Campus & community, Campus news

Chancellor's Community Partnership Fund streamlines application process

By Caleb Dardick

The Chancellor’s Community Partnership Fund has launched a streamlined application process for the 2011-2012 grant cycle. This year, the fund has approximately $225,000 to distribute to innovative campus-community partnerships that yield real-world results in the areas of arts and culture, community safety, economic development, environmental stewardship and education.

The revised application process will take place in two stages. First, interested applicants will submit a short pre-application form with a summary of the proposed project and its partnerships. The pre-application forms are due by Feb. 9, 2011.

Next, the fund’s advisory board will review the pre-application forms and invite approximately 20-25 applicants to submit more detailed and comprehensive applications. The advisory board may also provide written feedback to select applicants with the goal of creating and strengthening partnerships between the campus and community. (Note: Being asked to submit an application does not guarantee a grant award.) The full applications will then be reviewed by the board, and funding recommendations will be made to UC Berkeley Chancellor Robert Birgeneau.

Established in 2006, the fund has awarded over $1,000,000 to more than 75 diverse neighborhood improvement projects and community service programs that result from collaborative relationships between UC Berkeley and the community.

The fund will host a workshop for interested applicants as well as for potential community or university partners in mid-January 2011, with the exact date and location to be announced soon.

Additional information about the fund and the workshop is available online at the Community Relations website.