Serve in Place Fund
Up to $1,000 for students participating in community-engaged learning over winter and summer breaks
Up to $1,000 for students participating in community-engaged learning over winter and summer breaks
This Opportunity At a Glance
Most Cornell undergraduate students
Application for winter break funding is due November 1, 2023
The Serve in Place Fund provides financial support for students pursuing community-engaged learning activities during winter and summer breaks that:
- Address a specific interest, problem or public concern;
- Include working with and learning from a community partner;
- Connect and integrate community-engaged experiences with educational content; and
- Include structured, documented critical reflection.
These grants are intended to support students participating in any of the following:
- Course-based engagement activities
- Team-based learning and research projects
- Individual community-engaged projects (including programs, internships or research)
- Mentored internships
- Team-based consulting projects
Purpose
The Serve in Place Fund provides financial support for students pursuing community-engaged learning activities during winter and summer breaks that:
- Address a specific interest, problem or public concern;
- Include working with and learning from a community partner;
- Connect and integrate community-engaged experiences with educational content; and
- Include structured, documented critical reflection.
These grants are intended to support students participating in any of the following:
- Course-based engagement activities
- Team-based learning and research projects
- Individual community-engaged projects (including programs, internships or research)
- Mentored internships
- Team-based consulting projects
$1,000 maximum.
Funds can be applied toward travel, the community project, a personal stipend or other necessary costs to ensure the project’s success. However, funds can’t be used toward tuition or nonrefundable program fees.
Funds will be distributed as a credit to students’ bursar accounts.
Grants can’t be renewed.
Funding
$1,000 maximum.
Funds can be applied toward travel, the community project, a personal stipend or other necessary costs to ensure the project’s success. However, funds can’t be used toward tuition or nonrefundable program fees.
Funds will be distributed as a credit to students’ bursar accounts.
Grants can’t be renewed.
The Serve in Place Fund is open to Cornell undergraduate students who:
- plan to be enrolled at Cornell following their funded project (e.g., students graduating in May cannot apply for summer funding);
- have not previously received a Serve in Place Fund grant;
- and are NOT enrolled in the College of Human Ecology (CHE); College of Architecture, Art and Planning (AAP); School of Industrial and Labor Relations (ILR); or the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business. CHE, AAP, ILR and the SC Johnson College have launched Engaged College Initiatives in partnership with the Einhorn Center, and students from those colleges should contact their college representative to learn more.
We invite those who are ineligible for the Serve in Place Fund to get involved in other Einhorn Center programs and apply for our other awards and funding. See the full list on our website and subscribe to our Student Update email for more info.
Eligibility
The Serve in Place Fund is open to Cornell undergraduate students who:
- plan to be enrolled at Cornell following their funded project (e.g., students graduating in May cannot apply for summer funding);
- have not previously received a Serve in Place Fund grant;
- and are NOT enrolled in the College of Human Ecology (CHE); College of Architecture, Art and Planning (AAP); School of Industrial and Labor Relations (ILR); or the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business. CHE, AAP, ILR and the SC Johnson College have launched Engaged College Initiatives in partnership with the Einhorn Center, and students from those colleges should contact their college representative to learn more.
We invite those who are ineligible for the Serve in Place Fund to get involved in other Einhorn Center programs and apply for our other awards and funding. See the full list on our website and subscribe to our Student Update email for more info.
Expectations and Deliverables
Expectations and Deliverables
Successful applicants will be required to complete a Serve in Place Fund Canvas course that includes a pre-engagement module, a mid-project reflection and a post-engagement module.
Expectations and Deliverables
Successful applicants will be required to complete a Serve in Place Fund Canvas course that includes a pre-engagement module, a mid-project reflection and a post-engagement module.
Applying
Timeline
Winter funding application open
September 14 – November 1, 2023
Decision notification
Late November 2023
The application deadline for winter session funding is Wednesday, November 1, 2023.
To be considered, proposals must be completed in full and submitted using the online application form. Proposals must include the following information, within the space limits described on the online form.
- Applicant name, Cornell ID number, NetID and email address
- Applicant graduation year, college/school, majors(s), minors(s)
- Statement of financial hardship, if applicable
- Project title and start/end dates
- Community partner name, contact person, email, website and location
- Links to relevant the local (e.g., city, county) public health department for applicant and community partner. These will be different if the student and partner are in different locations.
- If applicable, a description of how this project is supporting historically marginalized and underserved groups.
- Description of the project and how it meets the community-engaged learning criteria. Clearly describe the issue of public concern your project addresses and how you will collaborate with your community partner.
- Describe how you learned about this need in the community.
- How does this project advance your current personal, academic and professional background and goals?
- Explanation of how applicant will evaluate the impact and success of the project (i.e., the achievement of objectives specified with the community partner)
- Budget and justification of all expense requests
- A list of any scholarships, grants or other financial resources the applicant has received or applied for that would supplement the costs of the project
- Either a (a) Community Benefits Agreement signed by both the applicant and the community partner or (b) one letter of support from the community partner. This is a strict requirement.
Selection Criteria
Selection Criteria
Einhorn Center staff review and evaluate grant applications using the following criteria:
- Quality of project, including feasibility, ability of project to meet community-engaged learning criteria, potential for sustainability of the partnership, potential for student learning and potential for positive community impact.
- Potential for the applicant to develop in civic engagement, defined as the ability to connect academic study to social responsibility, public purpose, democracy and civic life within diverse communities and cultures
- Potential for the applicant to develop in ethical practice, defined as the practice of examining and communicating independently the connection between one’s actions and beliefs and the well-being of communities and society
- Potential for the applicant to develop skills in critical reflection, defined as the practice of describing, analyzing, interpreting and articulating your community-engaged learning experience in the context of “serving in place”
Selection Criteria
Einhorn Center staff review and evaluate grant applications using the following criteria:
- Quality of project, including feasibility, ability of project to meet community-engaged learning criteria, potential for sustainability of the partnership, potential for student learning and potential for positive community impact.
- Potential for the applicant to develop in civic engagement, defined as the ability to connect academic study to social responsibility, public purpose, democracy and civic life within diverse communities and cultures
- Potential for the applicant to develop in ethical practice, defined as the practice of examining and communicating independently the connection between one’s actions and beliefs and the well-being of communities and society
- Potential for the applicant to develop skills in critical reflection, defined as the practice of describing, analyzing, interpreting and articulating your community-engaged learning experience in the context of “serving in place”
