The tentatively titled Great Lakes Community Review Board (CRB) is a pioneering initiative dedicated to fostering ethical and community-driven collaboration in research and decision-making. City Rising is the convening lead partner in this collaborative effort. Unlike an Institutional Review Board (IRB), which primarily focuses on protecting the institution involved in human subjects in academic and institutional research, the CRB emphasizes community consent, involvement, and advocacy in projects that directly impact residents.

What is a Community Review Board?

A Community Review Board is a resident-led body that reviews research projects, community engagement and outreach efforts, and community-based initiatives for their alignment with community values, priorities, and ethical standards. It serves as a bridge between researchers, organizations, and residents, ensuring that community voices shape processes and outcomes. Unlike traditional IRBs, CRBs prioritize culturally appropriate methods, increasing collective capacity through the research process, shared ownership of data, and transparent, publicly accessible results.

The CRB will provide researchers, community-engaged project leaders, and community-based organizations with a review process to ensure communities benefit from the research and engagement practices that communities—particularly under-resourced communities— are often asked to participate in. Additionally, the CRB will enable researchers who are unaffiliated with traditional IRBs to satisfy review processes often required by funders or Federal and state laws.

Purpose and Benefits to Communities

The Great Lakes Community Review Board advocates for community-centered and desire-based practices that protect and empower residents. Its work includes:

• Challenging Damage-Centered Narratives: Shifting focus to the strengths, assets, and aspirations of communities rather than their deficits.

• Ethical Oversight: Encouraging culturally relevant research methods and inclusive recruitment strategies.

• Community Consent: Elevating the importance of resident approval and involvement in projects affecting their lives.

• Capacity Building: Providing opportunities for residents to engage in research training and decision-making.

• Data Co-Ownership: Supporting shared access to findings that benefit the broader community.

Through its work, the CRB ensures that research and initiatives lead to tangible, community-driven solutions while amplifying the expertise of those most impacted. By partnering with residents, organizations, and institutions, the board helps foster trust, equity, and transparency in the Great Lakes region.

City Rising is proud to lead this innovative model, offering residents a platform to shape projects that address critical social, environmental, and economic challenges while advancing justice and collective well-being.