AND COUNTING PAST AWARDEES
$10,000 - Trauma-Informed Training for HS Students in Mental Health Academy
David Simpson, Sandler SSW
Evaluates the feasibility of implementing trauma-informed care training for students in a Certified Behavioral Health Technician program, with input from youth and teachers to guide future statewide expansion
$10,000 - Bridging Systems: Behavioral Health & Criminal Justice Collaborations in Palm Beach County
Brian Graves & Alan Kunz-Lomelin, Sandler SSW; Cassandra Atkin-Plunk, SCCJ + Rebecca Mauldin, University of Texas Arlington
Uses social network analysis to map collaboration between criminal justice and behavioral health providers, aiming to inform policy and improve outcomes for justice-involved individuals
$10,000 - Examining Motivation and Transitions to Becoming a Foster Parent
Morgan Cooley, Sandler SSW + Gabriel Cesar, SCCJ
Explores the pathways, motivations, and challenges of becoming a foster parent to inform strategies that improve recruitment and retention within the child welfare system
EXTERNAL GRANTS AWARDED IN PAST 3 YEARS
(Awards demonstrate faculty readiness to compete successfully at scale, while also showing our strong commitment to localized projects that directly support South Florida communities)
$15,378,397 BrowardUP Promise Neighborhoods
$3,000,000
COMMUNITY PARTNER AGENCIES
Featured Community Partner Agencies:
All Star Children
Athens-Clarke Co. Sheriff Dept, Georgia
Broward College
ChildNet
Children Services Council, Broward Co
Children’s Home Society
Children's Services Council, PBC
Community Foundation of Broward
Delray Beach Police Department
FLITE Center
FL Association for Recovery Residences
FL Department of Children & Families
FL Institute for Child Welfare, FSU
Friends of Foster Children
Office of Criminal Conflict & Civil
Regional Counsel
Palm Beach Community Alliance
PBC Criminal Justice Commission
Palm Beach County Public Safety Department
PBC School District
PBC Sheriff's Office
PBC Youth Services Council
PBC Community Service Department
PBC Criminal Justice Commission
Rebel Recovery
School Board of Broward County
SpeakLife
The Lord’s Place
US Dept of Housing & Urban Development
SPONSORS + UNIVERSITY PARTNERS MAJOR RESEARCH
State/Local Government: Florida Institute for Child Welfare; Palm Beach County
Foundations & Nonprofits: Sarah Scaife Foundation; Florida Blue Foundation; All Star Children’s Foundation; Children’s Home Society of Florida; Council on Social Work Education; Florida Association Recovery Residences
Community/Private Organizations: SpeakLife Performing Arts Company
University Partners: Our faculty’s collaborations extend across the Florida Atlantic University research enterprise. Teams draw on expertise in medicine, nursing, education, engineering, academic affairs, and research institutes, reflecting the university-wide impact and innovation of our research. Our teams include representation from:
Phyllis and Harvey Sandler SSW
School of Criminology and CJ
Schmidt College of Medicine
Lynn College of Nursing College of Education
Division of Research
Division of Academic Affairs
IHEALTH: Institute for Human Health & Division Intervention College of Engineering
APPENDIX I - Current Active Grants
AWD-002744 | PBC – Trauma-Informed Police Training
06/14/2022–02/28/2026
CassandraAtkin-Plunk,SCCJandDanielleGroton,SandlerSSW
ProcessandoutcomeevaluationofthePalmBeachCountyCriminalJustice Commission’sTrauma-InformedTrainingInitiative,deliveredincollaborationwith PBSO.Theprojectusesatrain-the-trainermodeltoexpandtrauma-informed practicesamonglawenforcement,courtpersonnel,andcorrectionsofficers.
AWD-003165 | UF – FL Youth Experiences Study (FL YES)
07/01/2023–06/30/2029
MorganCooley,SandlerSSW
Five-yearlongitudinalstudyexaminingthetransitionofFloridayouthagingoutof fostercareintoadulthood,withemphasisonoutcomesandsupport.
AWD-003212 | FAUF – FL Blue Community Social Impact Student Competition
11/01/2023–08/31/2025
DeanNaelysLuna+HeatherThompson,AtensiaEarpBowen,PreciousSkinnerOsei,SandlerSSW
PilotprojectintegratedwiththeCommunitiesandOrganizationcourse.Students collaboratewithhumanserviceorganizationsinSouthFloridatodesignandpresent community-basedinterventions.FinalistspresenttoexpertreviewersfromFlorida BlueandFAUleadership
AWD-003314 | FICW – The Academy: Evaluating Preservice Training for Child Welfare Professionals
04/25/2024–06/30/2026
MorganCooley,HeatherThompson,MariannaColvin,DavidSimpson,SandlerSSW +GabrielCesarandLisaDario,SCCJ
Developmentandfeasibilitytestingofnewpreservicetrainingforchildwelfare professionals(CPIs,CMs).GuidedbytheEPISframeworkanduser-centereddesign toimproveearlypreparationandsupport.
AWD-003368 | PBC-SO – Connect and Protect Program: CoResponder Community Resource Team Pilot
06/24/2024–09/30/2026
CassandraAtkin-Plunk,WendyGuastaferro,AdamDobrin,SCCJ EvaluationanddatastrategyforPBSO’sConnectandProtectProgram,including DOJ-compliantimplementationplanning,participationinviolencepreventiontask forces,andfinalevaluationreport.
AWD-003458 | PBC – Recovery Community Center Evaluation
FY23-25
02/01/2023–09/30/2025
PreciousSkinner-Osei,HeatherHoward,MichaelRobinson,SandlerSSW
EvaluationofPalmBeachCountyRecoveryCommunityCenters(DelrayBeach,Lake WorthBeach,possibleexpansiontoRivieraBeach&BelleGlade).Focusonrecovery outcomes,servicequality,culturalsensitivity,andlong-termengagement.
AWD-003464 | Broward UP Promise Neighborhoods Implementation
09/27/2024–12/31/2026
GreggFields,DavidSimpson,MichaelDeDonno,NancyRomance,NaelysLuna,and MariannaColvin
CollaborativeinitiativewithBrowardCollege,BrowardCountyPublicSchools,and communitypartnerstoexpandequitableaccesstohighereducationandreduce systemicinequities
AWD-003541 | FICW – Community University Partnership (CUP) Award
03/14/2025–02/27/2026
MariannaColvin,MorganCooley,HeatherThompson,AlanKunzLomelin
Research-practicepartnershipwiththePalmBeachCountyCommunityAllianceto strengthenparentalengagementinchildwelfare.Includesevaluationofsystemic timingfactors,actionablerecommendations,anddevelopmentofmeasurementtools.
AWD-003611 | GSU – Improving Outcomes for Children & Families Affected by Substance Abuse (Supplement) 10/01/2019-09/29/2025
WendyGuastaferro,SCCJ
EvaluationpartnershipwithGeorgiaStateUniversitytostrengthencollaboration betweenFamilyTreatmentCourtsandchildwelfareservices.Dr.Guastaferro providesoversightofevaluation,planning,anddatabaseconstruction.
AWD-003627 | FARR - Evaluation of Recovery Capital Index (RCI) Digital Platform 06/19/2025-12/01/2025
PreciousSkinner-OseiandDanielleGroton,SandlerSSW
EvaluationoftheRCIplatforminFloridaAddictionRecoveryResidences.Focuson recoveryengagement,socialdeterminantsofhealth,resiliency,anddatatosupport strategicplanning.
AWD-003631 | Evaluation of All Star Children’s Foundation Programs & Impact
05/01/2025-04/30/2025
EvaluationofASCF’sfostercarecampusandoutpatientprograms.Deliverables includeprogramevaluationreportson(1)fostercarehomes,(2)trauma screening/assessmentforchildren,and(3)outpatientservicesforyouthinfostercare.
APPENDIX II - Seed Grant Application Protocol
SEED GRANT FUNDING PROGRAM 2024-2025
The College of Social Work and Criminal Justice is pleased to welcome applications for the internal seed funding award program. This program is an important strategy to support faculty and advance the Research strategic priority for our college’s strategic plan. Proposals are sought to support the establishment of multidisciplinary collaborations for pilot projects and feasibility studies that lead to externally funded research programs. The total funding available for the current program cycle is $20,000. Two awards are expected – each up to $10,000.
ELIGIBILITY
The PI or Co-PI on any proposal must be from the College of Social Work and Criminal Justice
All role eligibility for Principal Investigator (PI), Co-Principal Investigator (Co-PI), Co-Investigator (Co-I), or Personnel is guided by FAU Policy
Faculty are limited to serving as PI/Co-PI on one submission per award cycle. There is no limit on the number of submissions in the role of Co-I or Personnel
TIMELINE OF SOLICITATION AND REVIEW PROCESS
Submit a letter of intent to apply via email to Rose Paul, Grants & Budget Coordinator, at rpaul12@fau.edu, by 11:59 PM on DECEMBER 6, 2024. The letter of intent should include the project title, a list of the submitting faculty (including identification of respective colleges/schools/departments), and a short (no more than 1 paragraph) description of the research topic. The purpose of the letter of intent is to anticipate the number of proposals to plan for appropriate and timely review.
Research faculty in SW-CJ who are not participating in a submission will be identified and invited to review and score proposals as part of a review committee. Two reviewers from each school will be requested to volunteer for equal representation. If more than two research faculty volunteer from each school, the two members who volunteer first will be chosen.
Submit the full proposal application to rpaul12@fau.edu by 11:59 PM on FEBRUARY 7, 2025. *Any submission received after this deadline will not be considered for funding. [Applications will be shared with the review committee using numeric identifiers to support a reduction of bias in the review process, however this does not eliminate the possibility that reviewers will be familiar with the research topics of colleagues.]
All applications will be scored by each of the 4 reviewers using the attached rubric. Awards will be issued to the highest scoring proposals among those that exceed a pre-established minimum threshold (see scoring instructions below).
Notice of Awards will be sent no later than APRIL 11, 2025.
The funding period will begin JULY 1, 2025 and end JUNE 30, 2026. All awarded funds must be expended by June 30, 2026.
PROPOSAL CONTENT
The following criteria are required for the up-to-$10,000 awards:
Projects involving collaboration among researchers involving 2 or more disciplines/colleges/ or pillars.
Projects with active involvement of students in the research process. *This may include engaging undergraduate students seeking the OURI Research Certificate in the form of a DIR.
Submission for extramural grant funding within 2 years of the funding end date.
Instructions: The research proposal components should not exceed 6 doublespaced pages and must include the following:
A) Team Composition (excluded from 6-page limit): Include the project title. List PIs or Co-PIs/Co-Is/Personnel with credentials and contact information. Please also indicate on the team composition page that the project is multi-disciplinary (i.e., involving researchers from two or more disciplines/colleges/pillars), involves students in the research process, and the commitment to submit an extramural grant within two years of the funding start date. This page is excluded from the 6page limit. Please save and submit as a separate document in the email submission.
B) Title: Include a descriptive title.
C) Brief Abstract: Not to exceed 200 words.
D) Research Strategy
Background & Significance: Provide a brief background for the problem that will enable reviewers to place the proposal within the context of the present state of knowledge about the study area with supporting published literature. Briefly explain the identified gap in knowledge and the premise on which the proposal is based, including its relevance to the field(s) of social work and/or criminology and criminal justice.
Specific Aim(s): Include a clear study purpose statement/the study’s aims/research questions.
Previous Work: Describe any previous work completed in the research area that relates to the aims in this proposal and how the previous work specifically demonstrates the ability of submitting faculty to meet the aims of the proposed study.
Design/Methods: Provide a description of the overall research strategy, including study design, methodology, procedures, and analyses for each proposed aim, hypotheses and/or research question.
Study Feasibility: Include a description of how the overall research strategy is feasible and how the submitting faculty will manage anticipated challenges. *Attach a timeline of proposed study activities with plans for IRB review indicated in the appendices. Alternatively, confirm if IRB approval (or exemption) has already been received. Confirmation of IRB approval, Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) Online Training regarding human subjects’ protection, and HIPAA training when appropriate. Confirmation will be expected before project funding begins July 1, 2025.
Research Trajectory, Potential for Extramural Funding: Relate the study’s proposed purpose to the long-term research goal(s) of the submitting faculty, including how completing this project will contribute to future stages of research and result in a future application for extramural funding. For example, indicate how the proposed study could serve as a foundation for future research. Will the proposed study result in pilot data for a larger project? How does the proposed work fit into an ongoing research program? How does the study relate to current national or international priorities in the area? List potential sources for extramural funding (list agency(s) and include the target funding opportunity announcement, if available). Consider if the research team has published work to support this proposed research and future external applications. If this is an area of needed development, describe plans to prepare for an external research application submission.
E) Budget and Budget Justification (excluded from the 6-page limit): In addition to a Detailed Budget (Excel file required – coordinate with Rose Paul), complete a Budget Justification. The Budget Justification should be used to describe why key personnel and requested budget items are required and how they will contribute to the completion of the proposed project. Be sure to identify the research team members by role, not by name, to preserve a de-identified submission. Qualifying expenses may include faculty summer effort (with the faculty fringe benefit rate), graduate assistant support, equipment, materials, and supplies (except food/refreshments), software, and travel expenses for conducting the research. Participant incentives in the form of gift cards are also allowed with the following requirements:
PI must goes through the Research Integrity Office to get IRB approval. https://www.fau.edu/research-admin/research-integrity/human-subjects-irb/ The IRB must state that gift cards are allowed for participants.
PI must also work with Research Integrity Office to get an approved participant consent form.
F) Appendices (excluded from the 6-page limit):
Required: References (APA or AMA)
Required: Project Timeline
If Applicable: Relevant Research Instruments
If Applicable: Letter(s) of Support from Collaborators (i.e., community partner agencies)
If Applicable: Other Supportive Materials
*To allow for ease of sharing with the review committee:
Save and submit the Team Composition page as a separate attachment when submitting the proposal application.
Save and attach Sections B-F of the proposal application de-identified using the following file format name: SWCJ SEED GRANT 2024-2025_[Insert abbreviated title]
*See scoring rubric and scoring instructions below.
