Pilot Award: Call for Proposals 

Awards are contingent upon the availability of funds. ARC-BH reserves the right to modify the number, size, or timing of awards based on available funding and program priorities.  

• Funding Amount: Up to $20,000 in total funding (direct + indirect) is available for the 2026-27 funding cycle. Depending on the number and quality of applications, ARC-BH may fund one project up to $20,000 or multiple projects whose combined awards do not exceed the total funds available for that cycle. 

• Project Length: 12 months 

• Number of Awards: One or more awards may be made, depending on funding and proposal fit 

 

Who Can Apply 

We welcome applications from: 

• Community‑based organizations 

• Clinics or health systems 

• School districts or service agencies 

• Universities or academic institutions 

*ARC‑BH Steering Committee members and their organizations are eligible to apply.  

Note: Foreign entities are not eligible to apply 

 

Team Requirements: Each project should name an Organizational Lead to keep the project moving forward. Because this is a collaborative award, each project team must include both a researcher/evaluator and a community partner. The lead can be either a researcher or community partner. 

 

What Types of Projects Are a Good Fit 

Projects should address a practical research question at an organizational or district-wide level that will provide generalizable findings important to both the community and the research field. Here are a few examples of what a good fit looks like: 

• How can a district implementation leadership strategy best be adapted to support school-wide implementation of autism evidence-based interventions?  

• How do we best match organizational implementation strategies to specific implementation barriers? 

• Which organizational supports are most effective for increasing fidelity to evidence-based autism practices? 

• Which implementation leadership strategies are best for improving sustainment of evidence-based practices?  

• How do organizational implementation strategies need to be adapted for community organizations service rural or under-resourced settings? 

 

 

Required Deliverables 

Awardees must develop a timeline and project deliverables. This may be done in collaboration with the ARC-BH consultation team. 

 

Awardees must: 

• Submit brief quarterly updates of deliverables, accomplishments and challenges 

• Provide a final report with study findings, outcomes and dissemination efforts 

• Submit a final financial report  

• Work with the ARC-BH to disseminate findings to multiple research and community groups 

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Application Requirements 

Applications can be emailed to arc-bh@health.ucdavis.edu 

 

The application should include: 

 

1.    Project Description 3-to-5-page application written in clear, accessible language that includes:  

a) Background and importance

• The Problem: What specific challenge or need does your project focus on? 

• Why It Matters: Why is it important to answer this specific question right now? 

• ARC-BH Connection: How does your project match the goals of ARC-BH (building capacity, using ARC-BH research tools, or testing or adapting organization level implementation strategies)? 

 

b) Your Plan (Approach & Strategy) 

• Who & Where: Who will take part in your project (e.g., autistic individuals, families, staff, clinic leaders), and what public service system or community setting are you working in? 

• Your Questions: What specific questions are you trying to answer? 

• Your Steps: Exactly what will you do to answer those questions? 

• Data Sources: What data will you use to answer your questions? —e.g., the ARC-BH InPractice Data Repository; survey data; observational data? 

• The Big Strategy: What organizational implementation strategy are you testing, developing, analyzing data about, or adapting?  

 

c) What You Expect to Find & Future Steps 

• Your Guess (Hypothesis): What do you think will happen? 

• Measuring Success: How will you measure your success? What tools or ARC-BH surveys (like surveys on leadership or staff attitudes) will you use? 

• The Takeaway: What lessons, recommendations, or real-world changes do you expect to get from this? 

• Next Steps: What bigger projects, future studies, or larger grant applications will this small pilot project help you launch? 

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d) Sharing What You Learn 

• Spreading the Word: What is your dissemination plan? How will you share your results with the community, families, and clinic leaders, as well as university researchers? 

• Working Together: How do you plan to use ARC-BH’s networks and platforms to help get your findings out to the public? 

 

 

2.    Budget: A simple budget and explanation of how funds will be used

 

3.    Resources and Team: Information about the organization and qualifications of the team. How will the team work together to complete the project. Who will be responsible for each aspect of the project? Who are the research and community partners?

 

4.    References (not included in the page limit)

 

5.    Biosketch or Resume: Please include a biosketch or resume for key personnel.  

 

Review Process 

Proposals will be evaluated by 4 reviewers (2 research reviewers and 2 community reviewers) using the following 2 scoring systems: 

 

National Institute of Health (NIH) Simplified Peer Review Framework 

• Factor 1 Importance of the Research (Should it be done?) 

• Factor 2. Rigor and Feasibility (Can it be done well?) 

• Factor 3. Expertise and Resources (Are the expertise and resources in place to do it?) 

 

Community Based Review 

• Strength of community engagement 

• Potential impact on the community 

•  Impact on human health 

 

Reviews will also consider how the project incorporates the ARC-BH infrastructure.  

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Application Deadline: November 1, 2026

Applications can be emailed to arc-bh@health.ucdavis.edu