The Community Engagement and Research Academy (CERA) is pleased to announce a second round of Small Grants focused on community-based learning and research. Through this program, we will continue to explore the impact of civic and community engagement upon the quality of life in the communities we serve and the outcomes of these experiences for our students and faculty who participate in community-based learning and research.
The Office of the Provost and the Dean of Urban and Public Affairs have provided $30,000 to support a limited number of proposals for funding up to $5,000 each that address key questions that address the practice and impact of community engagement in its many forms.
The deadline for proposal applications is November 1, 2019. Awards are anticipated by the end of fall term and projects should be completed prior to the beginning of the fall term 2020.
The Small Grant Program focuses on assessing the impact of community-based learning and engagement. Each project may receive an award of up to $ 5,000. The project should be led by a member of the Portland State University Faculty. The research team may include other individuals who can contribute to the work, including graduate students, professional staff, undergraduates or community members.
We are especially interested in projects that address one or more of the following themes although a proposal may address a different theme within community engagement so long as the proposal offers a clear rationale for the importance of the question and the approach.
Research Themes
• The design and impact of community-based learning experiences
• Approaches to collaboration with community groups in a neighborhood or regional setting
• The impact of community-based learning on the creation of civic identity, subsequent career choices and future citizen participation in community-based problem-solving and/or collective action
• The impact of student involvement in community-based research both on students who participate and on the outcomes of the project
• Approaches to measuring the development and impact of university/community partnerships and collaborations and lessons learned from those experiences about ways to support new forms of collaboration
• Explorations of unusual or unique collaborations that address innovative topics or community-wide concerns and that expand our experience of community engaged scholarship and community-based learning.
• The role(s) played by Portland State University participants in collaborations designed and led by community organizations and the impact of our contributions to these efforts.
Preparation of a Proposal
Each proposal should include the following elements.
A Project Summary: An abstract of 250 words or less that briefly describes the research question(s) for the proposed research, research methods to be used, and plans for further development or dissemination of findings. Abstracts will be listed on the CERA website.
A Project Description: This section of the proposal should be no longer than five pages. The project description should include an explanation of the fundamental research question(s) to be addressed and why the work may offer valuable insights into the design and practice of community engagement, a clear explanation of the methods that will be used to explore this question and the kinds of evidence that will be collected, the roles and responsibilities of each member of the research team, a description of how the results will be interpreted and evaluated and by whom and a brief explanation of how this project fits into the research and community interests of the people proposing the project. The description should conclude with plans for next steps after the project is completed, either to build upon the work or to disseminate and/or apply the findings.
References: Include one or more references to related work, if appropriate, as a way to offer a context for the project and its approach. This can include a website that offers additional information about the community partners or the context of the work.
Bios of the research team: Provide brief bios of no more than 200 words for each member of the research team that support the role that each will play in the project.
Budget: Proposals should include a budget that describes how requested grant support will be allocated to support the accomplishment of the project. A justification should be provided for how the funds will be used.
Letters of Support: If appropriate, include a brief letter from community partners to affirm that they are willing to participate in the research and, if so, in what ways.
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