Will you provide evaluation criteria to be used by the program in making these awards, with weights?

The multiple evaluation criteria to be used in making funding decisions are outlined in the "Selection Criteria" section of the call for proposals (CFPs). We do not assign weights to these criteria.

How will my proposal be evaluated?

The program grant review process is rigorous to ensure fairness and integrity. All proposals will undergo an initial screening for completeness and eligibility. Proposals will be assessed by a committee or committees composed of RWJF staff, national program office (NPO) staff at the University of Minnesota, senior program advisory panel members and/or other expert reviewers. Please see the CFP for a complete listing of the selection criteria used in the proposal review process..

After the proposal review process, finalist applicants will be recommended to RWJF for funding. All funding decisions are made by RWJF.   

What kinds of projects will NOT be funded?

Specific guidance on the types of studies that will and will not be funded is provided in the "Study Guidelines," "Eligibility" and "Selection Criteria" sections of the CFP. We will NOT fund proposals that:

Request funds for organizations outside of the U.S. or U.S. Territories. As the focus of this program is the United States, studies of policies in other countries will be considered only to the extent that they may directly inform U.S. policy.

Request funds for individuals.

Request funds for dissertation studies.

Focus on infants or toddlers (age 0 to 2).

Focus solely on nutrition education or individual behavior change. However, studies could compare the impact of environmental changes with or without nutrition education or promotion, or identify the most effective components of a multi-component intervention.

Focus solely on physical activity or physical education.

Does the proposed study population need to include children at greatest risk of obesity?

The Foundation places special emphasis on reaching the children at greatest risk for obesity: Black, Latino, American Indian, Asian/Pacific Islander children, and children who live in lower-income communities. Grants funded through this program should demonstrate the potential to improve healthy eating and help children achieve the energy balance required for a healthy body weight, especially in these lower-income and racial and ethnic populations at greatest risk. While this does not necessarily require including children from these populations in the study sample, relevancy of findings to these high-risk groups must be clearly specified.