HRA DEI Community Call: Inclusive Grantmaking Initiative Open Discussion [April 12, 2023]

• Recording of the session
• Slide Deck
• View or contribute to the Google Jamboard

This DEI Community Call featured the Health Research Alliance Inclusive Grantmaking Initiative (IGI). Jenna Hicks, IGI Project Lead, reviewed the background of the IGI, outlined the proposed approach for the IGI, and solicited HRA member input on the IGI via open discussion using a Jamboard (see pictures below).

Attendees shared their ideas in response to the question “What topics, strategies, or resources do you think the Inclusive Grantmaking Initiative should consider?

Themes that emerged from attendees’ responses:

1. Best practices (e.g., for recruiting diverse reviewer panels and applicants, for considering diversity in the context of funding internationally, assessing applicants’ DEI contributions)
2. Organizational priorities and goals (how to develop organizational philosophies around DEI, how to set organizational priorities, what information should be gathered to inform organizational priorities and goals)
3. Capitalize on existing resources (like those offered through the Open Research Funders Group, or HRA Open and HRA Analyzer)
4. Strategies for evaluating DEI-related efforts
5. Recommended language (e.g., sharing DEI statements in RFAs, requesting demographic data, stating the purpose for requesting demographic data)
6. Conceptualizing diversity and inclusivity (how is diversity being defined, and who is being referred to when the term “inclusivity” is used?)

Attendees also shared their ideas in response to the question “In two years from now, what do you think the Inclusive Grantmaking Initiative should have accomplished in order to be considered ‘successful’?”

Themes that emerged from attendees responses:

1. Tools for consistent collection of demographic data
2. Resource document(s) containing best practices and sample language that are organized, accessible, and easily navigatable
3. Collection and dissemination of successful HRA member efforts
4. Establishment of measures of success and means to evaluate those measures

These ideas are all summarized succinctly by one attendee: “Solve all problems in the world.”