by Ash Coutu, CFICE Communications RA
The internet isn’t just a place for cat videos, and selfies. It’s loaded with resources for community-campus engagement (CCE) partnership-based funding! Knowing where to look can be the most challenge part. To save you time and money, we put together a list of ten excellent sources for funding CCE partnership-based work.
The Heavy-Hitters
The Social Science Research and Humanities Council of Canada (SSRHC) is a federally-based research funding agency. SSRHC offers hefty Partnership Grants for academic researchers, businesses, and other partners who are doing social science and humanities-based research. Partnership grants are intended for research teams working in post-secondary institutions in collaboration with community-based organizations. They are worth up to a maximum of $2.5 million for a 7-year project. CFICE is an example of a project funded by a SSHRC partnership grant.
Like SSRHC, the National Science and Engineering Council of Canada (NSERC) is a federally funded agency that provides research grants for research in the natural sciences and engineering. NSERC Engage Grants focus primarily on partnerships between academics (college or university-affiliated) and industry partners. Their purpose is to foster new research partnerships “by supporting short-term research and development projects aimed at addressing a company-specific problem.” The grants can offer up to $25,000 for a short term project of up to 6 months long. Applications are judged based on technical merit, industrial relevance, and potential for innovation impact.
Back home at Carleton University
Carleton University provides an extensive list of internal funding opportunities. For example, the Carleton University Research Prize offers up to $5,000 under the theme “Building Connections.” Prizes are awarded to faculty and teams whose research has built connections over a span of time. Carleton also offers Development Grants of up to $10,000 to support a faculty member’s research. There’s also the Research Achievement Award which is valued at $15,000, and is intended to help the productivity of Carleton researchers.
Carleton University cites several sources of external funding for students, faculty, and post-docs including Mitacs grants like the Canadian Science Policy Fellowship. According to Mitacs, the fellowship aims to, “Form mutually beneficial relationships between government decision-makers and academic researchers in support of policy changes in Canada.”
Carleton provides information on prizes and awards including CUPAC which offers a list of annual awards to people in the Carleton community. There is also the esteemed Governor General’s Enhancing Global Recognition for Canadian Research Excellence Initiative, which is granted to Canadian researchers.
Innovation Station
Groups or individuals in the Campus Connect Network, (of which Carleton University is a member), can apply to the Fund for Positive Engagement. Campus Connect provides institutions of higher education with funds for small-scale short-term experiments relating to building democracy. The grant can be used for courses related to CCE, provide funds to hire a graduate assistant, or be used for supplies to support the development of a new CCE course.
J.W. McConnell Family Foundation’s RECODE: Civic Innovation Award offers between $10,000 – $50,000 for partnerships between post-secondary institutions, municipal governments or agencies that are working under the theme “Innovative Citizenship and Service.”
We didn’t forget about Community-Based Organizations
The Vancouver Foundation funds up to $75,000 for charities and NGOs that generate research towards building stronger communities. The Foundation is limited to BC based research or research that is located somewhere else in Canada, but takes place in BC.
The Oak Foundation offers grants for theme-bound collaborative projects. Although, the majority of their funding is offered through invitation, The Oak Foundation does welcome unsolicited letters of inquiries. They consider requests that fulfill their core principles, and are offered to universities and institutions working on partner-based projects worldwide (including those based in Canada).
Make a run for the money
Don’t see what you’re looking for? Then check out University of Victoria’s well-organized list of funding options for researchers at home and abroad.