Funding
This is not a monetary award. Approved applicants will receive a citizen science kit. Applicants can choose between Exploring Biodiversity, Observing Pollinators, or Monitoring Air Quality.
Description of Award
The Network National of Library of Medicine Region 7 (NNLM Region 7) under cooperative agreement with the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), announces the availability of kits through the Citizen Science Awards to fund citizen science initiatives that raise awareness of the environmental determinants of health and participatory science in their community.
Citizen science is broad in scope and can be used to better understand environmental factors that can influence human health, including physical, chemical, and biological factors that are external to a person, and all related behaviors. Collectively, these are referred to as environmental determinants of health (EDHs). Threats to any one of the EDHs can have an adverse impact on the health and well-being of the population. These environmental threats can occur naturally, human-made, or because of social conditions and ways people live. Understanding and addressing these EDHs will directly improve the health of the population.
Citizen Science projects are an innovative way to connect individuals and communities to projects that could benefit from robust data collection. Through community science, people can be engaged in programs that can directly improve their community's health outcomes. Citizen science efforts allow communities to engage with science as well as contribute to a broad project that looks at environmental health factors in their community.
This award is designed to support programmatic outreach in under-resourced communities with themed kits that address Exploring Biodiversity, Observing Pollinators, or Monitoring Air Quality.
Specifically, the Citizen Science Award seeks to address one or more of the following aims from the NNLM Region 7 cooperative agreement and supports NLM’s mission to provide U.S. researchers, health professionals, public health workforce, educators, and the public with equal access to biomedical and health information resources and data.
- Advance health equity through national and regional partnerships and initiatives to ensure a variety of members and the public will have equal access to biomedical, health, and public health information and data.
- Awards must align with regional or national priorities relating to environmental determinants of health.
About the Exploring Biodiversity Kit and Project
This kit includes:
- Clip-on lens set for smartphone
- Binoculars
- Journal
- Field Guide
- Storage Case
This project helps to create a living record of species in your community and provide research-quality data to better understand and protect nature.
Additional information about this kit and project is available through SciStarter: https://scistarter.org/citizen-science-kit-exploring-biodiversity.
Applicants must be from institutions that are members of NNLM Region 7.
Membership is free and open to institutions interested in improving equitable access to health information.
To verify your membership, find out your NNLM ID or to apply for membership, contact NNLM Region 7 (email: nnlm-region7@umassmed.edu).
Application Instructions
You will need to submit your application online. It is recommended that you use the following outline to draft your proposal, then submit online since you can’t save and return to the form later.
- Evidence of Need: Provide a statement of how the Citizen Science Kit will support raising awareness of Environmental Health in your community. (Maximum 300 words)
- Evaluation Plan: How will you evaluate your Citizen Science Kit?
- Publicity/Promotion: Briefly describe how you intend to promote the Citizen Science Kit to your target population(s). (Maximum 100 words)
- Participant Roles for the Citizen Science Award: Check list provided in the application
You will need to submit your application online.
Additional Information
Section 508 requires that all website content be accessible to people with disabilities. This applies to web applications, web pages and all attached files on the intranet, as well as, internet. The National Library of Medicine is a part of the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Recipients of National Library of Medicine funding through the NNLM must meet all requirements under Section 508. Information on 508 Compliance.
A final report is required no later than May 30, 2025, which consists of a brief statement (300 words of less) of how the citizen science kit was used in your community.
Recipients of NNLM funding are required to deposit any peer-reviewed manuscript upon acceptance for publication in PubMed Central in accordance with the NIH Public Access Policy.
- Any resource developed with project funds must include an acknowledgment of NIH grant support and a disclaimer stating the following:
- “Developed resources reported in this [publications, press releases, internet sites] are supported by the National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health (NIH) under cooperative agreement number UG4L M012347. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health."
Application Review and Scoring Criteria
Applications will be reviewed by: NNLM Region 7 staff.
Reviewers will score applications based on the following categories and criteria.
- SIGNIFICANCE (60 points): The proposal:
- clearly defines the target populations and programmatic outreach; and
- provides evidence of need.
- PROJECT PLAN (20 points): The project plan:
- demonstrates potential to increase awareness of Environmental Health in your community; and
- describes an effective publicity/promotion strategy.
- EVALUATION (20 points): The evaluation plan is clear and uses sound methodology.
REPORTING: The applicant agrees to the reporting requirement. This is an inclusion/exclusion criterion. Applicants lacking this element will be disqualified.