The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) launched the Partnering for Vaccine Equity (P4VE) program in 2020 to address racial and ethnic disparities in adult immunization rates, particularly for COVID-19 and influenza. In 2021, P4VE directed $156 million to over 500 national, state, and community-based organizations (CBOs) to improve equitable access to vaccination in communities by promoting vaccine confidence and addressing barriers to vaccination opportunities.

The Urban Institute is partnering with CDC to support a subset of CBOs participating in the P4VE program. In the first year of the P4VE initiative (April 30, 2021, to April 29, 2022), the Urban Institute provided grant subawards and tailored program support and technical assistance to 29 CBOs. This report presents findings from an evaluation of CBOs’ performance on P4VE program objectives in the first year, including challenges and successes CBOs experienced in their efforts to improve vaccine equity.

Why This Matters

Research suggests systemic structural barriers–such as inadequate public health infrastructure and lack of paid time off or sick leave through employment–are at the root of racial and ethnic disparities in vaccination rates. The P4VE program was designed to address these barriers by supporting trusted local CBOs to develop culturally and linguistically effective outreach and organize accessible vaccination clinics. Lessons from P4VE could inform broader public health and health equity efforts.

What We Found

Most CBOs focused on COVID-19-related vaccination efforts in racial and ethnic minority communities. Barriers to vaccine uptake among populations served include: (1) mistrust of government and health care institutions; (2) misinformation and lack of reliable vaccine information; (3) barriers to accessing vaccination sites, such as lack of transportation or limited job flexibility; and (4) unmet social needs such as housing and food insecurity that often take precedence over preventive health care.

CBOs found that the P4VE program structure and resources lent themselves well to addressing these challenges. CBOs reported that training trusted influential messengers; hosting community events; and fostering partnerships with local health and social service providers, community leaders, and other community-focused organizations effectively engaged priority populations and lowered access barriers.

In the first year of P4VE, Urban CBO subgrantees collectively

• trained over 7,700 community messengers,
• hosted over 1,200 educational events,
• developed almost 14,000 communication products,
• educated more than 5 million people through communication campaigns,
• established over 2,200 vaccination sites, and
• vaccinated more than 105,000 people against COVID-19 and/or influenza.