UPC Outreach Grant for LSU Students and Faculty

UPC offers community service grants for LSU students and faculty to work with non-profit organizations in the community.

University Presbyterian Church Community Service Grants

The University Presbyterian Church (UPC) requests proposals for Community Service Grants to support innovative projects that address challenges in the Baton Rouge community, specifically for sustainable partnerships between LSU students and community organizations that serve lower to moderate income communities in the areas of education, health care, or human services. Grants may be awarded to students, student organizations or faculty members working with service-learning who have existing partnerships with community organizations and a well-defined project in which they will engage during the semester; or they may be for students who want to establish such a relationship with an organization, identify needs of the community and organization, and write a proposal to create an ongoing partnership. Student involvement with the community and direct service to the community partner will be a primary criterion in the awarding of grants. An advisory committee of the UPC will judge the proposals.

Successful applicants will demonstrate how the grant will facilitate increased interactions between students and the community partner. Priority will be given to projects that are not likely to receive funding from another source and will be unable to occur without funding. No funds should be requested for equipment unless equipment will remain with partner and is essential for an ongoing project between students and community partners. Requests for funding to cover supplies are acceptable. In the spirit of UPC Community Service Grants, requests should clearly demonstrate and emphasize how community partners will benefit from the project.

Previous grant awards have gone to service-learning classes providing direct service to the community partner, such as landscape architecture students working with recovery efforts in New Orleans and women’s and gender studies students putting together a computer lab for the Safe House of Baton Rouge. Other awards have gone to the Ceramic Art Student Association for their work with the Empty Bowls project and the Honors College to create a college preparatory class at a local high school. Grants are not awarded when the service to the community partner is writing the grant proposal. UPC has a special interest and commitment to projects that directly benefit traditionally underserved populations.

Eligibility:

LSU students involved in LSU service-learning classes or working with sponsors officially recognized by UPC or LSU as having a track record with successful service programs: e.g., CCELL, Volunteer LSU, Campus Life, AmeriCorps, Office of Greek Affairs, CUP, and the University Chaplain’s Association. Recognized student organizations are also eligible, as well as faculty members teaching service-learning classes certified by CCELL that require additional funds for the work of students with community partners. The proposal must be submitted (not necessarily written) by an LSU faculty or staff member. The community partner must be a non-profit organization or school. No funds should be requested for salaries, either for students or organization staff.

Funding:

Grants of up to $1,000 each will be awarded on a competitive basis until the available funds are exhausted. Please note that the funding requested can be less than $1,000 if a smaller award will suffice. In general, funding will be administered through LSU Sponsored Programs.

Types of Proposals:

Student and Student Organization Grants:

Those with existing relationships with a community organization can request funding for projects at two junctures during the semester. The project must consist of delivering service or working with the resources supplied by the grant in the community organization. Deadlines: Proposals will be accepted throughout the semester.

Faculty Grants

Faculty members can request funding for a service-learning course before the beginning of each semester. Proposals should emphasize sustained student involvement in the community through the service-learning process. Deadlines: Proposals will be accepted throughout the semester.

Content of Proposals:

Narrative (2 pages). Describe the community organization, the service the organization provides, the nature of the specific problem to be addressed, the proposed solution, the student engagement in the solution, project start and end dates, anticipated results, and measures to be used to judge success.
A line-item project budget (15 lines or less) with an accompanying budget narrative (no more than 1 page) that justifies each item. Amount requested should not exceed $1,000.
A letter of support from the community organization, which attests to the value of the project and the students’ engagement in the work.
A letter of support from the LSU organization or the instructor in a service-learning class, which attests to the students’ ability to carry out the project and to the level of the students’ engagement.

Writing Assistance:

For assistance in preparing your proposal, consider contacting CCELL at ccell@lsu.edu.

Submission:

Applicants should submit their materials through the LSU Office of Sponsored Programs. Faculty or advisors to student organizations should contact their department’s grants/contracts administrator or business manager for assistance. UPC will notify you directly of whether your proposal will be funded.

Additional Requirements:

All projects which receive funding will be asked to prepare brief oral and written reports on the project. Further information will be provided with the funding notice. The UPC Community Service Grant should be acknowledged at all events and publications related to the grant project.