Community-Engaged Learning Grants

Call for Proposals

Fall 2026 Community-Engaged Learning Grants 

We are now accepting applications through April 3, 2026.   

The CFDE is pleased to announce the availability of the Community Engaged Learning grants. Anyone currently teaching at Emory is eligible, including graduate students, adjunct faculty, visiting faculty, lecturers, or tenure track faculty. Please note that Director of Engaged Learning Vialla Hartfield-Méndez is available for teaching consultations about community engaged pedagogy, syllabus development, partnership cultivation, and general related questions. 

Grants may be used to support activities related to well-structured community-engaged experiences in courses or academic programs. Proposals should address how community engaged pedagogy is leveraged to assist organizations with addressing critical community needs in the metro Atlanta area. Such partners might include neighborhood groups, nonprofit organizations, public agencies, or other similar organizations. Proposals may also be submitted for projects that are in the early stages of community partnership development (especially those that include students in the partnership development work) and/or learning experiences for students that prepare them to better engage with community partners. 

Funding Guidelines

Community Engaged Learning Grants cover amounts up to $1200 and are intended to support both new or ongoing opportunities for faculty to incorporate community engaged learning into their courses or programs. In some cases, grants may be made to support ongoing or existing community engaged learning activities, particularly when those activities grow to involve more students, new partners or communities, or new strategies. If you have questions about what grants may cover, please contact Dr. Vialla Hartfield-Méndez (vhartfi@emory.edu).   

Specific items Funds May Cover 

Grant funds may be used to cover reasonable costs associated with the project, such as:

  • transportation (mileage reimbursement, shuttle bus rental, MARTA tokens, transportation costs for vans) for students or for community participants
  • stipends for community participants in focus groups or for completing surveys
  • refreshments for community meetings or community-based activities (refreshments may be for students and community participants),
  • in certain circumstances, student work (especially for undergraduates), in cases in which no academic credit is involved, or for graduate student assistance when appropriate and directly related to the community engagement

What Funds May Not Cover

Computer equipment and other information technology devices and software generally are not approved expenses. Grant funds may NOT be used to pay Emory students for work conducted as part of a course and for which they will receive academic credit. Funds also may not be used to cover salary or consulting fees for faculty or other instructors.

Helpful websites for consultation regarding best practices for community-based learning and research include: 

APPLY HERE

PLEASE NOTE 

Applicants must either have their own Smartkey account or be connected to a department with a Smartkey account. 

Applicants must also participate in assessment of the program, which may include online evaluations or focus groups. 

If you have questions or would like more information, please contact Vialla Hartfield-Méndez, Director of Engaged Learning, atvhartfi@emory.edu.