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U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion

Grant Writing

“I want to pursue funding to expand a CHW training program in my organization.”

Many organizations rely on grants to fund important public health programs. This example describes how a grant writer could use Evidence-Based Resources (EBRs) to bolster a grant application seeking funding for a community health worker (CHW) training program.

1. Identify the need.

What is the public health problem you’re trying to solve? For example: “The community I work with needs more CHWs to connect community members who are underserved with the services they need. CHWs connect people to care in many ways — like providing transportation to appointments and translating medical information — but we don’t have enough of them to meet the community’s needs.”

2. See how the need aligns with national goals.

The work CHWs do at the local level is key to achieving Healthy People 2030 objectives across a variety of topics — and to working toward the Healthy People 2030 overarching goal of eliminating health disparities. You can identify specific Healthy People 2030 objectives that CHW training programs can help achieve.

3. Explore EBRs related to your goals.

Type “community health worker” in the search bar to find relevant EBRs — like the systematic review Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention: Interventions Engaging Community Health Workers. Check out the EBRs you find to see which are most useful to include in your grant application — including EBRs that address social determinants of health.

4. Cite EBRs as trusted sources in the grant application.

Referencing and citing EBRs in a grant application offers evidence that funders appreciate — and helps bolster your case. For example, Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention: Interventions Engaging Community Health Workers provides findings indicating that increased CHW involvement contributed to improved blood pressure and cholesterol levels in the selected communities.

5. Use EBRs to help guide the evaluation approach.

Many EBRs include information about how to effectively evaluate your program over time. Draw inspiration from these proven methods in your grant application to demonstrate to funders how you’ll measure success and mitigate risks.

6. Submit the application.

Submit your finalized grant application to the funding organization. While you can’t know for sure whether your organization will receive the funding, leveraging EBRs is a great way to build your case.