Case Study for a Research Capacity Building Initiative for Community-Based Organizations

The Research Center in Minority Institutions at Florida International University (FIU-RCMI) is dedicated to rigorous, community-partnered health disparities research and training. The FIU-RCMI’s Community Engagement Core’s Community Research Enhancement Grant (CREG) program is a unique funding opportunity specifically designed to bolster research capacity within community-based organizations (CBOs). The goal of this paper is to describe the process used to create the CREG initiative, with particular attention to how it was modified to meet the evolving needs of local CBOs. The 2023 CREG funding cycle was restructured based on Cooke’s (2005) four-stage Research Capacity Building (RCB) framework. In direct response to the feedback from previous CREG awardees, CREG was reconceptualized as a capacity-building opportunity rather than a conventional grant. This paper contributes to the literature on community-engaged research by highlighting the value of an iterative feedback process involving diverse stakeholders, ensuring ongoing alignment with the dynamic needs of both CBOs and researchers when developing research capacity building initiatives.