Front Page / Campus-Wide Integration / Bonner Community-Engaged Learning Initiative / Request for Proposals
Bonner CEL Initiative - Request for Proposals
Overview | Request for Proposals (RFP) | Campus Examples | Documents to Download
Contents
The 2023-24 Bonner Community-Engaged Learning Initiative provides funding and other support for campuses to engage faculty, link community engagement with courses and curriculum, and build robust infrastructure and strategic plans for campus-wide community-engaged learning. We encourage all schools in the Bonner Network to apply to participate.
We encourage every school in the Bonner Network to apply to participate in one or all of the categories supported this year.
1) Course Development Funding (up to four courses at up to $2,000 each for a total of up to $8,000 in course development funding);
2) Community-Engaged Learning Infrastructure Funding (1-3 projects up to $7,000 total)
3) Faculty Fellow(s) Funding (1-4 faculty, up to $2,500 each and up to $5,000 total)
The three categories are explained in more detail in the following pages. Grant applications may total up to $20,000.Your institution may apply for any or all of these funding categories. Please note that the overall CEL grant requires at least a 50% institutional match (cash, in-kind, and/or of staff time).
For endowed Bonner Programs, your Foundation liaison will work with you to identify which pools of funding (either from your Bonner Program Endowment or direct grants from the Bonner Foundation) may be tapped for these purposes.
For schools that have received Pathways Project funding in the past, the Bonner Foundation remains committed to scaling community-engaged learning across campuses remains. We are asking to schools working to build CEL pathways to request funding using the three categories: course development, infrastructure, and faculty fellows. Note, to support pathways specifically, we have added Gateway and Capstone courses as option for course development funding, and we have added strategic planning support as an option under infrastructure. We encourage you to reach out to talk with us about your plans.
Your final proposal submission will consist of the following:
Course development funding is available to support faculty to integrate one (or more) of the following community engagement components into a new or revised course:
Note: click on the title links above to access additional information and resources on each course model. Also, see example course descriptions for each type below.
Each school may request up to four course development grants of up to $2,000 each.
Please review the linked pages carefully so your proposed course development funding is responding to the specific approaches described above.
Community-engaged learning infrastructure funding may be requested to support one or more of the following options:
Institutions may apply for a CEL infrastructure project funding up to $7,000 total. These funds can be used to support stipends for personnel (staff, faculty, students, partners, or consultants). Teams involved with the Pathways Project should also apply for funds in this category.
Strategic Planning Infrastructure Project
We encourage schools to consider designing and carrying out processes that advance the integration of community-engaged learning across multiple departments and divisions. This work is often connected with expanding campus-wide capacity that may be focused on one or more of the prominent strategies:
Based on both study and experience from multiple campuses, you might consider engaging a Field Leader as a consultant, coach, and/or external reviewer. A Field Leader can be helpful in:
The Foundation can help you connect with some Field Leaders to assist in the process.
Faculty Fellow funding is available to support one or more faculty members who will work in partnership with your campus-wide community/civic engagement center to advance community-engaged learning on your campus. Foundation Faculty Fellow funding is capped at $5,000. Funding may be used to stipend the faculty fellow(s), as well as partners, student leaders, and staff if adopting a team-based model, at a maximum of $2,500 per Fellow. We require at least a 50% match for schools that have had prior Faculty Fellow funding from the Bonner Foundation.
Expectations
The Faculty Fellow(s) will:
We have some questions about the RFP? Who can we contact to discuss our questions?
Contact your Foundation Staff Liaison to set up a time to talk through your questions. If you don’t know who your liaison is, see this page on the Bonner Learning Community to find out.
We are worried about the match? Does it have to be a cash match?
The match is half of your total request and may include in-kind contributions to the initiative (e.g., staff time, etc.).
Do we have to do the Google Forms even if we complete and email a CEL Grant Proposal Summary Worksheet?
Yes, as this process shares your information in our internal grants database. This will expedite your application and reduce later reporting. Having contact information on all involved personnel, proposed courses, and infrastructure projects is important for us to support your team.
Can the same faculty members be involved in multiple categories, or how many faculty can be involved across all categories?
Yes, one faculty member could work on a course and be a Faculty Fellow. Discuss what you have in mind with your liaison.
I see the Pathway Project is no longer a separate funding category. Is that no longer a priority for the Bonner Foundation?
The Bonner Foundation remains committed to scaling community-engaged learning across campuses remains. We are asking to schools working to build CEL pathways to request funding using the three categories: course development, infrastructure, and faculty fellows. Note, to support pathways specifically, we have added Gateway and Capstone courses as option for course development funding, and we have added strategic planning support as an option under infrastructure. We encourage you to reach out to talk with us about your plans.
We have access to Bonner Program Endowment Enrichment Funds. Can we apply for the Community-Engaged Learning Initiative grants here?
We encourage every school in the Bonner Network to apply to participate in the Community-Engaged Learning Initiative. The Bonner Foundation will be providing webinars and other support for CEL course development, infrastructure, and faculty fellows. Your Foundation liaison will work with you to identify which pools of funding (either from your Bonner Program Endowment or direct grants from the Bonner Foundation) can be tapped for these purposes.
We are a Bonner Leader Program without any funding. Can we apply for the Community-Engaged Learning Initiative grants here?
Yes, your team can apply for the course development, faculty fellow, infrastructure, and pathways project grants described here. Your team is eligible for Foundation funding.
We received CEL Initiative funds in prior years. Can we apply?
Yes, you can apply for additional funding. You must submit your year-end report prior to doing so. If you received funds one or more past years, the Foundation will look at your carryover funds when determining the new grant amount. Be sure to include the amount of carryover funds in the 2023-24 CEL Grant Proposal Summary Worksheet.
On what basis will the Foundation be making its funding decisions?
Because the Foundation has limited funds, an institution’s proposal may or may not be fully funded. We will reach out to you with any questions or proposed modifications to your request.
What reporting will be required?
The reporting expectations will be disseminated by the Foundation. As noted, year-end reporting will be due July 30, 2024, although work on projects may continue into the following year.
Will there be another CEL Initiative funding opportunity in 2024-25?
Yes, we expect to continue funding the CEL Initiative each year.