What is Participatory Action Research?

The participatory action research methodology is based on the principle that research should be conducted with people, not for or on them. The researchers and community members that make up the research team are active co-participants who learn from one another. The research is grounded in critical reflection and is action-oriented, seeking to influence systemic change.

Overview of Grants

Participatory Action Research (PAR) grants fund health-related research projects that investigate and understand the root causes of pressing health issues affecting our communities in BC. By focusing on the social determinants of health, such as education, employment, and healthcare— these grants play a critical role in generating knowledge and informing policy that invests in community health.

The research must be a collaboration between a community service organization and an institution with access to an ethics board, such as a university, health authority, or other research-based organization.

If the number of applications we receive is greater than the funding we have available, then we will prioritize:

• Projects that are co-led by communities who are disproportionately impacted by racism and other discriminatory behaviours and beliefs within health systems
• Research teams that include as many community members as professional researchers
• Research projects that bring an intersectional lens to the work

Types of Grants

We offer two different grant types to reflect the various stages of a participatory action research process: Convene and Investigate.

1. Convene Grants (up to $25,000, for up to one year)

Convene grants are short-term grants to help teams to unpack a complex health issue and to question the systemic behaviours that have created that issue, or that are holding the issue in place. Convene grants help teams to articulate a research question and to develop a participatory research project plan that can then be submitted to funding organizations in the future. The funding requested should be distributed equitably between the convening process and the community’s participation in that process. Convene grants are a one-stage application.

2. Investigate Grants (up to $100,000 per year, for up to three years)

Investigate grants are multi-year grants to help teams answer a research question, analyze their findings, and share knowledge in a way that supports the community to take action in the future. Investigate grants have a two-stage application process. Applicants begin their application by completing the first stage of questions and, if successful, are then invited to complete the remaining questions.

Contact

If you have questions about the Participatory Action Research (PAR) grants, please email us at grants.admin@vancouverfoundation.ca