Overview:
The Ginsberg Center for Community Service and Learning seeks grant proposals from registered student organizations to support community engagement and civic participation. This grant program aims to strengthen partnerships between UM student groups, the Ginsberg Center, and external community organizations (i.e. non-profits, government agencies, etc.) to address community-identified needs. Funding supports existing and new partnerships between student organizations and external community partners, emphasizing sustainable partnerships. Applicants can apply for the Community Engagement Grant or the Alternative Break Grant through the same application and eligibility process.
The Community Engagement Grant provides up to $1,000 to support partnerships between UM student organizations and external community organizations or agencies (i.e. non-profit, government office, etc), who are working together to address a community-identified need. This may include events, projects, and collaborative initiatives.
The Alternative Break Grant provides up to $1,000 for student organizations planning an Alternative Break or immersive service experience. Grant recipients receive advising and training to plan strong, meaningful alternative breaks for their members.
Ginsberg Center goals relevant to this funding support are:
- Promoting Social Justice Education: Encouraging projects that create awareness and understanding of social justice issues, fostering a campus culture that values diversity, equity, and inclusion.
- Associated M-Lead Competencies: Building Relationships, Self-Awareness, and Humility
- Fostering Leadership Development: Supporting student initiatives that help develop leadership skills, including project management, teamwork, and community engagement.
- Associated M-Lead Competencies: Adaptability, Facilitation, and Feedback
- Enhancing Community-Driven Engagement: Providing resources for community-driven initiatives that involve meaningful and sustainable partnerships with entities external to the University of Michigan community organizations, including non-profits, government agencies, and other community groups.
- Associated M-Lead Competencies: Building Relationships, Self-Awareness, and Feedback
- Developing Connections: Formally connect student organizations to the Ginsberg Center and introduce them to various programs and services.
- Associated M-Lead Competencies: Building Relationships, Meaning Making, and Resilience
Eligibility
Grant funding is available to student organizations with an active SOAS account. Funding is not intended for individuals.
Students must make a pre-application advising appointment with the Ginsberg Center to have their application considered for funding. Email [email protected] to let us know which grant you would like to apply for and we can help you schedule an appointment. In this email, please be sure to include a short summary of: the initiative you're applying for, your community partner, and the community-identified need your initiative aims to address.
Your organizational initiatives must occur with communities external to the University of Michigan with a community partner toward a community-defined need or priority. Your initiative must be supported by a letter signed by the community partner and student organization using this template.
Your initiative must be in alignment with the Ginsberg Center Guiding Principles and represent one or more community-engaged pathway
Grant Awards
Student organizations may apply for funding up to $1,000 from either the Community Engagement Grant or Alternative Break Grant.
Priority for funding will be given to:
- Local initiatives (southeastern Michigan). National and International initiatives will be considered on a case-by-case basis but priority will be given to local initiatives.
- Joint applications between student organizations. Note that $1,000 is the maximum amount of funding.
- Community Partners that are already from the Ginsberg Center network.
- To be determined in the pre-advising appointment.
- Previous Ginsberg Center awardees may apply, but priority may be given to groups who have not received Ginsberg funding in the last 2 years.
Specific funding that meets the above guidelines is also available for fraternities, sororities, or organizations that have fraternity or sorority members as part of their leadership and membership.
Grant funds are NOT intended to support:
- University of Michigan-based programming that is not in direct benefit to external community partners.
- Student Organization recruitment efforts or University of Michigan recruitment efforts
- University Departments or Units
- Conference attendance and conference hosting
- Airfare
- Speaker honorarium
- T-shirts or promotional items
Grantee Responsibilities Post Funding Award
The process for grant funding with the Ginsberg Center is an interactive process, in which group members work with members of the Ginsberg Center team to increase the potential for positive, sustainable community impact. Once your organization has received funds from the Community Engagement Grant or Alternative Break Grant, you are required to complete the following to maintain funding:
- Attend a post-award advising session
- Send at least 3 members of your student organization to a “Foundations of Community Engagement” workshop.
- Send at least 3 members of your student organization to attend and present at the Ginsberg Center Grant Showcase on April 10, 2025, from 5 PM - 7:30 PM
- Acknowledge the support of the Ginsberg Center for Community Service and Learning on promotional materials and activity products.
Failure to meet these program requirements may result in the removal of funds.
Deadlines
Community Engagement Grants and Alternative Break Grants are offered on a rolling basis until funds are depleted. The last date to apply for an Alternative Break Grant will be in February. The monthly, rolling deadlines are as follows:
September: Friday, September 13, 2024
October: Friday, October 11, 2024
November: Friday, November 8, 2024
February: Friday, February 7, 2025 (LAST APPLICATION DATE for Alternative Break Grants)
March: Friday, March 14, 2025
Decisions will be released in the weeks following the application deadline.
Application Process - Now Accepting Applications!
The application for both the Community Engagement Grant and the Alternative Break Grant is on Qualtrics. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact our team at [email protected].
You can preview the Community Engagement Grant and the Alternative Break Grant before creating your application in Qualtrics. We recommend typing out your answers to the essay questions in a Word or Google document prior to opening your Qualtrics application to ensure your work is saved.
Frequently Asked Questions About Our Grants
For the Community Engagement Grant and Alternative Break Grant, give yourself enough time to schedule a pre-advising appointment with the team. Pre-advising appointments are required in order to submit your application and can help to improve your understanding of the grant program and your initiative plans. Grant applications are granted on a rolling basis. We recommend submitting your application at least 4-6 weeks out from the start of your initiative.
We have a team of staff and students who review your applications and make funding decisions. The review team pays particular attention to how you integrate the Ginsberg Center principles throughout your application. Consider how your work reflects those principles and integrate them into your application.
Our grants are meant to fund efforts that are taking place off campus, in the community, and toward a need or priority that has been identified by the community/organization you are working with. This is rooted in our principle: starting with community. Working with a community partner is a requirement of our grants. Talk with your community partner about what it is that they need and how this grant will help them meet their needs or priorities. Once you have identified common goals and aligned your efforts, then write and submit your application to reflect your intended efforts. When putting together your budget request in the application, ask yourself the question: how is this funding going toward what our community partner is telling us they need support for while also supporting my student organization’s learning and growth? Funding should go towards helping you to do that.
Our grant programs are intended to support student learning and development toward community-identified initiatives. So we don’t fund things like initiatives that are not in direct benefit to external community partners, student organization recruitment efforts or University of Michigan recruitment efforts, University Departments or Units, conference attendance and conference hosting, airfare, speaker honorariums, t-shirts, or promotional materials. If you have any questions or are concerned that your needs might not qualify, you can discuss them in your pre-advising appointment.
In addition to your finance person, it also makes sense to have whoever is leading the initiative, or going on the trip, to be a part of the application process too. Your community partner should also be involved in the crafting of the initiative and will sign a letter confirming that they agree to work with you.
Both the Alternative Break Grant and the Community Engagement Grant provide up to $1,000 in funding. However, Alternative Break Grants are specifically for trip-based service programs that typically last 1-2 weeks, immersive or place-based service experiences. Typically, Alternative Breaks are scheduled for when classes are not in session in the Winter term or during spring break. Applications for both can be submitted on a rolling basis but February will be the last date to submit an Alternative Break application.
The Davis Projects for Peace provides $10,000 for summer projects designed and implemented by undergraduate students working to build peace in their communities and around the globe. This is a competitive process; one proposal is selected from the University of Michigan and advanced to the Davis Foundation for consideration.
There are a range of possibilities by which you can engage in and contribute to communities and our grants will fund many of them. We support efforts happening along many different pathways and encourage students to discuss the pathways and how they fit into their initiative in their pre-advising appointment.
Student organizations may apply for both the Community Engagement Grant and Alternative Break Grant in the same academic year, however, if chosen for funding that organization will only be eligible for one grant award. Additionally, student organizations are eligible for only one grant award per academic year.
If an application is denied, you may apply again as long as there are remaining application deadlines; only once an award has been granted are you no longer eligible to apply.