Chancellor’s Community Partnership Fund opens 2016-17 application process

Chancellor Nicholas Dirks has announced the launch of the 2016-17 grant cycle for the Chancellor’s Community Partnership Fund. This year, the fund can grant up to $268,000 to innovative campus-Berkeley community partnerships, for projects beginning in the summer or early fall of 2016.

The fund supports projects in arts and culture, community safety, economic development, environmental stewardship and education. Since its establishment in 2006, it has granted nearly $2 million to more than 120 neighborhood-improvement and community-service programs that involve collaborative relationships between the campus and the Berkeley community to address critical needs.

BUILD mentor Erika Reyes reads with a student. BUILD is a recent fund recipient.

The fund’s advisory board will review pre-application forms and invite approximately 20-25 applicants to submit a more detailed and comprehensive application. Pre-application forms are due Dec. 11. (Please note that being asked to submit an application does not guarantee a grant award.) The full applications will then be reviewed by the advisory board and funding recommendations are made to Chancellor Dirks.

For 2016-17, all grants will be for one-year projects or programs. For education-based grants, applicants are required to identify how the project or program aligns with and forwards the goals of the 2020 Vision for Berkeley’s Children and Youth. The 2020 Vision is Berkeley’s communitywide effort to end disparities in academic achievement that exist along racial lines among children and youth in Berkeley.

“The goal of educational equity is near and dear to UC Berkeley’s public service mission,” Chancellor Dirks said. “I encourage the campus community to explore ways you might partner with Berkeley community agencies to support academic growth of Berkeley’s children.”

Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates has also voiced his appreciation for this new focus. “The 2020 Vision is an important collaboration in support of Berkeley’s youth,” he said. “We are thrilled the chancellor is committed to supporting the city and the school district in this important effort.

The Cal goalball team and service dog Van Dyke strike a pose. Goalball is part of Athletics for All, a fund recipient.

Potential applicants can attend a community mixer and information session to learn more about the application process and explore potential partnerships. The free event is set for 4-5:30 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 9, at Skydeck/Berkeley, 2150 Shattuck Ave. More information is available on eventbrite. 

Education and youth applicants can learn more from Vision Design team members about the goals of the 2020 Vision and the strategic priorities at a free information session from 3-4 p.m. today (Monday, Nov. 2) at 2020 Bonar St. More information is available on eventbrite.

More information about the fund process, including pre-application forms, application guidelines, FAQs and lists of past recipients, is available on the Chancellor’s Community Partnership Fund website or by contacting UC Berkeley’s Office of Local Government and Community Relations at (510) 643-5299 or [email protected].

Pre-application forms are due by Dec. 11, 2015.