At the Ginsberg Center, we support community-engaged research by connecting U-M scholars with community organizations and institutions who are working on the front lines to address society’s most pressing social concerns. By fostering long-term partnerships with communities, we ensure a robust pipeline for current and future research, informed by community interests, needs, and priorities.
During the Covid-19 Crisis, we recommend checking U-M's Research Activation site to stay up-to-date on the what research is safe and allowed. We also suggest using U-M's Research Activation Map that outlines how U-M re-engagement strategies align with the MI Safe Start Plan to determine whether and how to safely engage with communities.
Community-engaged research is understood to be a valuable, high impact methodology that can contribute to the University of Michigan’s mission of developing new academic knowledge while advancing the public good. Community-engaged research encompasses a range of disciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches, but what this body of work shares is substantive involvement of community partners in service of creating, translating, and disseminating knowledge that strengthens the well-being of communities and broader society.
We advance UM’s research capacity by:
- Connecting scholars with social sector partners and supporting stakeholders to develop effective community-university partnerships.
- Consulting with researchers to support their development of equitable, feasible community-engaged research design, dissemination of academic research and findings, and translation of research to maximize community impact.
- Preparing students who support community-engaged research to work effectively with community partners.
- Disseminating scholarship on community engagement through our peer-reviewed journal, the Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning.
- Providing funding to support community-engaged research projects.
If you have any questions or would like support for your community-engaged research or interests, fill out our Support Request Form or contact us at [email protected].
How can I...
- Add these course evaluation questions to your end-of-semester evaluations
- Explore assessment tools including rubrics, surveys, and current research.
- Ginsberg Center staff can work with you to integrate or adapt these tools for your courses. Request a consultation with a staff member by filling out our Support Request Form or contacting us at [email protected].
- Learn more about our vision for the journal.
- Explore current & past issues of MJCSL.
- We have compiled a bibliography of often-cited articles from MJCSL, which have significantly influenced community engagement in higher education.
- Email [email protected] for questions.
- We have compiled a short list of other leading journals in the field to inform your community-engaged teaching and research.
- Engaged Scholarship Consortium's list highlights journals that focus on community-engaged scholarship, university outreach, service-learning, etc. A small number of others are listed that, while not focusing on this area, sometimes publish contributions to this literature.
- Ginsberg staff can talk with you about your research and suggest potential publication outlets based on your aims. To schedule a consultation, fill out the Support Request Form or contact us at [email protected].
- The Ginsberg Center uses a collective funding model to offer Faculty Community Engagement Grants.
- UM's Office of Research has launched the Research Commons to share open internal funding opportunities for faculty and graduate students.
- University Library has a comprehensive guide to funding opportunities.
- Engaged Michigan lists additional funding opportunities available from numerous campus partners.
- Additional sources of support include MICHR, Poverty Solutions, and School of Social Work's Center for Equitable Family and Community Well-Being.
- Develop your online scholarly presence by following the suggestions in this 10-step Research Impact Challenge.
- Schedule a consultation with a UM Library's grants specialists to identify funding opportunities.
- Explore the resources available from the Research Development Team at the Office of Research, including sample proposals, additional funding opportunities, and consultations.