Morgan CARES

The Morgan CARES Network

Morgan CARES is a hub for community and academic leaders to connect and form long-lasting partnerships. We strive to foster strong community-campus relationships that produce collaborative projects to promote health parity.

Morgan CARES deeply about integrating community needs and perspectives into all stages of research. By working together to increase understanding and awareness of health disparities, the knowledge gained will lead to solutions that positively benefit community residents. This process is what drives our work, and is known as Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR).

Network Membership

Our network membership allows interested individuals to sign up to receive our newsletter, stay up to date with information about our program, and have opportunities to connect with others in the network. Sign up to become a member today!

Partnering with Morgan CARES
Are you an existing member of the network who wants to take things to the next level? Consider becoming a Partner! Partnership means that you are committed to community health research, and you either want to get engaged with existing projects, or apply for a Morgan CARES Community Award to fund your small project. Partners also have priority when registering for training, workshops, and other professional development and skill-building opportunities. 

Partner Form

The Morgan CARES Community Award Program

NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS! 

The Morgan CARES Community Award is a small seed funding initiative intended to support community-campus collaborations. The goal of this small award is to promote and strengthen partnerships between community-based organizations and groups, and members of academia at Morgan State University. It is the hope that these connections form a strong foundation that supports the emergence of responsive, community-led public health initiatives that promote health equity in communities across Baltimore City.

New partners may engage in supportive activities and training, among other supports, for as long as they wish, to forge a strong partnership before developing and submitting an application. Partners who have existing community-campus collaborations may also apply.

Morgan CARES can support up to 10 Community Award projects a year, and applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Applications are reviewed each quarter, and projects are selected for funding. Applications will continue to be accepted while funds remain available.

See our Community Award Program for more details.

The Morgan CARES Community Center

The Morgan CARES Community Center is housed in Suite 1204 at 2101 E. Biddle Street, in the Stone Building of the Hoen & Co. Lithograph Campus. The Center for Neighborhood Innovation affords opportunities for Morgan CARES and our Network to connect and collaborate with the other anchor tenants housed within our building, including ABC Baltimore, the Strong City Adult Learning Center, and Outlook OVFX, among many others.  

Morgan CARES opened the doors of its Community Center in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and since then it has been used by various groups and community members in the Network for meetings, training sessions, presentations, and so much more. We hosted over 200 sessions in the facility during the first two years of operation, and we have been able to collaborate with countless community and academic partners. 

In addition to these programs and services, Morgan CARES also serves as the Central Office for the International Collaboration for Participatory Health Research, as an official distribution site of rapid at-home COVID-19 tests for the Baltimore City Health Department, and houses the East Baltimore NAMI Metro Baltimore hub. 

Please feel free to send us an email to learn more about our facility, or submit a Space Request Form. 

The Morgan CARES Model

The Morgan CARES Model has been designed as a framework for conducting CBPR, and provides a structure for developing a well-aligned community engagement and partnership approach. This model follows a multi-stage process to develop a measurable tool to track achievements and to assess long-standing CBPR partnership success for any given project. 

The CARES Model involves five stages: 

(1) Connection, where members gain foundational knowledge and skills, and enhance their interest in community research. 

(2) Partnership Development occurs when members commit to increasing their engagement from “Membership” to “Partnership”. At this time members connect with others who have complementary skills and interests, and engage in training, discussions, and networking opportunities together. 

(3) Innovation. Once partners have formalized their commitment to work together, they collaboratively design a research project and secure funding with support from the Morgan CARES team. 

(4) Collaborative Action. At this stage, funding (or other resources) has been secured and partnerships have initiated project activities. Partners have access to our Community Center to support project activities including technical assistance, and logistical support to further sustain their collaborative activities. 

(5) Outcome and Impact. Partnerships now share the results of their efforts to various stakeholders, and receive additional support to help sustain projects and partnerships for long-term health promotion and impact on health practice and policy. 

Read more about our model here.