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 (Urban) is one of several national intermediary entities responsible for recruiting, overseeing, and supporting CBOs participating in the P4VE program. In the first year of the P4VE initiative, the Urban Institute worked with 29 CBOs focused on addressing barriers to COVID-19 vaccines in racially and ethnically diverse and underresourced communities. This report describes and assesses Urban’s technical assistance and grant management support delivered to CBO awardees to help them implement program activities, comply with federal grant requirements, and grow organizational capacity to promote vaccine equity.
WHY THIS MATTERS
Research suggests systemic structural barriers–such as inadequate public health infrastructure and lack of culturally and linguistically effective information–drive racial and ethnic disparities in vaccination rates. The P4VE program was designed to address these barriers by recruiting trusted local CBOs to develop educational campaigns and promote vaccine uptake in underserved communities. National intermediary organizations provide funding, oversight, and targeted supports to CBOs that otherwise may not have the infrastructure or capacity to apply for or meet federal grant program requirements.
WHAT WE FOUND
Our findings suggest that coupling federal funding with enhanced grant management and technical assistance provided by skilled intermediary organizations is a promising strategy for including hyper-local, grassroots, and often lower-resourced CBOs in national public health initiatives. In addition, the intermediary-facilitated participation of local CBOs enables the federal government to “keep an ear to the ground” and respond swiftly to current developments and CBO feedback. Future research could provide a better understanding and evidence on the impact of this strategy, which will be informative not only for ongoing vaccine equity efforts but also for broader public health and health equity initiatives aiming to engage underserved communities.