Proposals should fit one of the following categories:

• Local Participation
  • Registration fees to attend an event sponsored by a local non-profit or public agency;
  • Local conference fees (registration, travel if off the RIPTA route, printing materials) to participate in local conference events focused on community health and the social determinants of health;
  • Fees associated with facilitating a group community engagement event (costs associated with joining an already-existing community-defined volunteer opportunity: fees, meal for the group to facilitate a reflection dinner focused on the engagement, etc).
    • Note students must follow Brown policies regarding transportation; use of public transportation is encouraged where possible, and requests for travel funds will be considered on a case by case basis.
• Community-Informed Events
  • For student groups: Recognized student groups are encouraged to utilize funds already at their disposal to facilitate student organization-sponsored events. Mini-grant funding may be available to supplement community-focused events that bring practitioners and local perspectives into programming.
    • In coordination with the Office of Student Services: We ask that student organizations agree to co-sponsor a matching amount requested for their event.
    • Examples: Honoraria for invited community speakers, parking reimbursement for partner speakers, food, event costs.
  • Participation in workshops/consultation/training on: Community engagement, modes of social change, community-informed practice of public health.
• Capacity-Building:
  • Material fees to help create/share tangibly useful tools to a community partner at the end of an internship, MPH Practicum, RA-ship, or Thesis collaboration (Printing, etc).
  • Events to share the results of a local collaboration or Practicum, Thesis, or RA-Ship with key partners and community members (food, printing, speaker honoraria).

Fall Semester:  Priority Review will begin on November 20, 2024; proposals accepted on a rolling basis following 11/20/24

Review: Priority review occurs between November 20 - December 4, 2024

Announcements Anticipated: By December 4, 2024

For Spring Semester: Priority Review will begin on March 15, 2025; proposals accepted on a rolling basis following 03/15/25

Review: Priority review occurs between March 15 - March 25, 2025

Announcements Anticipated: By March 25, 2024

For Questions, Contact: sphcommunityengagement@brown.edu

Funding is available to Brown University undergraduate and graduate students. Applications must demonstrate a direct connection with public health efforts in Providence and RI.

We anticipate that the average award size will be $50-$500, though this is at the discretion of the selection committee and will depend on the proposals received. Awards will be funded on a cost reimbursement basis for the approved expenditures outlined in your proposal submission. All expense reimbursement requests must comply with university policy and spend guidelines and be accompanied by a paid receipt. We are unable to reimburse costs that have not been pre-approved as part of the award process. In some cases, the Office of Community Engagement may be able to facilitate a purchase on behalf of the awardee; all awardees must communicate with the Office of Community Engagement and receive approval prior to any purchases.

Proposals will be reviewed by subject matter experts, which may include students, faculty, staff, or community members affiliated with the School of Public Health.

Community Partners:  

Community partners may include professionals or researchers who work primarily in community-based organizations, state or local government, faith-based organizations, community health clinics, etc. For the purposes of this grant, partners working in spaces connected to public health and social determinants of health will be prioritized. 

Communities and Community Engagement: 

Communities can be quite broadly defined. For this call for applications, we will use the CDC definition for Community Engagement, defined as "the process of working collaboratively with and through groups of people affiliated by geographic proximity, special interest, or similar situations to address issues affecting the well-being of those people.”¹ For the purposes of this opportunity, we consider communities within Rhode Island, and especially communities that have been historically marginalized or underserved. We ask that applicants describe the specific community and/or organization with which your partnership seeks to collaborate.

Flexible; projects must occur within 3 months of award announcements.

Please note: This funding opportunity is designed to connect students into ongoing community efforts. We seek to minimize “cold-calls” or uncoordinated efforts that are often unwelcome and burdensome to community partners. This funding seeks to help students join local, existing efforts and calls for participation, and to learn from community members and practitioners via their attendance and participation. For interested potential applicants in search of opportunities to engage locally, please contact the Office of Community Engagement (sarah_bouchard@brown.edu) to investigate opportunities or visit our website to view resources.

Submit applications via this google form.

The primary considerations for evaluation are the extent to which applicants seek to connect with ongoing community efforts (community-identified and community-led), and to gain applied experience in public health — all with local organizations or communities. We will consider a broad range of public health topics including health equity, social determinants of health, climate and health, public health communications, etc. We will also consider the proposal's potential to further existing relationships with local partners, and to contribute to local public health efforts. Individual personal professional development activities (ie., applying for credentials or certification), will likely not qualify for funding.

Grant awardees will be required to

• Provide a brief report to the Office of Community Engagement to share the results of your engagement. Reporting format will be discussed and determined at the Award Notification Meeting;
•  Submit all paperwork and receipts by the provided deadlines to the appropriate staff as detailed in the Award Notification Meeting, in compliance with University policies;
• Applicants will specify award timelines in their application. Upon receiving notification of approval, fall awards must be spent between 11/20/24 and 3/15/25, and spring awards must be spent between 3/15/24 and 6/15/24.
• Agree to acknowledge this funding opportunity (e.g., “this project was supported by the Brown University School of Public Health Community-Engaged Mini-Grant Funds. if it leads to publications and/or additional products. We also ask that awardees report all presentations, publications, and extramural funding that arise as a result of this funding;
• Awardees will also be asked to complete a survey at the end of the funding period.
• Awardees are expected to serve on future fund application review panels and to provide feedback on the pilot program.  They may be asked to participate in related symposia or other functions, and are expected to follow through on timelines and meetings with the awarding staff.