Started in 2017, the Office for Outreach and Engagement Micro Grants support community-engaged scholarship and outreach-related events, stipends, materials and more. Please see the CU Boulder Outreach Awards and our office's Community Impact Grants for guidelines for funding larger and ongoing community-engaged project requests.

While proposals on any topic will be given full consideration, our priorities for academic year 2020–21 are for proposals that address:

  • the COVID-19 pandemic
  • racial justice and persistent racial inequities

Frequently Asked Questions about Office Grants

There are two grant cycles:

Fall

  • For activities during the fall and spring terms
  • Proposal deadline:  Friday Aug. 14, 2020

Winter 

  • For activities during the spring, summer and fall terms
  • Proposal deadline:  Friday Feb. 12, 2021

Decisions on funding will typically be announced within 30 days of the submission deadline. The awards selection process is competitive. Award funding is subject to availability and partial funding may be awarded.

Applicants must complete the online proposal form. Incomplete or late applications will not be considered. Applicants and projects may receive up to one Micro Grant per academic year.

Community-engaged scholarship and outreach activities that are the most competitive meet the following criteria:

  • Align with the campus definition of outreach and engagement
  • Involve audiences external to the CU Boulder campus, and especially those with less access to university resources (e.g. underserved communities, rural areas)
  • Connect to CU Boulder scholarship (research, teaching or creative work)
  • Provide mutual benefit to CU Boulder and external community participants
  • Address our priorities for academic year 2020–21:
    • the COVID-19 pandemic
    • racial justice and persistent racial inequities

Please be aware that multiple proposals from a single unit within a given cycle may not be awarded, because our office has made it a priority to support activities from units across campus.

Applicant must be a CU Boulder faculty member, staff member, currently enrolled graduate student (with faculty sponsor) or currently enrolled undergraduate student (with faculty sponsor).

Allowable Expenses

  • Travel and project costs for community-engaged research, teaching or creative work and outreach events or activities. (Please note: Travel funding is subject to university restrictions. You will be asked to provide details about how you will modify your plans if travel is not allowed due to COVID-19 restrictions in your application.)

  • Program materials or supplies, including food

  • Participant stipends and expenses

  • Pay for currently enrolled students up to $1,000

Non-allowable Expenses

  • Pay or travel expenses for professional consultants or outside speakers

  • Faculty and staff pay, honoraria or release time

Below are the sections in the Micro Grant online application. Applicants will need to provide contact information for a departmental accounting person.

General Information

  • Applicant Contact Information
  • Contact information for a departmental accounting person
  • Indicate if prior awardee (Office for Outreach and Engagement Micro or Community Impact Grant, CU Boulder Outreach Award) and
  • If you are a prior Micro or Community Impact grant awardee, indicate if you have submitted a final status report.

Project/Funding Request Description

Provide a brief overview of the funding request and provide the following details (600 words maximum).

  • A description of proposed work or activity including the goals and objectives
  • Where the activity or event takes place: provide specific information about the location, institutions, community and/or venue
  • If applicable, explain how your project addresses the COVID-19 pandemic and/or  racial justice and persistent racial inequities.

Participant Details

Campus Participants (250 words maximum)

  • List campus faculty, staff or student participants
  • Provide a short description of how they will be involved in the event/activity.  
  • Describe goals and intended benefits for campus participants

External Community Participants (If applicable) (250 words maximum)

  • If applicable, list external community partners (e.g. city government, nonprofit organization, community group, etc.) and/or participants (e.g. audience members, K-12 students)
  • Provide a short description of how they will be involved in the event/activity.  
  • Describe goals and intended benefits for external community participants.

Timeline for proposed work or activity

  • Provide a brief narrative describing the timeline (100 words maximum)
  • Describe scenarios for how you will modify your plans to address COVID-19 restrictions as needed. (100 words maximum)
  • Input approximate start and end dates for your Micro Grant-affiliated activities

Detailed Budget Information

  • Funding requested: Total dollar amount of funding requested from the Office for Outreach and Engagement ($2,000 limit, including GAIR at 7.85% of total project costs).
  • Budget narrative: Provide an explanation and justification of how funds will be used to support the activities described in the funding request. Describe how the project will change if funding is not awarded. (250 words maximum)
  • Other funding sources: Describe other sources of funding for your project, including any matching funds available from your department/unit. (250 words maximum)
  • Grant budget worksheet: Complete the budget worksheet template, then upload the completed budget template with your online submission. The budget should include:
    • Itemized expenses you are requesting from OOE for your project including a breakdown of the dollar amount and a brief description of the projected expenses (e.g. an hourly rate for student pay and number of hours to be worked; cost of individual hotel rooms; per diem per person, etc.)
    • Cost of GAIR (General Administrative and Infrastructure Recharge), currently assessed at 7.85% of your total budget. All outreach accounts, which are Fund 29 accounts, are subject to GAIR fees from the university.

An academic unit or department must sponsor and maintain fiscal oversight of the project. 

Funding requirements

Communications requirements

  • If you want publicity for your project, please review information about outreach communications. 

  • Inform your department communicator and Sue Postema Scheeres, OOE's assistant director of communications, about any events or story ideas related to your project. Sue can help you determine who to contact and connect you with Strategic Relations resources, and suggest ways to advertise the event. Please include our office's logo on any posters or ads, which we can provide. 

  • Acknowledge that the project received Office for Outreach and Engagement grant funding on a webpage about your project, a story or a press release, using the following language: "This project was funded through a grant from the Office for Outreach and Engagement." Note that the link is to the Micro Grants page.

  • Make sure to select “Outreach and Engagement” under the interest category section on the CU Events Calendar to have your event promoted on the campus Public Outreach and Community Engagement website.

  • Tag @CUOutreach on any social media posts related to your project.

  • Respond in a timely manner to office staff about project deadlines or publicity related to the project, which may be featured on the Public Outreach and Community Engagement website.

Final report requirements

  • When the project or event is completed, grantee must fill out a final report that describes the impact of funded activities. The final report due date will be provided in the funding agreement. Note that the final report must be completed prior to submitting for additional funding requests to the office.

2017–18 Awardees

  • Collaborative Artist-Scholar Residency at Chatauqua with Public Presentation
    Professor/Chair, Department of Religious Studies David Shneer
    History, Religious Studies and Jewish Studies
  • Colorado River Water Delegation to Mexico
    Energy and Climate Justice Manager Michelle Gabrieloff
    Environmental Center
  • Colorado Shared Ownership Summit Travel Support
    Assistant Professor Nathan Schneider
    Media Studies
  • Distribute Colorado Business Economic Outlook Books
    Associate Director Brian Lewandowski
    Business Research Division
  • Evaluation and Understanding of Creative Districts in Colorado
    Graduate Research Assistant Jennifer Shelby
    Environmental Design
  • German Language Immersion Day 2018
    Instructor/Coordinator of Undergraduate German Language Instruction Ursula Jany
    Germanic and Slavic Languages and Literatures
  • Laissez Les Bons Temp Rouler
    Assistant Professor Helanius Wilkins
    Theatre & Dance
  • Off-grid Renewable Energy in Rural Bolivia
    Undergraduate Research Assistant Janelle Isenhart, Biology and Chemical Engineering, Faculty Advisor Alan Mickelson, Electrical Engineering
  • Presenting Community-based Air Quality Research
    Graduate Research Assistant Ashley Collier-Oxandale, Faculty Advisor Michael Hannigan
    Environmental Engineering
  • Rethinking Digital Pedagogy with Community Partners: An Unconference
    Graduate Research Assistant Tarren Andrews, English, Faculty Advisor Laurie Gries, Department of Communication
  • State-wide Educator Institute for LGBTQ Inclusive Practices
    Research Associate Bethy Leonardi
    A Queer Endeavor, School of Education
  • Teachers of Color and Allies Summit
    Associate Professor Victoria Hand
    School of Education
  • The Korey Wise Innocence Project at CU Law
    Professor Kristy Martinez
    Colorado Law
  • Young Women's Vocal Empowerment Program - Egypt
    Graduate Research Assistant Sarah Fahmy, Faculty Advisor Beth Osnes
    Theatre & Dance

2018–19 Awardees

2019–20 Awardees

2020–21 Awardees

  • Affordable Housing in Boulder: Barriers, Solutions, and Successes
    Associate Director and Instructor Abby Hickcox
    Arts & Sciences Honors Program
  • Building Community Partnerships for Equitable Co-Design in Science
    Graduate Student Caitlin Fine
    School of Education
  • Computational Physical Play Workshop
    Graduate Student Junnan Yu
    Department of Information Science
  • Engineering Identity Development in Rural High School Students
    Graduate Student Leighanna Hinojosa
    School of Education
  • Gathering/Sharing Resources about Latinos on the Western Slope
    Director of Latino History Project Jason Romero
    School of Education
  • Los Seis de Boulder at 28th and Canyon
    Graduate Student Jasmine Baetz
    Art and Art History
  • Nested Roots: A Science/Art Exhibition in Carbondale, CO
    Associate Director Jorge Perez-Gallego
    Nature, Environment, Science, and Technology Studio for the Arts
  • State-wide Educator Institute for LGBTQ Inclusive Practices
    Assistant Research Professor Bethy Leonardi
    School of Education

Questions?

Contact Lisa H. Schwartz, community outreach program manager