Our Programs
Community Partners Program — (CPP) Seed Grants
The Community Partners Program (CPP) is a small grant initiative
Administered by the staff of the Engaged University, the Community Partners Program is intended to stimulate collaborations between members of the University community and residents of the neighborhoods surrounding the College Park campus. It aims to catalyze long-term university-community engagement by supporting research, teaching and action firmly rooted in community-identified needs. By actively promoting collaborative solutions to community needs, CPP aspires to cultivate a shared sense of place, belonging, safety, trust, cooperation, understanding, and hope between community residents and the University. A first round of grants were awarded in May 2007.
CPP’s purpose is to focus university resources on partnerships that improve the quality of life in Prince George’s County, while enriching the caliber of learning on campus by promoting hands-on problem solving and innovation.
CPP funds provide seed money to faculty, students, staff and university units who would like to incorporate various kinds of community engagement into their instructional, research, outreach or service programs. The funds are also intended to encourage local non-profits and other community groups, agencies and organizations to partner with university units to meet community-identified needs.
Local non-profits and other community groups, agencies andorganizations are encouraged to apply with their University of Marylandpartners. Maryland Cooperative Extension faculty, directors of university centers, tenured or tenure-track faculty, full-time instructors and advisors of student organizations are particularly encouraged to apply.
Communities surrounding the University of Maryland, College Park, are the focus of the program.
CPP grants address critical needs in the communities surrounding the University of Maryland, College Park, campus, with a special focus on low-income neighborhoods within Adelphi, Avondale, Bladensburg, Brentwood, Colmar Manor, College Park, Cottage City, Edmonston, Langley Park, Lewisdale, Hyattsville, Mt. Rainier, North Brentwood, and Riverdale, among others.
Examples of activities of interest include (but are not limited to):
- Instructional programs that incorporate community-based learning;
- New multidisciplinary, engaged curricula courses across colleges;
- Community-based participatory research aimed at solving important community problems;
- Applied policy analysis/advocacy leading to concrete benefits for the local community;
- Community asset identification and mapping;
- Community-based arts and community building projects;
- Local media and communication vehicles;
- Community based technology;
- Strategic planning, and resource development;
- Technical assistance on key community concerns, such as education, public health, and environment;
- Local leadership training and development;
- Training programs that anchor assets and wealth in local communities;
- Professional development projects for faculty and staff aimed at strengthening engagement skills.
CPP funding is intended to serve as seed money for new or nascent university-community partnerships.
CPP funding aims to catalyze and sustain partnerships in their ”start-up“ phase, with the expectation that successful projects will expand and seek external funding from various sources. The program is not intended to be a source of support for existing,ongoing engagement activities, nor is it an alternative source of funds for programs already developed to a level which normally would justify support from external sources.