purpose The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC) is soliciting investigator-initiated research that will help expand and advance understanding of approaches to prevent community violence and eliminate racial and ethnic inequities in risk for community violence. This initiative is intended to support effectiveness research to evaluate innovative programs, practices, or policies to address risk for violence and inequities in risk for violence among groups experiencing a high burden of community violence.

Innovative approaches are those that have not been rigorously evaluated for effectiveness in reducing community violence. Consistent with CDC’s commitment to achieving health equity, investigation of inequities in exposure to and uptake of the selected approaches, and/or stratified analyses examining the differential impacts of the approach across populations disproportionately impacted by violence is a priority. Funds are available to conduct studies focused on preventing all forms of community violence involving youth or young adults (ages potential for immediate or near immediate benefits (i.e., within 6 months) for reducing community violence and racial/ethnic inequities in risk for community violence.

Objective Two: Effectiveness research to evaluate innovative place-based prevention approaches for reducing community violence and racial/ethnic inequities in risk for community violence.

Objective Three: Effectiveness research to evaluate approaches that improve the social or structural conditions that contribute to community violence and racial/ethnic inequities in risk for community violence.

Applicants are asked to clearly indicate in the application’s Abstract which objective, or combination of objectives, the research proposal intends to address.

Mechanism of Support The funding mechanism for this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) will be a research grant (R-01).

Funds Available and Anticipated Number of Awards CDC/NCIPC intends to commit up to $3,200,000 in FY 2024 to fund up to eight (8) applications.

Awards issued under this NOFO are contingent upon availability of funds and a sufficient number of meritorious applications. Because the nature and scope of the proposed research will vary from application to application, it is also anticipated that the size and duration of each award may also vary. The total amount awarded and the number of awards will depend upon the number, quality, duration, and cost of the applications received.

Budget and Project Period The maximum award amount will be $400,000 per award for the first 12-month budget period.

This includes both direct and indirect costs. An applicant may request a project period of up to three years. The maximum total project funding amount is $1,200,000 (including both direct and indirect costs) over the expected project period length, with a maximum of $400,000 per award per year. The project period for this award is expected to run from 9/30/2024 to 9/29/2027.

Application Research Strategy Length Page limits for the Research Strategy are clearly specified in Section IV. Application and Submission Information of this announcement.

Eligible Institutions/Organizations Institutions/organizations listed in Section III. Eligibility Information 1. Eligible Applicants are eligible to apply.

Eligible Project Directors/Principal Investigators (PDs/PIs) CDC does not make awards to individuals directly. Individuals with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research are invited to work with their institution/organization to develop an application for support. Individuals from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, as well as individuals with disabilities, are always encouraged to apply.

Applications in which the contact Eligible PD/PI meets NIH Early Stage Investigator (ESI) status, as verified via the NIH Determination of Investigator Status process, and whose application has a meritorious peer review score, may be considered for prioritization during the second level of review (see Section V. Application Review Information 4. Review and Selection Process). For the contact PD/PI Determination of Investigator Status:

https://grants.nih.gov/policy/early-investigators/index.htm https://grants.nih.gov/policy/early-investigators/index.htm#dis

Prior to application submission, PD/Pis are encouraged to verify and/or enter the date of their terminal research degree or the end date of their post-graduate clinical training in their eRA Commons Profile to ensure the correct identification. NIH systems will automatically calculate the status of each investigator and display it within their eRA Commons personal profile. The ESI status of the PD/Pis on any R01 or R01 equivalent application will be flagged at time of submission. Investigators should make sure their status is correctly marked in their profile. If your status is incorrect, please contact the NIH eRA Service Desk.

Number of PDs/PIs An application may name more than one PD/PI; their names must appear on the face page of the application. However:

One (1) principal investigator must be designated as the contact PD/PI for all correspondence related to the application.

All PD/PIs must include their eRA Commons Identification in the Credential Field of the Senior/Key Person Profile Component of the SF-424 (R&R) Application Package.

Institutions/organizations proposing multiple PDs/PIs must visit the Multiple Program Director/Principal Investigator Policy and submission details in the Senior/Key Person Profile (Expanded) Component of the SF-424 (R&R) Application Guide.

Number of Applications Eligible applicant organizations may submit more than one application to this NOFO, provided that each application is scientifically distinct. However, applicant institutions can submit only one application with the same contact PD/PI. Only one application per contact PD/PI will be funded under this announcement. If two or more applications from the same contact PD/PI are received for this NOFO, the only application that will be submitted for review will be the last application received based on the document’s time and date stamp in Grants.gov (https://www.grants.gov). The applicant must ensure that duplicate applications are withdrawn prior to the application review date.

Additionally, applicant institutions submitting applications with essentially the same proposed research to two or more CDC/ATSDR NOFOs will not be funded under more than one NOFO.

Applicant institutions submitting multiple applications with essentially the same proposed research to this announcement will not be funded more than once.

Application Type

NEW

Special Date(s) A pre-application teleconference call will be conducted on Friday, October 13, 2023 to address questions from prospective applicants regarding NOFO RFA-CE-24-030. The call will begin at 2pm Eastern Standard Time (EST) and end at 3pm Eastern Standard Time (EST), or sooner if all questions are addressed. Questions and answers from the discussion will be included in an amended NOFO approximately 3 weeks after the call.

https://grants.nih.gov/support/index.html https://www.grants.gov

Participant Access Information:

Call Date: Friday, October 13, 2023 Call Start Time: 2pm Eastern Standard Time (EST) Call End Time: 3pm Eastern Standard Time (EST) Call Leader: Celeste Sanders, PhD, Scientific Program Official Toll-Free Number: 1-866-600-6035 Use Passcode 23198543# when prompted

Application Materials See Section IV.1 for application materials.

Hearing Impaired Telecommunications for the hearing impaired are available at: TTY: 1-888-232-6348.

Section I. Funding Opportunity Description

Statutory Authority Section 301 (a) [42 U.S.C. 241(a)] of the Public Health Service Act, and Section 391 (a) [42 U.S.C. 280 b (a)] of the Public Health Service Act, as amended.

1. Background and Purpose

Community violence is a critical public health issue that has significant short- and long-term negative impacts on individuals of all ages, families, and communities. Community violence happens between unrelated individuals, who may or may not know each other, generally outside the home. Examples include assaults or fights among groups and shootings in public places, such as schools and on the streets.

Multiple data sources suggest that community violence increased in recent years. The U.S.

experienced substantial increases in the overall homicide rate (30%) and the firearm homicide rate (35%) between 2019 and 2020.1 The firearm homicide rate increased another 8% in 2021.2 Crime data from the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report also indicated that there was a 12% increase in aggravated assault offenses in 2020.3 These data raise significant concerns about high levels of community violence and the critical need for public health strategies to prevent community violence.

The Impact of violence extends beyond deaths and many more people suffer nonfatal injuries due to violence. More than 1.4 million people were treated in emergency departments for assault-related injuries in 2020.4 People hospitalized with violence-related injuries often experience long-term consequences, including physical disabilities and mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic-stress disorder (PTSD).5-8 Experiencing violence is also associated with increased risk of substance use and developing chronic diseases (such as diabetes and heart disease).9,10 Living in a community experiencing violence may prevent people from engaging in healthy behaviors, such as walking, using parks and recreational spaces, and accessing healthy food outlets.11,12 Homicides and nonfatal physical assault-related injuries in

2020 were estimated to result in more than $28 billion in combined medical and lost work costs alone;4 and can limit community and business growth and prosperity; strain education, justice, and medical systems; and slow community progress impacting access to life opportunities for members of the community, including educational attainment and employment.

America’s youth are especially vulnerable to violence and are disproportionately impacted by violence in their communities. Violence is a leading cause of death and nonfatal injuries among adolescents and young adults – over half of U.S. homicides in 2020 occurred among those 15 to 34 years old.4 In 2021, 18% of youth attending high school in the U.S. reported being involved in a physical fight in the past 12 months, and 4% reported carrying a weapon on school property in the past 30 days.13 Youth can be victims, perpetrators, and/or witnesses of violence. People exposed to violence during childhood or youth, as well as other adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), are at increased risk of having short-term and chronic physical and mental health conditions, substance use disorders, behavioral difficulties, and social consequences.9,10 It is important for violence prevention approaches to start early in childhood and to continue across development into young adulthood.

Violence is causing substantial harm across the country; however, racial/ethnic minority groups and communities are disproportionately affected. There are substantial racial and ethnic inequities in rates of community violence, including homicides. For example, in 2021 among those aged 10-34, homicide rates are substantially higher among Black (55.8/100,000), and Hispanic (10.6/100,000) people compared with rates among non-Hispanic White (5.7/100,000) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.3/100,000) people.14 Structural racism, including differential access to goods, services, and opportunities by race, that is reinforced through policies and institutional practices, is related to inequities in risk for community violence.15-16 Racial discrimination has a negative impact on mental and physical health,17 and can influence social determinants of health, or the conditions where people live, work, and play.18,19 Inequities in access to quality and affordable housing, education, healthcare services, and economic opportunity put some communities at greater risk of experiencing poor health and violence.20 The COVID-19 pandemic might have worsened the effects of these and other existing social and economic stressors, particularly among racial/ethnic minority communities.

Purpose:

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC) is soliciting investigator-initiated research that will help expand and advance understanding of approaches to prevent community violence and eliminate racial and ethnic inequities in risk for community violence. This initiative is intended to support effectiveness research to evaluate innovative programs, practices, or policies to address risk for violence and inequities in risk for violence among groups experiencing a high burden of community violence.

Innovative approaches are those that have not been rigorously evaluated for effectiveness in reducing community violence. Consistent with CDC’s commitment to achieving health equity, investigation of inequities in exposure to and uptake of the selected approaches, and/or stratified analyses examining the differential impacts of the approach across populations disproportionately impacted by violence is a priority. Funds are available to conduct studies focused on preventing all forms of community violence involving youth or young adults (ages potential for immediate or near immediate benefits (i.e., within 6 months) for reducing community violence and racial/ethnic inequities in risk for community violence.

Objective Two: Effectiveness research to evaluate innovative place-based prevention approaches for reducing community violence and racial/ethnic inequities in risk for community violence.

Objective Three: Effectiveness research to evaluate approaches that improve the social or structural conditions that contribute to community violence and racial/ethnic inequities in risk for community violence.

References:

1. Kegler SR, Simon TR, Zwald ML, et al. Vital Signs: Changes in Firearm Homicide and Suicide Rates — United States, 2019–2020. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2022;71:656–663. DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7119e1

2. Simon TR, Kegler SR, Zwald ML, et al. Notes from the Field: Increases in Firearm Homicide and Suicide Rates — United States, 2020–2021. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2022;71:1286–1287. DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7140a4.

3. Federal Bureau of Investigation. (2021, September 27). FBI Releases 2020 Crime Statistics [Press release]. https://www.fbi.gov/news/pressrel/press-releases/fbi-releases- 2020-crime-statistics

4. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Website. Accessed 4/19/2023.

https://www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars/fatal/index.html

5. Herrera-Escobar JP, de Jager E, McCarty JC, Lipsitz S, Haider AH, Salim A, Nehra D.

Patient-reported Outcomes at 6 to 12 Months Among Survivors of Firearm Injury in the United States. Ann Surg. 2020 Jan 16. doi: 10.1097/SLA.0000000000003797. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 32530586.

6. Vella MA, Warshauer A, Tortorello G, Fernandez-Moure J, Giacolone J, Chen B, Cabulong A, Chreiman K, Sims C, Schwab CW, Reilly PM, Lane-Fall M, Seamon MJ.

Long-term Functional, Psychological, Emotional, and Social Outcomes in Survivors of Firearm Injuries. JAMA Surg. 2020 Jan 1;155(1):51-59. doi:

10.1001/jamasurg.2019.4533. PMID: 31746949; PMCID: PMC6902182.

7. Cunningham RM, Carter PM, Ranney M, et al. Violent reinjury and mortality among youth seeking emergency department care for assault-related injury: a 2-year prospective cohort study. JAMA Pediatr. 2015;169(1):63-70.

8. Fowler PJ, Tompsett CJ, Braciszewski JM, Jacques-Tiura AJ, Baltes BB. (2009).

Community violence: A meta-analysis on the effect of exposure and mental health outcomes of children and adolescents. Development and Psychopathology. 21(1):227– 259.

https://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7119e1 https://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7140a4 https://www.fbi.gov/news/pressrel/press-releases/fbi-releases-2020-crime-statistics https://www.fbi.gov/news/pressrel/press-releases/fbi-releases-2020-crime-statistics https://www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars/fatal/index.html

9. Gilbert LK, Breiding MJ, Merrick MT, Thompson WW, Ford DC, Dhingra SS, Parks SE.

(2015). Childhood adversity and adult chronic disease: An update from ten states and the District of Columbia, 2010. American Journal of Preventive Medicine. 48(3):345-349

10. Merrick MT, Ford DC, Ports KA, et al. (2019) Vital Signs: Estimated Proportion of Adult Health Problems Attributable to Adverse Childhood Experiences and Implications for Prevention — 25 States, 2015–2017. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

68(44):999-1005.

11. Payton Foh E, Brown RR, Denzongpa K, Echeverria S. Legacies of Environmental Injustice on Neighborhood Violence, Poverty and Active Living in an African American Community. Ethn Dis. 2021 Jul 15;31(3):425-432. doi: 10.18865/ed.31.3.425.

12. Richardson AS, Troxel WM, Ghosh-Dastidar MB, Beckman R, Hunter GP, DeSantis AS, Colabianchi N, Dubowitz T. One size doesn’'t fit all: cross-sectional associations between neighborhood walkability, crime and physical activity depends on age and sex of residents. BMC Public Health. 2017 Jan 19;17(1):97. doi: 10.1186/s12889-016-3959-z.

13. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 1991-2019 High School Youth Risk Behavior Survey Data. Available at https://nccd.cdc.gov/Youthonline/App/Default.aspx .

Accessed on 4/20/2023.

14. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics.

National Vital Statistics System, Mortality 2018-2021 on CDC WONDER Online Database, released in 2023. Data are from the Multiple Cause of Death Files, 2018-2021, as compiled from data provided by the 57 vital statistics jurisdictions through the Vital Statistics Cooperative Program. Accessed at https://wonder.cdc.gov/mcd-icd10-expanded.html on Apr 20, 2023 12:53:10 PM

15. Burrell M, White AM, Frerichs L, Funchess M, Cerulli C, DiGiovanni L, Lich KH.

Depicting“"the syste”": How structural racism and disenfranchisement in the United States can cause dynamics in community violence among males in urban black communities. Soc Sci Med. 2021 Mar;272:113469. doi:

10.1016/j.socscimed.2020.113469.

16. Armstead TL, Wilkins N, Nation M. Structural and social determinants of inequities in violence risk: A review of indicators. J Community Psychol. 2019;49(4):878-906.

doi:10.1002/jcop.22232

17. Cave L, Cooper MN, Zubrick SR, Shepherd CCJ. Racial discrimination and child and adolescent health in longitudinal studies: A systematic review. Soc Sci Med. 2020 Feb 27;250:112864. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2020.112864.

18. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Health Equity Considerations and Racial and Ethnic Minority groups. Available at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/health-equity/race-ethnicity.html. Accessed on 11/21/21

19. Paradies Y, Ben J, Denson N, et al. Racism as a Determinant of Health: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Hills RK, ed. pLoS ONE. 2015;10(9):e0138511.

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0138511

20. Bailey ZD, Krieger N, Agénor M, Graves J, Linos N, Bassett MT. Structural racism and health inequities in the USA: evidence and interventions. Lancet. 2017 Apr 8;389(10077):1453-1463. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(17)30569-X.

Healthy People 2030 and other National Strategic Priorities https://nccd.cdc.gov/Youthonline/App/Default.aspx https://wonder.cdc.gov/mcd-icd10-expanded.html https://wonder.cdc.gov/mcd-icd10-expanded.html https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/health-equity/race-ethnicity.html https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/health-equity/race-ethnicity.html

This research addresses the "Healthy People 2030" focus areas of injury and violence prevention.

Specifically, this NOFO supports the Healthy People 2030 Injury and Violence Prevention (IVP) area: IVP-09 Reduce homicides, IVP-10 Reduce nonfatal physical assault injuries, IVP-11 Reduce physical fighting among adolescents, IVP-12 Reduce weapon carrying by adolescents, IVP-13 Reduce firearm-related deaths, and IVP-14 Reduce nonfatal firearm-related injuries. This NOFO also supports Healthy People 2030 Adolescent Health (AH) area: AH-10 Reduce rate of minors and young adults committing violent crimes, and AH-R11 Reduce the rate of adolescent and young adult victimization from violent crimes.

The projects funded under this NOFO will help address multiple cross-cutting and topic specific research priorities in the NCIPC Research Priorities. More information about the NCIPC research priorities is available at: https://www.cdc.gov/injury/researchpriorities/index.html. The objectives in this NOFO also address the NCIPC priorities of reducing youth violence and preventing Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) which includes multiple forms of violence impacting children and youth.

Public Health Impact Violence is a significant public health problem and a leading cause of death among young people. Additionally, each year more than 1 million people require treatment in emergency departments for violence-related injuries (https://www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars/fatal/index.html).

Exposure to violence can increase risk for future violence as well as other, negative long-term health and life opportunity consequences, including depression and anxiety, substance use, chronic diseases (such as diabetes and heart disease), educational attainment, and stable employment. Community violence is an increasing problem that disproportionately affects young people, particularly racial and ethnic minority individuals, families, and communities. NCIPC is committed to preventing violence and addressing inequities in risk for violence. The results from the research funded under this announcement will have direct benefits to communities seeking to implement evidence-based approaches to reduce community violence and racial/ethnic inequities in risk for community violence.

Relevant Work For 30 years, NCIPC has been the nation’s leading public health authority on violence and injury prevention. CDC’s approach involves three elements: a focus on prevention, a science-driven approach to identify risks and patterns, and multidisciplinary collaboration to address the problem and keep people safe and healthy.

Descriptions of CDC’s violence prevention initiatives are available on NCIPC’s website:

https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/index.html

Information about CDC’s National Violent Death Reporting System is available at https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/datasources/nvdrs/index.html

Information about CDC’s Strategic Vision for violence prevention is available at https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/publichealthissue/strategicvision.html

CDC’s definition of youth violence is available at https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/youthviolence/definitions.html

Information about Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), including resources, data, and prevention information is available at: https://www.cdc.gov/injury/priority/aces.html.

https://www.cdc.gov/injury/researchpriorities/index.html https://www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars/fatal/index.html https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/index.html https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/datasources/nvdrs/index.html https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/publichealthissue/strategicvision.html https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/youthviolence/definitions.html http://www.cdc.gov/injury/priority/aces.html

CDC has released a suite of prevention resources to help communities make use of the best available evidence for violence prevention. These prevention resources describe general prevention strategies and provide examples of specific approaches along with information about the evidence for these approaches. The resources are available at https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/communicationresources/pub/technical-packages.html CDC has also released an ACEs prevention resource that highlights six ACEs prevention strategies drawn from the CDC violence prevention resources:

https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/aces/prevention.html.

2. Approach

For NOFO RFA-CE-24-030, applicants are expected to submit proposals that evaluate the effectiveness of approaches (e.g., programs, practices, or policies) to prevent community violence and reduce racial and ethnic inequities in risk for community violence, specifically among those aged 10-34 years. Applicants may propose research under one or more objectives.

Applicants are expected to clearly indicate in the Abstract section of the application the objective, or objectives, that the research application intends to address. Community violence happens between unrelated individuals, who may or may not know each other, generally outside the home. Examples include assaults or fights among groups and shootings in public places, such as schools and on the streets. For the purposes of this NOFO, “community” is a population with shared characteristics or social ties within a geographically defined area (e.g., neighborhood, block, hospital or school catchment area, police jurisdiction, or city).

Applicants should propose evaluations of approaches that are new or previously implemented in communities but have not been rigorously evaluated for effectiveness in reducing community violence and inequities in risk for community violence. Prevention programs, practices, or policies to be evaluated are expected to be theoretically justified (e.g., include a conceptual model or theory of change, with proposed mediators, for how the prevention approach will reduce community violence and racial/ethnic inequities in risk for community violence) and, when possible, supported with epidemiological and/or behavioral research. Mediating factors help explain the mechanism or process through which an exposure to the intervention leads to reductions in community violence. Recipients are expected to assess intervention processes and mediators as appropriate. Examples of process data include intervention or policy implementation fidelity and intervention exposure data. Other examples of mediators appropriate to the proposed research include changes in risk and protective factors specific to the proposed intervention. Examples of violence outcome and impact data sources include vital statistics data, police records, child welfare reports, school records, injury-related hospital or emergency department data, or relevant self-reported behaviors. Applicants are encouraged to assess effects on multiple community violence outcomes, including severe outcomes such as fatal and nonfatal assaults with weapons. The inclusion of risk and protective factors (e.g., neighborhood poverty, educational attainment, employment opportunities, etc.) for the forms of violence studied is highly encouraged. The use of multiple data sources to improve validity and reliability of each outcome is also encouraged.

While applicants are encouraged to include other violence-related outcomes as secondary outcomes, applications proposing research which is not focused on preventing community https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/communicationresources/pub/technical-packages.html https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/aces/prevention.html violence involving youth/young adults (ages 10-34 years), as evidenced in the Research Strategy section of the application’s research plan, will be considered nonresponsive and will not be forwarded for peer review (see Section III. Eligibility Information 5.

Responsiveness).

This NOFO is intended to support rigorous research designs. Rigorous designs are those that utilize experimental (i.e., randomized controlled trials) or quasi-experimental designs (e.g., designs involving matched comparison groups, designs using propensity-score matching, instrumental variable methods, regression point displacement, regression discontinuity, pragmatic clinical trial, or time series designs). Randomized trials are not feasible for some prevention strategies (e.g., policy evaluations) and alternative quasi-experimental designs are appropriate and acceptable. Rigorous designs should include data analytic plans that are appropriate for that design and the prevention strategy, hypotheses, and data collection measures.

Data analytic plans should also anticipate and evaluate the effects of threats to the internal and external validity of the specified research design.

Applicants may propose mixed-method approaches that include additional qualitative analyses to explore the equity implications of quantitative findings regarding an approach’s impact on violence outcomes. For example, applicants with community partners may propose to conduct in-depth interviews or focus groups to further explore how the selected approach may work to close or widen existing inequities in violence burden across populations. Recognition of diverse knowledge systems and use of culturally centered approaches to information gathering, including employing methods, metrics, and indicators that are seen as appropriate and useful by the residents of the community can be important to strengthening data collection activities.

Applications that propose studies outside of the stated objectives of this NOFO (e.g., etiologic research to examine the prevalence or correlates of behavior, research to strengthen surveillance, or proposals to conduct development and feasibility testing) without also proposing an evaluation of a community violence prevention program, policy, or practice, as evidenced in the Research Strategy section of the application’s research plan, will be considered nonresponsive and will not be forwarded for peer review (see Section III. Eligibility Information 5. Responsiveness).

As a public health agency, CDC focuses on public health responses to violence prevention.

While a violence prevention strategy may collaborate with law enforcement agencies, applications proposing to evaluate approaches that are solely under the influence or control of the criminal justice system (i.e., policing, arrest, trial, sentencing, incarceration, mandated intervention and treatment approaches), as evidenced in the Research Strategy section of the application’s research plan, will be considered nonresponsive, and these applications will not be forwarded to peer-review (see Section III. Eligibility Information 5.

Responsiveness). However, rigorous evaluations of policies at the local- or jurisdiction-level such as restorative justice policies to prevent the school-to-prison pipeline or rigorous evaluations of policies that may lead to student disengagement (e.g., harsh disciplinary policies) will be considered. It should be noted that the focus of this announcement is not on school-based programs or curricula.

Proposals should help expand and advance the understanding of strategies that prevent community violence affecting those ages 10-34 and advance the understanding of how to eliminate racial and ethnic inequities in risk for community violence.

This NOFO will not support applications that propose to evaluate strategies that respond to violence after it occurs, such as treatment and rehabilitation approaches (e.g., mental health treatment, physical rehabilitation) or medical care (e.g., treatment of physical injuries) rather than focus on preventing violence from occurring. Research proposals proposing to evaluate response strategies focused solely on treating injuries or to help victims recover do not meet the scientific intent of this NOFO. Applications that propose to evaluate strategies aimed at responding to violence rather than preventing it will not be recommended for funding consideration during the NCIPC second level of review (see Section V. Application Review Information). The intent of this NOFO is to evaluate approaches to prevent community violence.

If an applicant is proposing a therapeutic approach to prevent community violence, then it is critical to explain how the approach is innovative, how it addresses the objective(s) of this NOFO, and how it substantially adds to what is already known about how the approach can prevent future violence.

Prevention planning systems [e.g., Communities That Care (CTC)], and Promoting School- Community University Partnerships to Enhance Resilience (PROSPER Partnership Model)] use data to understand local needs and select specific prevention approaches to meet those needs.

The intent of this NOFO is to evaluate innovative prevention approaches to help expand and advance understanding of approaches to prevent community violence so that communities will have additional programs, policies, and practices to consider in the future. Therefore, applications that propose to evaluate prevention planning systems rather than specific programs, policies, or practices do not meet the scientific intent of this NOFO. Also, because the intent of this NOFO is to evaluate innovative approaches to reduce community violence, this NOFO will not support applications that propose to evaluate the following approaches that have already been rigorously evaluated: universal school-based violence prevention curricula, and parenting/family relationship programs for reducing youth violence. Applications proposing to evaluate universal school-based curricula, parenting or family relationship programs, or prevention planning systems [e.g., Communities That Care (CTC), Promoting School-Community University Partnerships to Enhance Resilience (PROSPER Partnership Model)] will not be recommended for funding consideration during the NCIPC second level of review (see Section V. Application Review Information).

Applications must be scientifically responsive to NOFO RFA-CE-24-030 in order to be forwarded for peer review. Additional responsiveness criteria are listed in Section III. Eligibility Information 5. Responsiveness of this NOFO. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that the submitted research proposal meets all responsiveness criteria listed in Section III. Eligibility Information 5. Responsiveness.

Applicants are asked to clearly indicate in the application’s Abstract which objective, or combination of objectives, the research proposal intends to address. Applicants are also asked to indicate in the applications Abstract what NCIPC Research Priority the research proposal intends to address.

https://www.cdc.gov/injury/researchpriorities/index.html

Protection of Human Subjects and Personally Identifiable Information The Research Strategy section of the application is expected to clearly describe the type, source, access to, and protections of the data and human subjects participating in the study. Access to non-publicly available, previously collected data must be clearly described in the Research Strategy and documented with a signed Data Sharing Agreement or Letter of Support. Access to publicly available, previously collected data must be clearly described in the Research Strategy.

Protection of previously collected data includes, but is not limited to, protection of personally identifiable information from loss and/or misuse.

The application is expected to identify each performance site that will be conducting human subjects research and include the FWA number for the applicant institution and each performance site. Research conducted with more than one institution will be expected to use a single Institutional Review Board (sIRB) to conduct the ethical review required by HHS regulations. See Section IV. Application and Submission Information, 10 Funding Restrictions, Human Subjects for details.

Objectives/Outcomes Primary Outcomes to be achieved with funded research:

The focus of this announcement is to support research that evaluates the effectiveness of innovative approaches (e.g., programs, practices, or policies) to prevent community violence and reduce racial and ethnic inequities in risk for community violence, specifically among those aged 10-34 years. Community violence happens between unrelated individuals, who may or may not know each other, generally outside the home. Innovative approaches are those that have not been rigorously evaluated for effectiveness in reducing community violence. Funding is available to conduct such studies focused on preventing all forms of community violence experienced by those aged 10-34, including assaults, homicides, violence between groups, and threats/use of weapons. The intent is to build the evidence base for prevention approaches (e.g., programs, practices, or policies) that are effective in reducing community violence as well as approaches that reduce racial and ethnic inequities in risk for community violence. The following research objectives are the focus of this announcement:

Objective One: Effectiveness research to evaluate innovative approaches with the potential for immediate or near immediate benefits for reducing community violence and racial/ethnic inequities in risk for community violence. While the field has learned a great deal about violence prevention strategies that are effective, there is an urgent need to build the menu of violence prevention strategies that can have proximate benefits for participants and their communities.

Some prevention strategies, such as street outreach programs, mentoring programs, hospital-community partnerships, and youth employment/apprenticeship and other after-school programs, when implemented well and reaching the intended participants, can quickly alter risk for violence. Applicants should explain why the proposed approach is innovative and describe the process and theoretical or empirical support for the potential for immediate or near immediate (i.e., within 6 months after implementation) benefits for reducing the risk for community violence and racial/ethnic inequities in risk for community violence.

Objective Two: Effectiveness research to evaluate innovative place-based prevention approaches for reducing community violence and racial/ethnic inequities in the risk for community violence. Place-based prevention approaches can be designed to create or enhance protective environments and to reduce the risks associated with physical spaces and how they are used. Changes, such as vacant building remediation and reductions in alcohol outlet density, can reduce opportunities for violence and enhance positive social interactions and opportunities to support young people. While there is some evidence for these and other place-based community violence prevention approaches, such as activities grounded in the principles of Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED), additional research is necessary to increase the types of innovative programs, practices, or policies that have been rigorously evaluated and shown to work so that other communities can make decisions about the most appropriate approaches that meet their needs. Some strategies, such as greening of vacant lots, have been evaluated in multiple studies, yet health equity aspects of some CPTED approaches and the role of civic engagement and participatory community development approaches are less well understood. Applicants should explain why the proposed place-based approach is innovative, and describe the process and theoretical or empirical support for potential benefits for reducing community violence and racial/ethnic inequities in risk for community violence.

Objective Three: Effectiveness research to evaluate approaches that improve the social or structural conditions that contribute to community violence and racial/ethnic inequities in risk for community violence. Social determinants of health are the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age (e.g., concentrated poverty, structural racism, high rates of unemployment, limited access to high-quality education) and they can contribute to health inequities and modifiable differences in health status seen across population groups. Potential research in response to this NOFO includes studies to assess the effectiveness of strategies that address social or structural determinants of health that are empirically or theoretically associated with community violence and racial/ethnic inequities. The focus could include, but is not limited to, the following:

economic strategies (e.g., microfinance programs, cash transfer payments, access to banking institutions, individual development accounts, food security programs, livable wages or other employment and wage policies);

housing development strategies (e.g., Low Income Housing Tax Credits, Inclusionary Zoning, tenant-based housing subsidies), and other efforts to improve the physical, social, and economic characteristics of neighborhoods, schools and other settings (e.g., employment opportunities, transportation policies);

strategies that improve educational experiences and attainment for youth at greatest risk (e.g., restorative justice school disciplinary policies, increased/equitable school funding policies) studies to assess the effectiveness of social and cultural norm change strategies addressing cultural values and beliefs (e.g., innovative social media and other communication strategies to enhance protective norms, behaviors, and social conditions);

and studies to assess the effectiveness of strategies focused on reducing the level and concentration of community risk factors (e.g., limited access to affordable and quality childcare; limited access to housing, employment, etc., following incarceration).

The prevention strategies listed above are examples and are not an exhaustive list. Applicants should describe how the prevention approach proposed has the potential to reduce community violence and racial/ethnic inequities in risk for community violence across the population subgroups that are the focus of the study. Applicants should propose evaluations of approaches that are new or previously implemented in communities but have not been rigorously evaluated for effectiveness in reducing community violence.

For Objective 3, a distinction is made between community-based prevention strategies and strategies to address health inequities and modifiable differences in health status seen across population groups.