CBPR partnerships, policy and products: A community perspective

While considerable research focuses on starting community-based participatory research (CBPR) projects, fewer studies have focused on the policies and practices that can undermine sustaining community-institutional partnerships. While partnerships often develop guidelines outlining how they will work together, changes in the policies and practices of institutional partners can threaten the viability of even the most well established partnerships. Community-institutional partnerships can be especially vulnerable when joint ventures are impinged upon by the policies of institutional partners acting as grant administrators and fiduciaries. Programs that originate from community-based organizations (CBOs) or are developed with community involvement from their inception can be a critical asset in addressing complex health issues. CBO-based projects often are culturally appropriate and ecologically congruent with community capacity and norms. When sharing their intellectual property in the development of projects intended to be carried out within a collaborative partnership, however, CBOs must have faith that they will be appropriately involved and compensated once funding for the programs that are often their primary source of fiscal health is awarded. This presentation will illustrate the critical importance of institutions protecting their partners and partnerships by being consistent over time in interpreting policies in ways that are in accordance with contractual agreements, CBPR principles, and partnership viability. Utilizing examples from over a decade of CBPR experience, community representatives will describe how changes in how institutions interpret and implement policies within their own organizations can adversely affect CBPR partnerships they are members of, CBPR projects, and CBO partners.