Language Access Bridge Funding
The Office of Healthcare Equity is excited to launch the Language Access Bridge Funding Award, in support of WA State’s new Diversity in Clinical Trials law (RCW 69.78).
Clinical trial researchers, with an appointment at UW, can apply for up to $5,000 to support language access and cultural advocacy needs—such as document translation, interpreter services, and communication access real-time translation (CART) services—that will help researchers more effectively recruit and engage underserved populations in clinical trials.
Funding, up to $5,000 paid directly by the Office of Healthcare Equity (OHCE)* to the vendor, is intended for real-time language access needs (within 30 days)—not for past, future, or unspecified use—as OHCE will submit payment directly to the vendor for approved applications.
Questions about this resource can be directed to ohce@uw.edu or Juliana Garcia, garcia00@uw.edu, Assistant Director of Community Engagement.
*The Office of Healthcare Equity (OHCE) must pay the vendor for the invoice directly; we cannot reimburse funds to a grant or project.
Eligibility
- PI leading the research has a primary appointment at University of Washington
- Research project is a clinical trial
- IRB approval has been granted
- Quote for service(s) in next 30 days available to upload, cannot be reimbursement for service(s) already completed
- Note: We allow researchers to submit a quote for anticipated services, ensuring they have an estimate from a vendor and understand potential costs. This approach enables us to approve funding within the 30-day window while recognizing that actual invoicing typically occurs after the service is provided. In other words, we can commit funds based on the estimate, even if the final invoice comes later. We do need to ensure all services are completed within the billing cycle by June 2026, pending future funding availability. We want to award the funds to those that will be used and not inadvertently holding funds in a way that prevents others from using them.
- Vendors that are currently not in the UW system will need to be added by the researcher through the New Supplier Process For Suppliers | Procurement Services
- Funding is:
- Sponsored study where the sponsor will not or cannot provide funds to cover translation costs;
- Foundation grant under $50,000 total direct cost;
- Unfunded research; or
- Grant-funded and the study team has confirmed an inability to cover translation costs.
Researchers are required to submit an initial quote for support needs during the application process.
Awardees will be provided with a decision regarding their application within 2 weeks of their submission.
Translation & Interpreter Services – Resources for translation, interpretation, and other communication services are available on this Clinical Trials Resources page (UW Net ID required). Questions about these resources can be directed to uwlaca@uw.edu.
