Clinical Effectiveness and Patient Safety (CEPS) Grant Program

2026 Grant Timeline
February 2	Request for Letters of Intent released
March 27	Letters of Intent due
Late April	Applicants notified of decisions
May 27	Full grant applications due
Early July	Notification of award
Early August	Grant award period begins

 

Eligibility is open to faculty, trainees and staff at Children's Hospital Colorado and University of Colorado Hospital. A CU Anschutz School of Medicine faculty member must be on the project team.

Projects must involve CHCO or UCH clinical programs (inpatient or outpatient).

The CEPS Grant Program may award up to $25,000 to CUSOM faculty and up to $10,000 for CUSOM/GME residents and/or fellows conducting QI work aimed at improving patient safety, and/or enhancing the quality and cost-effectiveness of healthcare delivery.

The awards will start on approximately August 1 of the award year.  The award time period is one year from the award date.  

A 6-month no-cost extension may be requested at the end of the 12-month grant period. Sufficient progress must be made towards project goals, to be determined by IHQSE CEPS Grant Program directors. Additional requirements regarding progress reports and presentations must also be met. Details will be shared with applicants who receive an award.

A PDF version of the Letter of Intent application is available here: CEPS LOI Information

Letters of support from resource centers outside your home department (e.g., data support, Epic changes, ACCORDS, etc.) are NOT required for the LOI. Letters of support will be requested if applicant is invited to submit a full grant application.

Click here to submit a Letter of Intent application.

LOI’s will be rated on the following criteria: 

• Importance (magnitude/scope, alignment with institutional goals)
• Impact (expected outcomes, processes and cost, reducing disparities)
• Feasibility (PI and project team, resources, timeframe)
• Approach (QI methodology, multidisciplinary, innovative)
• Budget (necessity, appropriateness)

Projects that clearly delineate iterative improvement processes (e.g. PDSA cycles) are preferred. 

In addition to following the spending guidelines of the CU Procurement Center, the IHQSE CEPS Grant Program has additional guidelines based on recommendations from the IHQSE CEPS Grant committee and the SOM Dean’s Office.    

Allowed Expenses: 

• Professional Research Assistant (PRA) / Data Manager / Student 
  • Typical rates are $25-30/hr
  • Add approximately 35% fringe for PRA/DM time
  • Students are typically paid via stipend,  and you must agree on the total stipend amount prior to the student’s work (e.g., $5,000 for two semesters) 
• Consultant (e.g., Statistician, Analyst, Contractor, Designer, etc.) 
  • Typical rates are $120-160/hr for consultant time + 35% fringe 
• Tool Development (e.g., Epic changes, database development, computer training, mobile apps, video development/training). 
• Materials/Equipment (e.g., Printed materials, iPads/tablets, equipment integral to performance of project, etc.) 
• Dissemination (e.g., posters, conference registration, academic journal submissions) 

 

Not-Allowed Expenses: 

• Incentives (e.g., gift cards, survey participation) 
• Faculty, fellow or resident salary support 
• UCH only: UCH staff support  
• Travel or lodging 
• Outside marketing 
• Food/Meetings 
• Materials/Equipment or other operational costs that should be funded by the department (e.g., computer equipment for PRA, clinical care equipment)  

Expenses may be approved or waived at the discretion of the committee based on project need.

Eligibility is open to faculty, trainees and staff at CHCO and UCH, but a SOM faculty member must be on the project team.  

Projects must involve CHCO or UCH clinical programs (inpatient or outpatient) and applicants must obtain approval from managers/practice directors in clinical areas where the project will be conducted.  

Projects should utilize multidisciplinary approaches and make use of QI methodologies (e.g., DMAIC, LEAN, PDSA cycles).  For more information on quality improvement methodologies, visit the American Society of Quality’s website or the Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s website.   

This program is meant to fund quality or process improvement efforts (e.g., science of implementation), not clinical or translational research (e.g., science of discovery). Please view the COMIRB Research/QI/Program Evaluation Definitions.  

Resident & Fellow applicants should consider the following additional guidelines: 

• Must be a resident or fellow in good standing in a CUSOM/GME residency or fellowship.  
• Must provide a letter of support from a SOM faculty member with privileges at CHCO/UCH who is willing to serve as a mentor for the project. The letter must include:  
  • Relationship to resident/fellow applicant (project mentor, program director, etc).
  • Description of how faculty will provide support to applicant (e.g. plans for regular meetings, etc).
  • Commitment to attend work-in-progress meetings.
• Provide a copy of the faculty mentor’s CV. Mentors should have demonstrated experience in quality improvement.