Community Grant Program Information

Current funding and types of ACEs Aware grants

Doctor with a Patient

“The ACEs Aware community grant program significantly advances our work. It recognizes the opportunity to reduce health disparities and inequities stemming from childhood adversity by building strong network of care teams across disciplines that are connected and trauma-informed.”

- Dr. Karen Mark, Medical Director for the California Department of Health Care Services

Since June 2020, ACEs Aware has awarded 210 grants totaling $64.5 million to organizations statewide to augment the state of California’s work on the ACEs Aware initiative.

To ensure clinicians and practices are equipped with evidence-based training, tools, and resources to effectively incorporate ACE screening into patient care, we have released two rounds of Request For Proposals for ACEs Aware grants in five categories.

The first round of grants provided funding to organizations to design and implement trainings and provider engagement events; develop a robust set of communication activities; and support planning efforts for the development of networks of care.

The second round of grants provide funding to community-based organizations to strengthen and develop a formalized network of care in their communities. These grants support the alignment of existing community networks of care with the best practices detailed in the Office of the California Surgeon General Trauma-Informed Network of Care Roadmap.

The third round of grants were awarded to teams that will be led by clinics and will include community-based organizations (CBOs) and Medi-Cal managed care plans. Teams will identify gaps in their communities in care and services and, through a statewide learning collaborative, leverage existing and new sources of state funding to build sustainable capacity to fill these gaps.

“ACEs Aware grantees are doing powerful and amazing work. We are changing practices, culture, ourselves, institutions, and our communities.”

- Former CA Surgeon General Dr. Nadine Burke Harris

ACEs Aware Grant Categories

31 grants were awarded to help educate Medi-Cal providers about the importance of incorporating ACE screening into their clinical practice, as well as how to administer screenings, use clinical protocols to determine evidence-based treatment plans, and provide trauma-informed care.

View Provider Training Grantees >

83 grants were awarded to supplement and promote ACEs Aware activities. These grants help organizations offer additional opportunities for providers and other stakeholders to share lessons learned and best practices that are tailored to specific geographic areas, patient populations, providers, and practice settings.

View Provider Engagement Grantees >

36 grants were awarded to supplement ACEs Aware activities by reaching organization members and other key audiences with information about provider training and engagement opportunities, and increase awareness about the overall initiative. Organizations use a wide range of communication approaches to share ACEs Aware information, as well as their own content tailored to their audiences.

View Communications Grantees >

27 Network of Care Planning grants totaling $7.9 million were awarded across 25 counties. Planning grants focus on communities with a high prevalence of ACEs, rural and tribal areas, and some communities that do not have existing ACEs response activities underway.

View Network of Care Planning Grantees >

8 Network of Care Implementation grants totaling $22.9 million has been awarded across eight counties. Implementation grants focus on communities that demonstrate the highest level of clinical and operational readiness and engagement with Medi-Cal providers to fully execute trauma-informed networks of care. Implementation grantees will also leverage information technology platforms to help communities improve health outcomes for patients and families.

View Network of Care Implementation Grantees >

Twenty-five PRACTICE grants totaling $19.5 million have been awarded across 15 counties. The funding was awarded to teams led by clinics and include community-based organizations (CBOs) and Medi-Cal managed care plans. Teams will identify gaps in their communities in care and services and, through a statewide learning collaborative, led by the Public Health Innovation Lab (PHIL), will leverage existing and new sources of state funding to build sustainable capacity to fill these gaps. The learning collaborative will offer grantees coaching, technical assistance, training, tailored web discussions, access to subject-matter experts, resources, and peer-to-peer learning to support teams to achieve their goals.

View PRACTICE Grantees >

END USER SUBLICENSE AGREEMENT

PLEASE READ CAREFULLY: This End User Sublicense Agreement (the “Agreement” or “Sublicense”) is a legally binding agreement between you (an individual or an entity, hereinafter “You” or “Sublicensee”) and the Department of Health Care Services (“DHCS”) for the use of the Pediatric ACEs and Related Life-events Screener (“PEARLS”) for children and adults up to the age of 21.

BY WAY OF DOWNLOADING, COPYING, ACCESSING, OR OTHERWISE USING THE PEARLS TOOL, YOU ARE AGREEING TO BE LEGALLY BOUND BY THE TERMS OF THIS AGREEMENT. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO BE BOUND BY THE TERMS OF THIS AGREEMENT, THEN YOU HAVE NO RIGHTS TO THE PEARLS TOOL AND MAY NOT DOWNLOAD, COPY, ACCESS, OR OTHERWISE THE PEARLS TOOL.

THE PEARLS TOOL IS PROTECTED BY COPYRIGHT LAWS AND IS OTHERWISE PROTECTED INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY. THE PEARLS TOOL IS LICENSED AND IS NOT SOLD.

    1. The PEARLS Tool. The PEARLS tool is a unique tool that assess for both Adverse Childhood Experiences (“ACEs”) such as abuse, neglect, and household challenges, and related events, such as discrimination, food insecurity, and community violence, thought to be risk factors for toxic stress. The PEARLS tool was made in the course of research under the auspices of the Children’s Hospital Research Center at Oakland (“BCHO”) and the University of California, San Francisco. BCHO has licensed the PEARLS tool to DHCS and provided DHCS with the right to sublicense the PEARLS tool.
    2. Sublicensee Attestation. By agreeing to this Agreement, You attest that You are a provider of health care services to Medi-Cal beneficiaries, a Medi-Cal Managed Care Plan, a Medi-Cal beneficiary, a parent or guardian of a Medi-Cal beneficiary, or an Electronic Health Records (“EHR”) vendor.
    3. The Sublicense. Subject to the terms of this agreement, DHCS hereby grants to Sublicensee a non-exclusive, royalty-free, non-assignable, non-transferable sublicense (the “Sublicense”) to the PEARLS tool. Under the Sublicense, Sublicensee may use the PEARLS tool as directed, and may save, download, print, copy, reproduce, or distribute the PEARLS tool to facilitate such use.
    4. Use in a Remote Patient Portal. The PEARLS tool was developed as a screener of risk for toxic stress and has been tested for safe, reliable screening when used during in-person (i.e., synchronous) visits. The questions and responses of the PEARLS tool may be administered using the EHR as structured data fields to facilitate record and follow-up. Because the PEARLS tool was never studied under asynchronous screening formats, DHCS cannot provide recommendations regarding its use in a remote patient portal. This includes information around safety and adequate windows of response. Sublicensee acknowledges that DHCS is not responsible for providing any recommendations regarding the use of the PEARLS tool in a remote patient portal, and that DHCS is not responsible for overseeing implementation and use of the PEARLS tool in a remote patient setting. This includes information around safety and adequate windows of response.
    5. Disclaimer of Warranty. This Sublicense and the associated PEARLS tool are provided WITHOUT WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR ANY OTHER WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED. DHCS MAKES NO REPRESENTATION OR WARRANTY THAT THE PEARLS TOOL WILL NOT INFRINGE ANY COPYRIGHT, PATENT, OR OTHER PROPRIETARY RIGHT.
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      1. IN NO EVENT WILL DHCS BE LIABLE FOR ANY INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES RESULTING FROM EXERCISE OF THIS SUBLICENSE OR THE USE OF THE PEARLS TOOL.
      2. DHCS WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY LOST PROFITS, COSTS OF PROCURING SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES, LOST BUSINESS, ENHANCED DAMAGES FOR INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY INFRINGEMENT OR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR OTHER SPECIAL DAMAGES SUFFERED BY SUBLICENSEE, JOINT VENTURES, AFFILIATES, OR DEVELOPMENT PARTNERS ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO THIS AGREEMENT. DHCS WILL NOT LIABLE FOR ANY CAUSES OF ACTION OF ANY KIND (INCLUDING TORT, CONTRACT, NEGLIGENCE, STRICT LIABILITY, AND BREACH OF WARRANTY) EVEN IF DHCS HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.
    7. Indemnity and Duty to Defend. Sublicensee shall indemnify, defend, and hold harmless DHCS from and against all claims, actions, damages, losses, liabilities (or actions or proceedings with respect to any thereof), whether or not rightful, arising from any and all actions or claims by any third party or expenses related thereto (including, but not limited to, all legal expenses, court costs, and attorney’s fees incurred in investigating, preparing, serving as a witness in, or defending against, any such claim, action, or proceeding, commenced or threatened) to which DHCS and/or any employee, contractor, or agent acting on DHCS’s behalf may be subject, whether or not Sublicensee is a party to any pending or threatened litigation, which arise out of or are related to (i) claims and losses accruing or resulting to any person, firm or corporation who may be injured or damaged by Sublicensee’s use, reproduction, manufacture, sale, offer to sell, distribution, import, export, modification, public and private  performance/display, license, and disposition of the PEARLS tool; (ii) the incorrectness or breach of any of the representations, warranties, covenant or agreements of Sublicensee pertaining the PEARLS tool; or (iii) any intellectual property infringement, or any other type of actual or alleged infringement claim, arising out of Sublicensee’s use, reproduction, manufacture, sale, offer to sell, distribution, import, export, modification, public and private performance/display, license, and disposition of the PEARLS tool. This indemnity obligation shall apply irrespective of whether the infringement claim is based on a patent, trademark or copyright registration that issued after the effective date of this Agreement. DHCS reserves the right to participate in and/or control, at Sublicensee’s expense, any such infringement action brought against DHCS.
    8. Governing Law. This Agreement is to be interpreted and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of California.
    9. Miscellaneous
      1. The relationship between DHCS and Sublicensee established by this Agreement is that of independent contractors. No joint venture or partnership is established by this Agreement. Neither party is the agent, broker, partner, employee, or legal representative of the other for any purpose.
      2. The headings of any sections are inserted for convenience of reference only and are not intended to be part of, or to affect the meaning or interpretation of this Agreement.
      3. This Agreement embodies the entire understanding of DHCS and Sublicensee and supersedes all previous communications, representations or understandings, either oral or written, between them relating to the subject matter of this Agreement.
      4. In the event that any provision of this Agreement is unenforceable or held to be unenforceable, all other provisions of this Agreement have force and effect and will not be affected thereby.
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