South Carolina Cancer Alliance. Letter of Intent Guidelines for FY Implementation Projects

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1 Section 1. Introduction Letter of Intent Guidelines for FY Implementation Projects Eligibility and Application Requirements The (SCCA) will be awarding up to $120,000 for selected implementation projects to be conducted between July 1, 2014 and June 15, 2015, contingent on receiving funds from the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control as awarded from the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control. The grant process for FY includes two steps. First, interested applicants will submit a letter of intent following the guidelines outlined in this document (due April 14, 2014). SCCA staff and the Coordinating Council of the SCCA, responsible for overseeing implementation of the State Cancer Plan, will review letters of intent for completeness, responsiveness, and applicability to implementation goals for FY and alignment with the State Cancer Plan. SCCA staff and Coordinating Council members will discuss the implementation project described in the letter of intent with selected applicants. Second, based on the submission of letters of intent and review by Coordinating Council, selected applicants will be asked to submit full applications. Coordinating Council members will review the full applications from selected applicants and make funding decisions, which will occur through an invitation only process. Section 2. What is the (SCCA), and what does it do? The (SCCA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to decreasing the burden of cancer for all South Carolinians. By developing statewide, collaborative partnerships among individuals and organizations, our goals are to maximize the impact of current programs, to expand resources and capacity, and to eliminate cancer disparities. Together, we influence change and impact lives. The SCCA leads the development, implementation, and evaluation of the South Carolina Cancer Control Plan. The State Cancer Plan provides a road map of objectives and strategies for implementing our state s cancer prevention and control activities from and will be 1

2 reviewed annually to prioritize focus areas and to assess progress. To access the plan, go to: and select Cancer Plan from the menu on the left-hand side of the webpage. Alternatively, the plan can be accessed at From the menu on the left-hand side of the page, select State Cancer Plan. Section 3. Who can submit a letter of intent to the SCCA? The following groups, organizations, and/or individuals are eligible to submit a letter of intent: Community Groups Nonprofit Organizations Health Educators Academic Institutions Please note that indirect costs are not allowable expenses, although for the letter of intent, only an estimated budget is requested. Health Care Providers Cancer Prevention Advocates Section 4. What types of implementation projects will be considered for SCCA grants? Letters of intent describing implementation projects that address the following topic areas and meet all of the following criteria will be considered: 2 Projects must use policy, systems, and/or environmental approaches aligned with the mission of the SCCA and the State Cancer Plan. Policy, systems, and environmental change is a way of modifying the environment to encourage and support making the most educated, healthy choices practical and available to all community members. Changing laws and shaping physical landscapes can have a widespread and sustainable impact. By changing policies, systems and/or environments, communities can help tackle health issues like cancer. The environment in which people love affects how they live. People will make better, healthier decisions if unhealthy options are not as available to them and healthy options are the norm. Policy, systems, and environmental change make healthier choices a real, feasible option for every community member by looking at the laws, rules and environments that impact our behavior. o To access the State Cancer Plan, go to: and select Cancer Plan from the menu on the left-hand side of the webpage. Alternatively, the plan can be accessed at From the menu on the left-hand side of the page, select State Cancer Plan.

3 Projects proposing policy, systems, and/or environmental changes and focusing on one of the two following topic areas will be given priority: o Patient care and survivorship (such as cancer treatment and cancer care plans for survivors) o Health promotion and clinical linkages (such as cancer screening) Projects must be feasible. There must be a reasonable assumption of completion and success of the project given the resources and time available. Projects that align with one or more SCCA Workgroups will be given priority. For a list of Workgroups and contacts, go to: Projects that indicate a high potential for demonstrating measurable impact (i.e. high impact prevention and control) will be given priority. High impact prevention and control combines scientifically proven, cost-effective, and scalable interventions targeted to the right populations in the right geographic areas in order to achieve measurable, sustainable, outcomes demonstrating significant impact. Applied to cancer prevention and control, high impact prevention and control is an approach that seeks to consider not only program effectiveness but also the overall impact on cancer. While combining effective prevention and control tools is essential, it may not be enough. To maximize reductions in new cases of and deaths due to cancer, prevention and control strategies need to be combined in the smartest and most efficient ways possible for the populations and areas most affected by cancer. Policy, systems, and environmental change is a desired approach to lead to high impact cancer prevention and control. High impact prevention and control is when proposed implementation projects utilize policy, system, and/or environmental change strategies and demonstrate potential to specifically address and demonstrate measurable impact on one or more objectives in the State Cancer Plan and/or specific progress required in order to directly affect one or more objectives in the State Cancer Plan. Examples: Policy, Systems, and Environmental Changes Systems changes to increase patient navigation to connect community members to cancer screening resources and services in community and clinical settings may increase participation in types of cancer for which screening is recommended. 3

4 Media use (mass, small, social, etc.) to promote the primary and secondary prevention of breast, cervical, oral, skin, and/or colorectal cancer screenings may increase participation in types of cancer for which screening is recommended. Creating systems change to implement interdisciplinary workshops with local/statewide providers to encourage informed decision making around cancer screening and treatment can address cancer across the continuum. This type of approach focuses on increasing the capacity of a system to support cancer prevention and control. Increasing awareness of effective policy, systems, and/or environmental change approaches that support and promote primary prevention of cancer that address sun safety, indoor tanning, or vaccination preventable cancers may result in increased cancer prevention and control behavior. High Impact Prevention An implementation project focused on breast cancer, Goal 2, Objective 5: By December 31, 2015, to increase by 20 percent the percentage of patients receiving lumpectomy instead of mastectomy when appropriate, might utilize policy change and health promotion and clinical linkages to address this specific objective. The implementation project would demonstrate that health promotion and clinical linkages resulted in a measurable (ideally 20%) of patients receiving lumpectomy instead of mastectomy when appropriate by the end of the project period. Health promotion and clinical linkage strategies might include modifying clinical practice policies to carefully review and consider lumpectomy as opposed to mastectomy when appropriate and educating newly diagnosed patients and providers using different strategies, such as electronic medical record prompts, grand rounds seminars for providers, working with patient navigators to serve as educators for patients, and other suitable strategies. The implementation project would also address a population experiencing the greatest disparities in regard to receiving mastectomy as opposed to lumpectomy when appropriate. This may be defined by geographic region and/or race and ethnicity, age, and other demographic factors. High impact prevention and control implementation may encompass more than one objective in the State Cancer Plan and demonstrate additional measurable impact. Section 5. How can one submit a letter of intent to the SCCA? Letters of intent must be submitted electronically via to grants@sccanceralliance.org by 5:00 PM on Monday, April 14,

5 If you have additional questions or experience difficulty in submitting your request, contact our office during business hours at (803) or by sending an to While the SCCA will make every attempt to confirm receipt of your letter of intent, applicants are strongly encouraged to confirm receipt of the letter of intent by calling (803) if confirmation of receipt is not received within 24-hours of submission. Section 6. What information is required for letters of intent? Please submit a letter of intent with the following information. Letters of intent may be no more than three pages in length (single-spaced, 1/2 inch margins). Letters of intent should be signed by an authorized official (such as one of the designated contact persons) for your organization. Letters of intent that are more than three pages in length or do not follow the formatting guidelines will not be considered. Organization name and complete contact information (mailing address, telephone number, , and website, if applicable) Primary and secondary contact persons for organization with complete contact information Title and description of project Estimate of funds requested, up to $125,000 for the project period of July 1, 2014-June 15, 2015 (see unallowable expenses below) Define how the project will support implementation of specific goals and objectives in the State Cancer Plan Description of project s focus on policy, systems, and/or environmental change approach in the topic areas of 1) patient care and survivorship or 2) health promotion and clinical linkages Description of alignment with one or more SCCA Workgroups Description of organizational capacity and experience implementing cancer prevention and control activities and/or projects Emphasize the potential impact of the proposed project (throughout letter) Budget Information: Please note that only an estimated total budget is required as part of the letter of intent process. 5

6 Examples of expenses that CANNOT be supported include the following: Indirect costs Fringe benefits Equipment (furniture, laboratory equipment, etc.) costing $5,000 or more per item Food or beverages Rent for office space General operating support Clinical care (screening/surgical procedures to diagnose cancer) or cancer treatment services Research Construction or renovation of facilities Proprietary endeavors where the grantee stands to benefit financially Legislative advisory functions or lobbying Registration fees or travel Section 7. How will letters of intent be reviewed and evaluated? Upon receipt, letters of intent will be reviewed for completeness by the SCCA staff (incomplete or late letters of intent will not be considered). Letters of intent that are complete and responsive to the guidelines will then be evaluated by the SCCA Coordinating Council using the following criteria: Alignment with mission of SCCA Alignment with the State Cancer Plan Approach utilizes policy, systems, and environmental change strategies Focus on 1) patient care and survivorship or 2) health promotion and clinical linkages Feasibility and potential for high impact prevention and control Connection or potential connection to one or more SCCA Workgroups Overall assessment of responsiveness to the call for letters of intent Section 8. What happens if the project described in the letter of intent is selected? Selected applicants will be contacted by a member of the Coordinating Council to discuss the idea presented in the letter of intent in more detail. From this pool, selected applicants will be invited to submit a full application. Full application guidelines will be provided to selected applicants following the recommendations of the SCCA staff and Coordinating Council. 6