Community-based organizations (CBOs) work directly in communities and understand ongoing challenges and inequities but are often left out of funding opportunities to improve health.

Research funding traditionally flows to academic institutions instead of CBOs, creating a power imbalance and making it difficult to incorporate lived experience into research efforts. 

Community-led research is an underutilized and underfunded approach that can empower and enable communities and researchers to co-create and implement solutions that tackle systemic inequities.

Community members have a unique understanding of community needs, and community-based organizations can be used as a lever to drive research efforts.

Funders can encourage community-led research by:

• Adjusting grant applications to include community-based organizations
• Recognizing historical biases that may prevent direct funding to communities
• Positioning community members as leaders in research and involving them in all stages of research development