PRACTICE Frequently Asked Questions

The Request for Proposal (RFP) is now open. Every stage of the PRACTICE RFP application process will be managed through Submittable.

The Population Health Innovation Lab (PHIL), a program of the Public Health Institute (PHI), designs, catalyzes, and accelerates innovative approaches that advance health, well-being, and equity.

PHIL brings startup thinking to community health. We leverage the assets PHI has amassed over its 50 years at the forefront of public health–nationally ranked researchers, diverse and proven programs, strong infrastructure, and a wide network of partners–to improve health, wellbeing, and equity in a community.

We see innovation as a process: move fast, try new things, measure results, and find what works. Repeat. Share. Scale. Since 2016, we have partnered with funders, community-based organizations, government stakeholders, and directly with communities to co-create solutions that move beyond symptoms to address root-cause issues. We bring science, you bring local expertise, and together we use a proven system of change theories to get results. Learn more about PHIL.

In partnership with UCAAN, PHIL will lead the Request for Proposal, grantee contract, and award management, and the forthcoming grantee learning collaborative.

The UCLA-UCSF ACEs Aware Family Resilience Network (UCAAN) is a multi-campus initiative that will leverage the substantial interdisciplinary resources of UCSF’s and UCLA’s public health sciences campuses to screen patients for Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and develop, promote, and sustain evidence-based methods to address the impacts of trauma and toxic stress. 

Since 2019, the Office of the California Surgeon General (CA-OSG) and the California Department of Health Services (DHCS) have led ACEs Aware, a statewide initiative to train clinical teams to screen children and adults for ACEs in primary care settings and to treat the impacts of toxic stress with trauma-informed care and evidence-based interventions. The ACEs Aware initiative is built on the consensus of scientific evidence demonstrating that early detection and evidence-based intervention improve outcomes. As ACEs Aware continues to evolve, the initiative is moving into a new organizational home within the University of California. Learn more about UCAAN. 

Proposals are due by June 13, 2022, unless otherwise posted. A previous version of the RFP PDF inaccurately stated June 6, 2022.

Grantee teams must include members from each of the following:

• A primary care clinic or clinic consortia serving primarily Medi-Cal beneficiaries.
• A community-based organization (CBO).
• A Medi-Cal managed care plan serving the partnership community.

The lead applicant must be a primary care clinic or clinic consortia serving primarily Medi-Cal beneficiaries. ACE screening must have been implemented within clinical settings of the primary care clinic or the majority of the consortia members. For the clinic consortia, the consortium leader will be the lead applicant and will apply on behalf of their respective consortia membership.

Current and past ACEs Aware grantees are eligible to apply for this grant opportunity.

Past California ACEs Learning and Quality Improvement Collaborative (CALQIC) grantees are eligible to apply for this grant opportunity.

Grantee teams must include members from each of the following:

• Medi-Cal providers;
• Community-based organization; and
• Medi-Cal managed care plan serving the partnership community

The lead applicant must be a primary care clinic or clinic consortia serving primarily Medi-Cal beneficiaries. ACE screening must have been implemented within clinical settings of the primary care clinic or the majority of the consortia members. For the clinic consortia, the consortium leader will be the lead applicant and will apply on behalf of their respective consortia membership.

Current and past ACEs Aware grantees are eligible to apply for this grant opportunity.

Past California ACEs Learning and Quality Improvement Collaborative (CALQIC) grantees are eligible to apply for this grant opportunity.

In this context, a clinic consortia is a group of two or more clinics (in California, there are 15 regional clinic consortia). For the PRACTICE grant response, a consortium leader would be the lead entity that would apply on behalf of some or all their respective consortia membership. Rural and non-rural clinic sites are eligible for funding as part of a consortium. As the consortia lead entity, it would be their responsibility to complete all the work outlined in the grant response. The completion of the work can be by the lead entity/prime contractor or through a subcontract with partners.

The lead entity or prime contractor for the PRACTICE grant must be a Medi-Cal frontline primary care clinic and/or clinic consortia. PRACTICE backbone functions can include but are not limited to convening and coordinating with consortium members and other partners, including CBOs and health plans, ensuring work plan and data collection is on target could be completed by an organization through a subcontract with the lead entity/ prime contractor. 

Under this funding opportunity, there are two types of grantees: Pathfinders and Catalysts. Applicants will self-assess their grantee category based on milestones outlined in the ACEs Aware Trauma-Informed Network of Care Roadmap and the level descriptions in Figure 1: ACEs Aware Trauma-Informed Networks of Care Continuum of Integration. Successful applicants will be placed in the appropriate group.

• Pathfinders: These grantee teams are in the early stages of ACE screening, incorporating trauma-informed practices into care and forming community partnerships. Pathfinders will be operating at levels 3 or 4 in Figure 1: ACEs Aware Trauma-Informed Networks of Care Continuum of Integration (depicted below).
• Catalysts: These grantee teams have ACE screening, toxic stress response, and trauma-informed care practices integrated into operations through workflows and systems. They have existing strong collaboration and partnerships with CBOs that support service integration and linkages. Catalysts will be operating at levels 4 or 5 in Figure 1: ACEs Aware Trauma-Informed Networks of Care Continuum of Integration (depicted below).

Successful grant applicant teams will be notified in August 2022, unless otherwise posted.

The contract resulting from the RFP shall being on or around August 2022 and end June 2023, pending state budget approval.

Subcontracts will range from up to $500,000.00 for Pathfinders to up to $1,000,000 for Catalysts.

There will be up to 30 subcontracts total.

An informational webinar was held on Wednesday, May 11, 2022 from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. PDT. View the slides and a recording of the event on the PHIL Events page.

• Partnerships: Strengthen partnerships among community health centers and clinics, CBOs, and Medi-Cal managed care plans to screen for ACEs and respond to and help prevent toxic stress with support from the academic UCAAN partnership to ensure academic rigor in these efforts.

• Services development: Develop sustainable, community-informed, evidence-based services that treat and prevent toxic stress physiology and ACE-Associated Health Conditions among Medi-Cal beneficiaries.

• Workforce development: Build a sustainable workforce that supports ACE screening, toxic stress response, and prevention of ACEs, toxic stress, and ACE-Associated Health Conditions, utilizing equitable and data-driven approaches.

The original May 13 Letter of Intent deadline for the PRACTICE Request for Proposal (RFP) has been extended to May 25, 2022 at 5 p.m. PDT. Interested applicants must complete the non-binding Letter of Intent form on the online submission portal to be able to submit a response to the RFP.

Every stage of the PRACTICE Request for Proposal (RFP) application process will be managed through Submittable. All application materials — including the Letter of Intent and RFP application — will be submitted through this portal. Only electronic applications received via Submittable will be accepted.

• Step 1: Complete Eligibility Form — Interested applicants must complete the Eligibility Form by 5:00 PM (PDT) on May 13, 2022 to access the Letter of Intent.
• Step 2: Submit Letter of Intent — Interested applicants must submit their Letter of Intent by 5:00 PM (PDT) on May 13, 2022 to access the full RFP. After submitting the Letter of Intent, you will receive an email invitation to complete the PRACTICE RFP from the Population Health Innovation Lab through Submittable. Invitation emails will be sent on May 16.
• Step 3: Apply for PRACTICE — Interested applicants must complete the RFP in Submittable by 5:00 PM (PDT) on June 13, 2022.