Springboard Public Health grants
The most pressing public health challenges of our time do not fit neatly within a single discipline, profession, or geographic boundary. Addressing them requires collaboration across human and animal health, nutrition, the environment, technology, policy, and the social determinants of health. With Tufts' distinctive constellation as a liberal arts institution with professional schools and broad-reaching interdisciplinary expertise, there is an opportunity to convene these perspectives and grow innovative, globally relevant education opportunities for Tufts learners.
In 2024, Tufts charged a Public Health Task Force of faculty and staff, along with an external think tank of public health experts, to build a roadmap for an integrated approach to public health education at Tufts. This effort, which culminated in the Public Health Taskforce Report, aimed to harness Tufts’ unique strengths, adapt to evolving global needs, and prepare the next generation of public health leaders. This work is now being carried forwarded by the Public Health Council, a group of Tufts faculty and public health leaders charged with implementing the Report recommendations.
PRIORITIES
Springboard Public Health grants advance the Tufts Beyond 175 Strategic Vision by supporting interdisciplinary academic innovation in public health that connect schools, colleges, and central units in the creation and implementation of transformative, flexible, scalable and inclusive learning opportunities. Springboard Public Health grants support programs that prepare the next generation of public health leaders to tackle complex challenges at the intersection of human, animal, environmental, and technological systems.
Innovation at Tufts is deeply rooted in the leadership and creativity of its faculty who serve as the intellectual and operational drivers of new programming. Funded Springboard Public Health grant teams become part of the broader university community as a cohort supported by the Office of the Vice Provost for Education (OVPE) and the Impact Learning Network.
GOALS
Funded projects will provide transdisciplinary educational and experiential learning for public health professionals including current degree program students, alumni, medical doctors, veterinarians, public health practitioners, dentists, engineers, environmental scientists, NGO professionals, administrators, and managers in various stages of their careers, through opportunities to enhance, enrich and diversify their skills to solve specific public health problems in real world settings. Through these experiences, funded projects may offer certificates of participation, badges, internships, course credit, and continuing education units in partnership with accredited CE programs in the professional schools. Faculty and staff may apply for direct funding and/or in-kind support e.g. marketing and communications, networking, micro-credential development, industry partnerships, and institutional support through Tufts Educational Technology Services (ETS) University College, and the Center for the Enhancement of Learning and Teaching (CELT). Fiscal support will complement intramural funding opportunities available through Tufts schools and units and are not meant to replace school funds. Springboard grants may also be used to supplement already funded projects. Grants will be awarded up to $35,000; however, proposals seeking <$10,000 are welcome and will be fully considered. These time-limited grants should be considered seed money rather than continuing support.
Springboard Public Health Lead Team Members play a pivotal role in proposing, designing, and managing Springboard Public Health’s diverse set of learning activities, ensuring that each offering aligns with the mission, maintains high academic standards, and responds to real-world global health needs. Lead Team Members are also integral to the financial sustainability of their Springboard funded projects. Each Lead will hold the responsibility of rescheduling, postponing or cancelling their proposed activities should anticipated demand for programming not materialize as expected. By integrating diverse expertise and hands-on experiences, Springboard Public Health grants empower faculty, student, and alumni to address current and evolving global health issues using transformative solutions rooted in innovation and collaboration - making it not only a lifelong learning program, but an incubator for global health innovation and leadership.
Q&A DROP-IN SESSIONS
Senior Associate Vice Provost for Education, Mary Davis will be holding Q&A office hours for those interested in applying to Springboard Public Health grants. These sessions will take place via Zoom on:
QUESTIONS
If you have questions about the process or would like to discuss an idea before submitting a proposal, please contact ovp.education@tufts.edu.
To be eligible for funding and/or in-kind support, a project will advance the Tufts Beyond 175 strategic vision by:
- Developing an innovative learning opportunity or educational programming anchored in experiential learning and/or pedagogical best practices.
- Supporting the development of Tufts students as responsible leaders and change makers who are driven to advance social good.
- Representing, including, and empowering the broad Tufts community of learners.
- Bringing together an interdisciplinary and cross-university team, including members from at least two schools at Tufts.
- We encourage teams to include external community and/or industry partners.
- We welcome applications from cross-school interdisciplinary teams.
- The Lead Team Member must be a current faculty or staff member who has a primary appointment with the University. Tufts faculty and staff from any department, school, and division are welcome to apply.
- The project team may include Tufts faculty or staff, as well as community members, students, alumni, employers, etc.
- Past recipients are eligible to apply if the project is distinct or represents an innovative extension to their previously funded project.
Selected teams are highly encouraged to leverage university resources, such as Tufts Technology Services Design Practice, Global Tufts, the Office for Institutional Research, Tufts Educational Technology Services, University College, and the Center for the Enhancement of Learning and Teaching, with the goal of supporting the current and future work of the project. Throughout the lifecycle of the activity, Springboard teams will make data-informed decisions, including evaluating whether to proceed, delay, or cancel offerings if enrollment falls short of minimum targets. After completion, Lead Team Members gather feedback and evaluations from participants to assess impact, identify lessons learned, and ensure continuous improvement. Funded Springboard grant teams will also meet with OVPE throughout the duration of the project, and a final report and presentation is expected.
The proposed project should be completable within one calendar year.
Proposals for in-kind support only will be reviewed on a rolling basis. The timeline for funded proposal submissions is detailed below. An off-cycle proposal may be considered dependent on several factors, including availability of funds.
Timeline:
- Call for Proposals released: October 7, 2026
- Applications Due: November 30, 2026
- Award performance period begins: January 1, 2027
- Award performance period ends: December 31, 2027
Applicants who receive Springboard grants will meet with OVPE at the beginning of the award period and will provide quarterly updates on the progress of the project. Following the conclusion of the project, teams will provide a final report and presentation describing the project’s activity, impact, and lessons learned.
Eligible Funding Categories:
- Project-related supplies, materials, and equipment that are outside of pre-existing resources available at the school, department, or unit level
- Student and participation compensation for studies involving human subjects; technological tools that enable the project’s evaluation
- Marketing & recruitment efforts; student compensation for project support; stipend and honoraria with sufficient justification
- Experiential opportunities for students; reasonable requests for faculty and staff will be considered for travel that is core to the goal, outcomes, and impact of the project
- Development funds for credentials including but not limited to certificates of participation, badges, internships, course credit, and continuing education units
- Modest requests for faculty stipends, i.e., to support the development of innovative curricular tools and online materials
- Any expense not included in the above and below categories will be considered with justification
Ineligible Funding Categories:
- Travel to conferences or professional meetings
- Tuition and scholarship costs
- Student health insurance
- Indirect costs and overhead
- Salary for faculty, with the exception of stipends for specific activities
- Salary for collaborators outside of Tufts, with the exception of stipends and honoraria for specific activities
Please note the following:
- Proposals should be developed in consultation with the appropriate department chair, curriculum committees, and school-based policies.
- Funds can be requested for equipment if the equipment will be primarily used by Tufts faculty, students, and staff for the proposed activities or experiments described in the proposal.
- All expenditures must be made by the project end date, and any unused funds will revert to OVPE.
- The Springboard Lead Team Member will be responsible for financially managing the award.
- If seed funding is granted and the Springboard team is using human subjects, funds cannot be disbursed until after project approval by the Tufts Institutional Review Board (IRB).
All applications must be submitted electronically via Qualtrics. Projects descriptions, budgets, and other supporting materials may be uploaded directly during the application process.
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- Description (450 words): Describe the goal of the project and provide an overview of the main activities/components. Detail how this project addresses an important public health challenge through education. How does the project align with the Tufts Beyond 175 strategic plan and the cross-school Public Health Initiative at Tufts?
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- Approach & rationale (450 words): Describe the approach or methodology that this public health project is taking to advance its goal and provide a rationale for those choices. What is new about this approach, and why do you expect it to be successful? What led you to this approach? Does it build on previous pilot work or experience?
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- Outcomes (450 words): Describe how the proposal will provide a transformative public health experience for Tufts learners. How will this project impact learners, the community, faculty/staff, and/or Tufts institutional capacity for public health innovation and collaboration?
- Key personnel (100 words per collaborator): Briefly explain the role of each collaborator on the project and how their expertise and experience allow them to contribute to the success of this initiative. What is the value of the unique collaboration developed by bringing together this team?
- Assessment plan (900 words): Provide a plan for how you will learn from the successes and challenges of this initiative. Describe what will constitute success, and how you will understand your impact. How will this information be shared or used to improve the program?
- Sustainability, scalability and lasting impact plan (800 words): If the project is successful, how do you plan to ensure its continued impact on the Tufts community after your funding has ended and what are your anticipated enrollments moving forward? How will you share resources created during this project? How will lessons learned be shared to enhance learning at Tufts? How do you plan to continue and/or scale up the initiative after the initial funding period has ended, and what resources would be required?
Describe how this project fits within both you department curriculum and school strategic priorities.
- Budget Justification: Outline each budget item, the total request, and the justification for expenses.
- Chair Support: A brief email confirmation of support from the Department Chair of the Lead Team Member is required. Emails should be sent to ovp.education@tufts.edu prior to the application deadline.
- Project Goal Alignment - The project clearly aligns with the TB175 and will be meaningful for Tufts learners.
- Feasibility & Potential Impact The project should be feasible given the requested resources and time frame, and team should have the required expertise to successfully lead the project.
- Innovative – The project should be a novel approach or opportunity for Tufts.
- Collaborative – The project is cross- or multi-disciplinary and collaborative.
- Evidence-based & Transformative – The project will meaningfully engage learners through evidence-based pedagogical approaches.
- Sustainability & Scalability – The project has the resources needed for success, as well as a plan for how the program will be sustained and scaled beyond the award period.
- Impact Assessment – The project has a robust plan for how learner experiences will be understood and evaluated, and how insights from this project will be shared.
Proposal review will be led by OVPE and a subset of the Public Health Faculty Council as well as representatives from CELT and ETS.
Selected teams will be notified within four weeks of the submission deadline. Applicants for in-kind support only will be notified shortly after their submission.