

The Rural Global Health Partnership Initiative (RGHPI) is a new program providing funding to support partnerships between rural BC physicians or medical trainees committed to rural service, and lower resource communities in BC, Canada, and in developing countries. Global Health is defined as “the area of study, research and practice that places a priority on improving health and achieving equity in health for all people worldwide” (Koplan, et al). More simply, it is “a discipline that advances efforts to improve the well-being of people and the planet.” (K. Martin, CUGH).
The goals of this initiative are: to promote and enhance capacity for generalism in the health services of communities in rural BC; to foster reciprocal learning in diverse health systems and community contexts; to demonstrate how global health (local and international) community partnerships can heighten awareness, create innovative solutions to address healthcare challenges in rural BC, Canada, and globally, and lead to improved health outcomes, especially for underserved, marginalized, and indigenous populations.
Eligible applicants
Criteria
Projects must demonstrate a commitment to ethical partnership and aligned goals among all participants and participating communities and be based on the following principles:
Activities ineligible for funding include: tuition costs for courses; salary remuneration for applicants; projects where no clear partner in the community served is identified (eg. NGO, community organization, institution, etc.); projects where the primary focus is transient clinical service delivery by foreigners in a developing country; and projects where the partner community is not significantly involved in determining project focus, goals, methodology, and implementation.
Funding
Applicants may apply for grant categories up to $5,000 and $10,000. This support can be applied towards project implementation, licensing fees, travel and living expenses. Travel and living expenses may not exceed $3,000 per application. Please note that proposals where the budget predominantly focuses on personal costs of travel will not be considered.
Funds may only be used for activities taking place after the approval of the application. Successful applicants will be asked to identify the recipient that will administer the funds (eg. university, NGO, medical corporation, etc). A T4A will be issued if the funding is received by an individual.
Application
To apply for the Rural Global Health Partnership Initiative, please download and complete the two forms below and submit along with the required supporting documents to apeltonen@rccbc.ca. The application deadline is April 30, 2021. Please note that only complete applications including all supporting documents will be reviewed.
For more information about the Rural Global Health Partnership Initiative contact Adrienne Peltonen at apeltonen@rccbc.ca. You may also find helpful information for developing your application on this list of resources.
The Rural Global Health Partnership Initiative is supported by the Rural Coordination Centre of BC and the Joint Standing Committee on Rural Issues (JSC).
620 – 1665 West Broadway
Vancouver, BC V6J 1X1
T: 604 738-8222
Toll Free: 1-877-908-8222
F: 604 738-8218
E: info@rccbc.ca