Foundation Feature: An Introduction to the PCORI Engagement Awards: Building Foundations for Future Research

The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) is a leading national funder of health research that centers patients, caregivers, and communities in the design and delivery of care. For Stony Brook faculty interested in launching or expanding stakeholder-engaged research, PCORI’s Engagement Awards offer an excellent first step.

Unlike traditional research grants, Engagement Awards fund projects that prepare people and communities to engage in or disseminate patient-centered outcomes research (PCOR). These projects can be an ideal entry point for faculty building new partnerships, exploring health priorities with underserved populations, or co-developing programs with patient and clinician stakeholders.

Three types of Engagement Awards are available:

• Capacity Building Awards – to increase understanding and readiness to participate in PCOR/CER.
• Stakeholder Convening Awards – to host meetings that identify shared research priorities or foster new collaborations.
• Dissemination Initiative Awards – to help communities understand and act on PCORI-funded research findings.

Awards typically range from $100,000 to $250,000 for projects lasting up to two years, with a strong emphasis on advancing health equity, lived experience, and authentic stakeholder input. These are not research grants, they do not require preliminary data or hypotheses, and are well suited to early-phase, exploratory, and relationship-driven work.

For many institutions, Engagement Awards have led to larger PCORI Research Awards, including:

• Broad Pragmatic Studies, focused on real-world comparative effectiveness.
• Targeted PFAs on topics such as maternal health and multiple chronic conditions.
• And Implementation Awards, which help translate research findings into clinical or community practice.

By starting with an Engagement Award, faculty can build the trust, capacity, and infrastructure necessary for long-term success with PCORI and other community-centered funders.

The next Engagement Award Letters of Intent are due on September 29, 2025 at 5pm ET. You can learn more about these awards by visiting the program pages and viewing the informational webinars available at pcori.org/funding-opportunities.

If you’re curious about whether your idea is a good fit — or would like help developing a proposal —contact Jason Phillips, director of foundation relations, at jason.phillips.1@stonybrook.edu.

Examples of previously funded projects:

Capacity Building Awards 

Plain Communities Health Consortium
Project Lead: Mathew Edick, B.S., Ph.D.
Organization: Michigan Public Health Institute (MPHI)
Project Budget: $250,000

Latinx and Indigenous Mexican Communities Partnering for Improved Mental Health
Project Lead: Ann Cheney, M.A., Ph.D.
Organization: Regents of the University of California, on behalf of its Riverside campus
Project Budget: $250,000

Stakeholder Convening Awards 

Speak for Yourself: Patient-Centered Research Network for People with Disabilities & Their Families
Project Lead: Randi Moore
Organization: United Cerebral Palsy
Project Budget: $218,939

LIDERES Institute: Leaders in Designing Equitable Research Engagement through Servingness
Project Lead : Aileen Wong, AuD
Other Project Lead: Nicole Marrone, PhD
Organization: Arizona Board of Regents on behalf of the University of Arizona
Project Budget: $99,999