Principles of Trustworthiness Toolkit Pilot Project

Call For Applications

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Application Deadline: 
Friday, Dec. 22, 2023, 11:59 p.m. ET

About the Principles of Trustworthiness Toolkit

A long and ongoing history of mistreatment and abuse has fostered logical distrust of the health care system and other institutions across diverse communities. Racism, classism, ableism, and other systems of oppression perpetuated by societal systems are not forgotten by the people most affected.  Misinformation and disinformation also play key roles. It is up to institutions with power and privilege to demonstrate they are worthy of trust from their communities. Trust is the foundation of the community-driven, multisector partnerships necessary to create lasting health equity for all. Authentic partnerships are built on trust. 

In recent years, the Association of American Medical Colleges’ (AAMC) national collaborative of health equity scholars, practitioners, and community partners, AAMC CHARGE, gathered perspectives from a diverse group of 30 community members from across the United States regarding trust, COVID-19, and clinical trial participation. From that effort, the Principles of Trustworthiness and a Toolkit were created to support authentic multisector and community partnerships. The principles are designed to guide organizations in building and sustaining equitable partnerships with their communities.

The Toolkit materials allow communities to facilitate discussions that cultivate organizational relationships and partnerships and track lessons learned. It includes questions, discussion prompts, and activities that will help organizations unpack the Principles of Trustworthiness, explore how they come to life locally, and determine which actions they might take to demonstrate trustworthiness. 

Purpose of the Project

The AAMC Center for Health Justice aims to award up to five multisector, community partnerships with up to $30,000 to formally use the Principles of Trustworthiness Toolkit and contribute to its evaluation during a one-year period. This project is a vital way to continue to center community wisdom and engagement and integrate local perspectives into continuous improvements of the Principles of Trustworthiness and the Toolkit. Beyond the initial one-year implementation and evaluation, the long-term purpose of the initiative is to foster gains in trust and trustworthiness by recognizing the knowledge and expertise within the community, taking authentic and meaningful actions, and sustaining ongoing engagement. 

Eligibility and Participation Information

Core Team Structure

The center invites applications from eligible groups of diverse organizations who aspire to strengthen authentic multisector community partnerships, demonstrate trustworthiness, and improve social and health equity. Each community partnership is expected to have a core team of five organizations (including one AAMC member institution); each organization will include at least one participant who represents the organization and a distinct sector of society as outlined below. All core team representatives must hold decision-making roles within their respective organizations and possess the authority to drive initiatives forward. The core team should include:

• At least one (1) representative from an AAMC member institution.
• At least two (2) representatives from local community-based organizations, each representing a different sector (e.g., faith-based, social service, community development, education, housing, neighborhood and environment, public health, transportation, etc.).
• At least one (1) representative from a local, state, regional, or tribal government agency.

Core Team Expectations

For the one-year period, participating organizations must commit to:

1. Collaborate with, and receive virtual support from, the center’s staff and consultants.
2. Attend and participate in all monthly virtual meetings with the center staff and other project core teams. Review the virtual meetings dates here.
3. Use all the Toolkit materials as directed and actively and meaningfully engage with a minimum of 5 and maximum of 10 additional community organizational partners beyond the core team. 
4. In collaboration with other local community organizational partners, plan and carry out specific actions to implement the Principles of Trustworthiness in your community.
5. Provide monthly feedback and insights via an online forum to inform future improvements on the Toolkit and the AAMC’s understanding of its value.
6. Complete up to three (3) surveys designed to assess changes in trustworthiness and partnerships. 

The core team is expected to identify and include 5-10 additional partnering organizations that will participate in the year-long project. The additional partnering organizations must be representative of a range of organizations in the community (e.g., public, private, governmental, non-governmental). The role of these additional partnering organizations will include working with the core team at the local level as noted in items 3-6 above. 

How to Apply

Submit an application through the online portal linked below. The application period opens Monday, Nov. 13, 2023 and closes Friday, Dec. 22, 2023. Only one (1) application can be submitted by a core team of organizations representing a single community (a defined geographic area). The application process and required application content are accessible from the portal.

Apply Now

Key Dates and Deadlines

Questions or Assistance 

The center will offer an informational webinar on Thursday, November 30, 2023 from 3–4 p.m. ET to explain the application process, expectations for participation, and address any questions. A recording of the webinar will be posted here.

Register for the informational webinar

Read the FAQs

Please contact us with any questions and inquiries, and include the subject line “Principles of Trustworthiness Toolkit.”