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. 2025 Mar;26(2):213-218.
doi: 10.1177/15248399231221157. Epub 2023 Dec 28.

Building Research for Academic and Community Equity (BRACE): A Toolkit for Community Research Partnerships

Jacqueline Dolata  1   2 , Cyleste Collins  3 , Jeri Jewett-Tennant  2 , Elodie Nonguierma  1   2 , Julie Merker  4 , Diane Mastnardo  5 , Cathy Vue  6 , Kimberly Kiley  7 , Patricia Terstenyak  8
Affiliations

Building Research for Academic and Community Equity (BRACE): A Toolkit for Community Research Partnerships

Jacqueline Dolata et al. Health Promot Pract. 2025 Mar.

Abstract

Health and human service community organizations and researchers have important insights and resources to share with each other, yet often have very little information about how to interact in meaningful and equitable ways. Conceptualized by and for community organization professionals wanting to equitably interact with academic researchers, BRACE (Building Research for Academic and Community Equity) is a toolkit easily accessible to community members which explains research information and jargon in clear terms. BRACE uses community-based participatory research (CBPR) principles to guide both community organizations and academics seeking to partner on research. The BRACE toolkit's two main sections focus on identifying ideal aspects of community-academic research partnerships and writing grant proposals. Tools such as BRACE have the potential to increase the impact of community-engaged research by providing concrete guides for building partnerships and potentially sustaining them through grant funding.

Keywords: community health partnerships; community health research; community-based participatory research; community-engaged research; community/academic partnerships; health disparities; toolkit.

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Conflict of interest statement

No authors report conflicts of interest.

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