The SC Center for Rural and Primary Healthcare supports and develops sustainable rural and primary care education and health care delivery in South Carolina through clinical practice, training and research. We strive for a future where all South Carolinians have access to high value, quality health care.
Here you will find all of our currently open funding opportunities. You can learn more about these programs by reading the included guidelines or by visiting our website. All new proposals for funding should be sent through Submittable. The SC Center for Rural and Primary Healthcare will not review submissions sent by email or other means. To apply, click the submit button next to the funding opportunity below that best matches your proposal.
Final Proposal Due Date: March 31, 2025 at 5p.m.
Earliest Anticipated Project Start Date: July 1, 2025
Download the PDF version of this RFP here
Purpose: The SC Center for Rural and Primary Healthcare (CRPH) supports and develops sustainable rural and primary healthcare delivery and education in South Carolina through clinical practice, training, and research. The USC Collaborative for Health Equity Research (USC-CHEER) aims to create a vibrant, research-focused, cross-disciplinary network of USC faculty, staff, students, and community collaborators. Together, we strive to improve the health and well-being of South Carolinians, in part through access to equitable, high-value health care.
Trust, mistrust, and distrust influence individuals' health behaviors, acceptance of, and ultimately utilization of healthcare, yet these concepts are often overlooked in research and practice. To better inform our programs and the current state of healthcare access, our Centers are issuing a joint request for proposals to conduct a statewide survey of South Carolina patients’ perceptions of trust and mistrust in healthcare. Data derived from this research will be utilized to conduct focus group and listening sessions in a future iteration of this project.
Specifically, this project should conduct a survey to assess adult patients' perceptions of trust and how it impacts health-seeking behaviors and outcomes. This work must be grounded in prior research and/or evidence-based theory. Additional aims may also be included as long as they relate to the project’s main purpose. Proposals should focus on broad, statewide outreach to determine differences based on geographical regions, including differences between urban and rural populations. Oversampling vulnerable groups, including rural, non-white, and others, is vital to meeting this RFP’s goals. Interorganizational applications are encouraged.
Goals and Objectives: The goal of the proposals should be to describe perceptions of trust and mistrust of healthcare among South Carolina patients, including differences between urban and rural populations. Additional goals may include, but are not limited to:
- Differences based on patient demographics, including race and ethnicity;
- Impact of insurance type (Medicaid, private insurance, uninsured);
- Impact of local healthcare resource availability
- Patient relationship with their primary care provider
Award Information: This one-time funding announcement will fund at least one (1) research award in amounts up to $100,000 to be expended by June 30, 2026. Indirect costs are not allowable under this funding award.
Proposal Format and Requirements: Proposals must be submitted through the CRPH submission management system (Submittable) by the advertised due date. For funding consideration, all proposals must submit the following:
- Descriptive title of the project
- Overview of the proposed project (300 words maximum)
- Specific aims – 1 page maximum
- Research strategy – 3 page maximum - To include: background/significance, approach, hypothesis, planned analysis, project timeline, and dissemination plan.
- Bibliography/references cited – not included in page limits
- Detailed project budget and budget justification (templates provided: Budget, Budget Justification)
- Key Personnel (template provided) - To include: biosketches or resumes summarizing the qualifications and experience of the individuals who will be conducting the study.
All components of the application must be written in a 10-point (or greater) font that is easy to read, such as Arial or Times New Roman, and use at least 0.5” margins on all sides.
Each section of the proposal should be kept separate and attached to the appropriate area of the online Submittable application. File type requirements depend on the section and will be indicated on the online application. For example, the project narrative may be uploaded as a Microsoft Word or PDF document, while the budget should be uploaded as a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet.
Applications that are late, incomplete or not responsive to the RFP will be disqualified and will not be reviewed.
Please send all inquiries to SCRuralHealthcare@uscmed.sc.edu
Eligibility Criteria:
- Any institution of higher education in South Carolina
- South Carolina Rural Health Networks
- SC Access Health programs
- Public or not-for-profit (501(c)3) organizations with an emphasis on health, rural health, or community services
- State government agencies
- Healthcare organizations
- Rural Health Clinics
All human-subjects research must be overseen by an institutional review board (IRB) or ethics committee to ensure the research abides by the Code of Federal Regulations. As such, funded applicants will be expected to obtain regulatory/IRB approval prior to initiation of any research procedures. If your organization does not have an IRB, you should plan to partner with another institution that has an IRB and is willing to serve as the IRB of record for the study.
If you are uncertain if you are eligible, please contact us at SCRuralHealthcare@uscmed.sc.edu so we can assist you in determining your eligibility
Expected Deliverables: Awardees will be required to submit at least the following at the end of the award:
- Regulatory approval letter from the Institutional Review Board (IRB)
- Summary report of findings including methodology and results
Additional deliverables may be requested at the time of award based on the proposal and will be discussed with the research team prior to contracting. Invoices and progress reports will be required on a quarterly or biannual basis to ensure appropriate progress on the project and expending of funds.
What we fund: We aim to fund projects that will increase knowledge around South Carolina patients’ perceptions of trust and mistrust in healthcare. We fund direct costs only to include:
- Staff salary and fringe
- Supplies and a limited amount of equipment vital to the project (equipment must be specifically requested and justified)
- Participant incentives
- Graduate student tuition
- Project-related travel
- Advertising and outreach related to grant-supported services
- Professional and/or contractual services to conduct activities vital to the success of the project
We do not fund:
- Capital funds or funds for facilities
- Salaries for personnel not directly involved with the project
- Indirect/overhead costs
- Medical care costs or other personal needs/costs
- Formation of committee or task forces
- Clinical trials
- Legal fees
- Consultant fees
Important Dates:
February 17, 2025 - RFA Release Date
March 31, 2025 - Applications due by 5pm
Late May 2025 - Finalists are notified.
July 1, 2025 - Project(s) begin
Rural Innovations Program
Request for Applications
Notice of Funding Opportunity Release Date: January 29, 2025
Letter of Intent Due Date: March 3, 2025
Full Application Due Date (if invited): April 25, 2025
Earliest Anticipated Project Start Date: July 1, 2025
Objective
The Rural Innovations Cooperative Agreement Program seeks highly innovative proposals that undertake ambitious initiatives and strategic risks identifying solutions to enhance health in rural South Carolina. We want to invest in diverse, forward-thinking proposals with novel approaches that other rural communities can adopt, expand into a larger context, or inform public policy. This funding opportunity encourages proposals that take risks and demonstrate a viable path to scalability and sustainability.
Guiding Questions: What do we mean by innovative?
These guiding questions can help you to assess if your proposal is innovative and what should be expressed in your application.
- How is this different from what other programs have done/offered?
- How does this improve upon existing approaches to address the identified problem?
- Will this generate new knowledge that can be shared and inform new models, best practices, policy, etc.?
- Can this project be scaled and expanded into a larger context?
We seek innovations that are designed to:
- Collaborate with community organizations and stakeholders to address structural causes of health inequities
- Integrate healthcare and community-based programs to improve health, access, delivery, and/or outcomes
- Generate innovative research and integrate data systems to advance knowledge and inform best practices for improving rural health
- Prepare the healthcare workforce for the needs of the future via new training methods, locations, or workforce types
- Build upon innovative models and approaches that improve maternal and infant health outcomes in rural areas
- Build upon innovative models and approaches that improve mental and behavioral health outcomes in rural areas
- Utilize qualitative, quantitative, or mixed-methods research.· Work-related to a thesis or dissertation project is permissible. Students are eligible to apply but must have a faculty advisor/mentor.
Demonstrating Impact through Evidence
Any of these categories of evidence of impact of the proposed program are valid for this funding opportunity. You will be expected to identify which Level of Evidence category your proposed project falls into. For additional information on Levels of Evidence see RHI Hub.
- Evidence-Based: Approach is well documented with positive results in multiple locations and settings.
- Effective: Approach has been reported to have positive results in a peer-reviewed publication but not widely tested.
- Promising: Approach has been formally evaluated and shows positive results, at least within a limited scope.
- Emerging: Approach only has anecdotal evidence where outcomes can be positive, negative, or mixed. Any projects not labeled as evidence-based, effective, or promising are considered part of this category.
Application Process
The Rural Innovations Application is a two-step process. The first step is a Letter of Intent (LOI) to ensure eligibility and that objectives and activities would align with this specific call for proposals as well as the CRPH’s mission and guidelines. Selected applicants will be advanced to step two and invited to submit a full proposal. Currently funded programs should not apply and reach out to their designated program contact about the renewal process, if applicable.
**Submittable currently does not support Microsoft Edge for uploading files and should not be used to complete the LOI application.
Award Categories
Category I: Planning - These projects would be smaller in scope and would support planning efforts to begin the process of implementing an innovation. Projects under Category I would be limited to 12 months and up to $50,000 in total cost (Direct Costs only).
Category II: Intermediate - These projects have matured past the planning stage but are not quite ready for full implementation. These could include pilot programs. Projects under Category II would be limited to 12 months and up to $100,000 in total cost (Direct Costs only). Based on project performance, these projects can be fast-tracked into an implementation award in the subsequent year.
Category III: Implementation - These projects are full-scale implementation of the innovation. Projects under Category III would be limited to 24 months and up to $200,000 in total cost (Direct Costs only).
Project Focus Areas
All proposals should fall within at least one of the Center’s Focus Areas:
- Connecting Communities: projects that connect people to health-related and healthcare services in the communities where they live.
- Strategic Workforce and Training: projects that provide educational and professional development opportunities to students or professionals.
- Research: projects that test a hypothesis in order to identify or revise facts and theories.
Eligibility Criteria
- Any institution of higher education in South Carolina
- South Carolina Rural Health Networks
- SC Access Health programs
- Public or not-for-profit (501(c)3) organizations with an emphasis on health, rural health, or community services
- State government agencies
- Municipal / county / town / other government entities and organizations
- Healthcare organizations
- Rural Health Clinics
If you are uncertain if you are eligible, please contact us at RuralInnovations@uscmed.sc.edu so we can assist you in determining your eligibility.
Important Dates
January 29, 2025
Letter of Intent (LOI) available via link or CRPH website
March 3, 2025
LOI due
Late March 2025
Applicants will be notified. Selected applicants will receive initial recommendations and be invited to submit full proposal.
April 25, 2025
Finalists submit full proposal.
Mid May 2025
Finalists are notified.
July 1, 2025
Projects begin.
What we fund
Previously awarded projects are listed here. We fund direct costs only to include:
- Staff salary and fringe
- Supplies and equipment vital to the project (equipment must be specifically requested and justified)
- Project-related travel
- Advertising and outreach related to grant-supported services
We do not fund
- Projects centered on one-touch events (health fairs, conferences, etc.)
- Programs or activities that target non-rural populations
- Capital funds or funds for facilities
- Indirect costs
- Medical care costs or other personal needs/costs (i.e., food, transportation, and rental assistance)
- Formation or staffing of committees or task forces
- Clinical trials
FAQs
*Currently funded programs should not apply to this funding opportunity and should look to receive information about the renewal process.