Apply now for Participatory Action Research Grants (Canada)

Deadline: 13-Oct-2026

The Vancouver Foundation’s Participatory Action Research (PAR) Grants support health-related research projects co-led by community organizations and research institutions in partnership. Funding is available through two streams: Convene Grants of up to $25,000 for one year and Investigate Grants of up to $100,000 per year for three years, providing up to $300,000 total for research, knowledge sharing, and action on health issues. The Vancouver Foundation’s Participatory Action Research Grants support collaborative research that brings together community organizations and research institutions to address important health issues. The programme uses participatory action research methods, which emphasize equal partnerships between researchers and communities. This approach combines research expertise with the lived experiences of community members to better understand the causes of health challenges and develop knowledge that can contribute to meaningful action. Participatory Action Research is a collaborative research approach in which people affected by an issue actively participate in the research process. Under this programme, community organizations and research institutions are expected to work as equal partners.

The approach brings together:

PAR projects must focus on a specific health issue or clearly defined community-level health outcome. The proposed research must explain a direct and logical connection between the issue being studied and its effect on health or well-being.

Eligible research may address:

Projects should clearly demonstrate how the proposed research will contribute to understanding or addressing the identified health outcome. Social determinants of health can be included in a PAR project, but there must be a clear connection to a specific health outcome. For example, a project may examine a social or community factor when the research clearly explains how that factor contributes to a particular physical or mental health outcome. Projects that examine social determinants without establishing a clear connection to a specific health outcome are not eligible. Applicants should therefore establish a clear causal pathway between the issue being investigated and health or well-being.

The programme offers two funding streams: Convene Grants and Investigate Grants.

Convene Grants provide up to $25,000 for up to one year. This stream is intended for teams that need support to establish or strengthen their research partnership and develop a viable research project.

Funding can help partners:

The Convene stream can be particularly relevant to partnerships that are in the early stages of developing a participatory research project. Investigate Grants provide up to $100,000 per year for three years. The maximum total funding available through this stream is $300,000. Investigate funding supports established teams as they carry out research and work toward applying their findings.

Activities may include:

Eligible applicants must meet the Vancouver Foundation’s requirements for qualified donees. Applications must be submitted as a partnership between: Examples of institutions that may have access to a research ethics board include: The partnership must already be established before the application is submitted. Each application must have two co-principal investigators. One co-principal investigator must represent the community organization, while the other must represent the research institution. This structure reflects the programme’s emphasis on shared leadership and equal partnership between community and research perspectives. An individual can serve as a co-principal investigator on only one application per funding cycle. The community organization and research institution should establish a meaningful working relationship before applying.

The partnership should demonstrate:

The research partnership should not simply involve a research institution conducting research for a community. Both partners are expected to contribute to the research process. A strong application should clearly connect the community’s experience with the proposed research question and health outcome.

Applicants should explain:

For projects involving social determinants of health, applicants should explicitly explain the causal pathway connecting the determinant to the specific health outcome. Participatory research can help ensure that health research reflects the realities of the communities most directly affected by an issue. Combining lived experience with research expertise can help teams identify important questions, understand local contexts, interpret findings, and develop knowledge that is relevant to community action. The PAR Grants programme therefore supports research as a collaborative process rather than treating community members only as research subjects. They are grants supporting collaborative health-related research co-led by community organizations and research institutions using participatory action research methods. Convene Grants provide up to $25,000 for one year, while Investigate Grants provide up to $100,000 per year for three years, for a maximum of $300,000. Convene Grants help teams come together, develop research questions, and create a viable project plan. Investigate Grants support established teams in conducting research, analyzing findings, sharing knowledge, and supporting action. Yes, but the project must clearly demonstrate a direct and logical connection between the social determinant and a specific health outcome. Projects without a clear health outcome are not eligible. Each application must be a partnership between a qualifying community organization and a research institution with access to a research ethics board. Each application must have two co-principal investigators—one representing the community organization and one representing the research institution. No. An individual may serve as a co-principal investigator on only one applicati