Community-Engaged Learning

Overview

Launched in 2014, the Community-Engaged Learning Course Operational Grant provides funds to faculty and staff whose projects or courses combine academic learning and community engagement opportunities for undergraduate students. The purpose of these grants is to:

• Support valuable community-university partnerships
• Address community-identified needs
• Enhance student learning

Successful projects achieve this by integrating community-based experiential opportunities in the Rochester area with traditional classroom learning.

Grant funds can be used to support expenses associated with the course or project (e.g., transportation, course supplies, curriculum development, expenses incurred by partner organizations, etc.). Faculty and instructional staff may submit one proposal per course or project. Each proposal has a maximum award of $3,500 per course.

Testimonials

"CCE course operating grants are an essential tool for building out networks for community engagement that attach the campus to the city- and campus-culture. " Joshua Dubler, Community-Engaged Learning Faculty

"All of our participants stated the program was one of the most impactful ones they have experienced with Oasis Rochester. One stated that she definitely went outside of her comfort zone and was so glad she did. This collaboration fit in perfectly with our mission of providing lifelong learning, health and wellness opportunities for older adults. We also participate in multigenerational events and hope to reduce the impact of ageism in our community. This was a perfect opportunity." Ann Cunningham, Executive Director of Oasis Rochester and Community-Engaged Learning Partner

Apply

To apply for a Course Operational Grant, download the Course Operational Grant Request for Proposals and apply online.

The fall deadline is August 1 with decisions made by August 15. The spring deadline is December 1 with decisions made by December 15.

The Community-Engaged Learning Course Development Grant (CDG) funds $10,000 to faculty who plan on developing a new course that combines academic learning and community-engagement opportunities for undergraduate students in the School of Arts and Sciences and the Hajim School of Engineering.

The purpose of this grant is to:

• Support valuable community-university partnerships
• Address community-identified needs
• Enhance student learning

We prioritize applications that have community partners beyond campus as genuine partners—meaning that they play a role in setting learning objectives, and designing and implementing learning activities, and the project addresses unmet needs as defined by the partner.

For more information on submitting a proposal and on other course development grants offered by the College, see the course funding page.

Criteria

We make funding decisions based on the following criteria:

Community engagement: We prioritize projects where community organizations/persons play a role in the design and implementation of the learning activities as well as projects addressing an unmet need as defined by the partner.

Community-engaged learning: We aim to support activities that are well-integrated with the course’s learning objectives. To assess this, we look at the cogency of the proposal’s explanation of how the activity will contribute to the course’s learning objectives. We also consider the learning activities and assignments the instructor will use to help students reflect on and articulate the connections between community engagement and the course material.

Disciplinary breadth: Priority will be given to faculty and courses that have not previously received support with the goal of encouraging community-engaged learning throughout the College. However, it is still possible for projects to be funded more than once.

Sources of support: We prefer to fund projects that will combine support from our program with support from other sources, such as department funds, and other grant opportunities (both internal and external). Proposals that can suggest longer-term strategies to ensure the sustainability of the project are preferred.

Assessment and development: We hope to support the instructor’s efforts to learn from student experiences and use what they learn to deepen the significance of student-learning experiences in future courses. Therefore, we favor proposals that include plans for assessing the supported activities and applying the results of that assessment in the design of future courses.

Deadlines

The application deadline is November 30, 2025, for the 2026-2027 academic year.

Apply

To apply for a Course Development Grant, download the Course Development Grant Request (pdf) for proposals for the 2024-2025 academic year. Applications for CDGs can be uploaded using our online form.