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Virginia Commonwealth University
2015-16 Council for Community Engagement Grants
Grant Proposal Guidance
Application Deadline: February 20, 2015; Midnight
Proposals must be submitted online at:
http://15-16CCEGrantApp.questionpro.com
See the complete CCE Grants Request for Proposals at:
www.community.vcu.edu
DUE: February 20, 2015
[PROPOSAL GUIDANCE FOR 2015-16 CCE GRANTS]
2
Virginia Commonwealth University’s Council for Community Engagement Grants
With support from the Office of the Provost and the Vice President for Health Sciences, the Council for Community Engagement
(CCE) provides one-year Community Engagement Grants and one-year Community-Engaged Research (CEnR) Partnership
Development Grants that will enhance and increase university engagement with the greater Richmond community and will contribute
to the research and teaching of VCU units.
Community Engagement Grants, awarded up to $20,000, aim to advance community-engaged scholarship in any academic or
academic support unit and can support a broad array of activities. Proposals are encouraged from across VCU in partnership with
Richmond-area organizations to creatively address community-identified needs. Funded projects will serve as catalysts for on-going
partnerships sustained by external funding and community-engaged research, teaching and/or service.
CEnR Partnership Development Grants, a new funding opportunity offered for the 2015-16 grant cycle with awards up to $10,000,
are intended to support new or potential academic-community partnerships in CEnR. CEnR is a collaborative process between the
researcher and community partner that creates and disseminates knowledge and creative expression with the goal of contributing to the
discipline and strengthening the well-being of the community. These funds are to be used for building and supporting community
partnerships, exploring shared interests, developing infrastructure and governance, and laying the groundwork for an ultimate drafting
of a CEnR proposal.
This document serves as a guidance tool for the online application for the 2015 -16 CCE grants. It is highly recommended that
applicants develop proposal contents in an external document and then copy and paste final content into the online application,
located at http://15-16CCEGrantApp.questionpro.com.
For complete information about the Community Engagement Grants, go to www.community.vcu.edu.
Proposals must be submitted online at:
http://15-16CCEGrantApp.questionpro.com
PROPOSALS MUST BE SUBMITTED ONLINE at http://15-16CCEGrantApp.questionpro.com
DUE: February 20, 2015
[PROPOSAL GUIDANCE FOR 2015-16 CCE GRANTS]
3
Instructions for Community Engagement/CEnR Partnership Development Grants Proposal Coversheets
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The coversheet is attached at the end of this proposal guidance document. Complete all sections and obtain required
signatures.
Use additional blank copies of the coversheet form if you have more partners or other information than will fit in the space
provided.
Save the completed coversheet as a PDF and upload it to the online application.
Instructions for Community Engagement/CEnR Partnership Development Grants Proposal Overview
Proposal Abstract
 Provide an abstract no more than 100 words, to include community-identified needs and partners.
Outline of Proposal Goals and Objectives
 Outline the proposal goals and objectives.
Projected Level of Student Involvement
 Indicate estimated number of students, whether they will be graduate/undergraduate and home units.
Unit*
Number of Students
Graduate/Undergraduate
*A VCU or VCUHS "unit" is an academic or academic support unit. An academic unit includes centers and institutes, academic and research programs, departments,
and schools. Examples of academic support units are VCU Athletics, Libraries and Facilities Management.
Alignment with VCU Question for Distinction
 Indicate with which of the themes of the Quest for Distinction this proposal most closely aligns. Select all that apply.
o Theme I: Become a leader among national research universities in providing all students with high quality
living/learning experiences focused on inquiry, discovery and innovation in a global environment
o Theme II: Attain preeminence as an urban, public research university by making contributions in research, scholarship,
-creative expression, and clinical practice to advance knowledge and enhance the quality of life
o Theme III: Achieve national recognition as a fully-integrated research university with a commitment to human health
o Theme IV: Become a national model for community engagement and regional impact
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Indicate with which of the four areas in Theme IV that the proposal primarily addresses.
o PK-12 Education
o Economic Development
o Sustainability
o Access to Health
If you are applying for a Community Engagement Grant,
please continue to page 4.
If you are applying for a Community-Engaged Research
Grant, please proceed to page 5.
PROPOSALS MUST BE SUBMITTED ONLINE at http://15-16CCEGrantApp.questionpro.com
DUE: February 20, 2015
[PROPOSAL GUIDANCE FOR 2015-16 CCE GRANTS]
4
Instructions for Community Engagement Grants Proposal Narrative
Your Community Engagement Grant Proposal Narrative must include the following sections and address the following concerns:
Project Description
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Provide a brief description of the community-identified need.
Give a description of the project design and proposed activities to be undertaken during the period of performance (July 1June 30).
Preference is given to partnerships within the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). If the community partner is
located outside of the MSA, provide a description on how the proposed project will be maintained after the funding period.
Contributions of Partners
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Provide a description of the partnership.
Give an explanation of the team members’ respective roles in and contributions to the proposed project.
Evaluation Plan
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Provide a description of how progress and outcomes will be measured as well as how often they will be reviewed.
Impact
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Give an explanation of how the proposed impact may or will positively impact VCU and the targeted community.
Outline the ways in which the knowledge gained from this proposed project will be disseminated.
Community-Engaged Scholarship Plan (Teaching/Research/Outreach)
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Describe your plan to develop community-engaged scholarship (CES). VCU defines CES as the creation and dissemination
of knowledge and creative expression in furtherance of the mission and goals of the university and in collaboration with the
community. CES addresses community needs through research, teaching and service in a mutually beneficial partnership.
References (up to 1 page)
Please skip ahead to PAGE 6 for further Community Engagement Grant proposal instruction.
PROPOSALS MUST BE SUBMITTED ONLINE at http://15-16CCEGrantApp.questionpro.com
DUE: February 20, 2015
[PROPOSAL GUIDANCE FOR 2015-16 CCE GRANTS]
5
Instructions for Community-Engaged Research Partnership Development Grants Proposal Narrative
Your Community-Engaged Research Partnership Development Grant Proposal Narrative must include the following sections and
address the following concerns:
Summary of Academic-Community Partner Relationship
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Provide a background of the existing relationship.
Discuss the potential outcomes of the developed partnership.
Identify potential team members, respective roles and potential contributions to the proposed partnership.
Describe how the proposed impact may or will positively impact VCU and the targeted community.
Partnership Development Plan
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Describe your partnership development plan, which may include, but is not limited to, the following:
o Building relationships between partners and creation of partnership structure (e.g., facilitating formal and informal
meetings for partners to learn more about each other, to explore the involvement of other potential partners, and to
discuss how the partners will adopt and use equitable collaborative principles and operating norms)
o Exploring shared research interests and identifying capacity building needs (e.g., identifying partnership research
priorities, determining nature of collaborative research approach that will be used, delineating capacity-building
needs, participating in trainings and/or ongoing mentoring opportunities)
o Developing an Advisory Board and/or other appropriate partnership infrastructure mechanisms (e.g., defining roles
and responsibilities, developing communication and decision-making mechanisms, policies and procedures;
developing a set of collaborative participatory research principles to guide decisions regarding various aspects of the
research process)
References (up to 1 page)
PROPOSALS MUST BE SUBMITTED ONLINE at http://15-16CCEGrantApp.questionpro.com
DUE: February 20, 2015
[PROPOSAL GUIDANCE FOR 2015-16 CCE GRANTS]
6
Instructions for Community Engagement/CEnR Partnership Development Grants Supplementary Information
All proposals must include the following supplementary documents:
Budget and Budget Justification
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Provide a line item budget for all funds requested. Include a detailed budget justification for all items.
If matching funds will be made, list and describe all costs.
Request may not exceed $20,000 for Community Engagement Grants and $10,000 for CEnR Partnership Development
grants. Indirect costs are not allowed. These grants may not be used as flow-through funds.
Indicate amount requested including CCE Grant request, matching funds and total.
Provide fiscal administrator (FA) contact information (name, unit, phone and email address).
Timeline
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Indicate when the project activities will take place during the period of performance (July 1-June 30).
Biographical Sketches
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Include a brief (no more than 200 words each) biographical sketch for all key personnel from VCU and community
organizations in the proposing partnership.
Letters of Commitment from Community Partners
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Include a letter of commitment from each community partner. A letter of commitment shows that the community
organization believes a project is needed and worthwhile, and that the partner is willing to be actively involved in its
implementation. Therefore, the letter should:
o Verify the community-identified need.
o Verify that there will be a mutually beneficial exchange with VCU.
o Define the partner’s role(s) in the project.
o Explain the expected benefit to the organization’s stakeholders.
PROPOSALS MUST BE SUBMITTED ONLINE at http://15-16CCEGrantApp.questionpro.com
DUE: February 20, 2015
[PROPOSAL GUIDANCE FOR 2015-16 CCE GRANTS]
7
Format and Length Guidelines
Narrative
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The narrative section may not exceed 5 pages, double spaced. You may use up to 1 additional page for references.
Budget and Budget Justification
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There is no required format for the budget; however, each requested line item, subtotals, totals, and matching contributions
should be clear.
A narrative budget justification must be included.
The budget and budget justification may not exceed 2 pages.
Timeline
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There is no required format for the timeline; however, project activities and when they will take place during the period of
performance (July 1 – June 30) should be clear. Do not exceed one page.
Biographical sketches
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Narrative biographical sketches for each individual may not exceed 200 words.
Letters of Commitment
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Letters should be in .pdf format, appear on partner organization’s letterhead and must be signed.
PROPOSALS MUST BE SUBMITTED ONLINE at http://15-16CCEGrantApp.questionpro.com
DUE: February 20, 2015
[PROPOSAL GUIDANCE FOR 2015-16 CCE GRANTS]
8
Submission
For Community Engagement Grants, prepare the following:
Completed and signed Coversheet
Proposal Narrative
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Project Description
Contributions of Partners
Evaluation Plan
Impact
Community-Engaged Scholarship Plan
References
Supplementary Information
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Budget, Budget Justification and Budget Information
Timeline
Biographical Sketches
Letters of Commitment
No other documents are allowed.
For CEnR Partnership Development Grants, prepare the following:
Completed and signed Coversheet
Proposal Narrative
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Summary of Academic-Community Partner Relationship
Partnership Development Plan
References
Supplementary information
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Budget, Budget Justification and Budget Information
Timeline
Biographical Sketches
Letters of Commitment
No other documents are allowed.
Submit the entire proposal online at http://15-16CCEGrantApp.questionpro.com by Midnight. on Friday, February 20, 2015.
Late or incomplete packages will not be reviewed.
Direct inquiries to Tessa McKenzie at [email protected]
Details and FAQ: www.community.vcu.edu
PROPOSALS MUST BE SUBMITTED ONLINE at http://15-16CCEGrantApp.questionpro.com
Virginia Commonwealth University
2015-2016 Community Engagement Grants
Application Coversheet
Application Deadline: February 20, 2015; Midnight
See the complete CCE Grants Request for Proposals at:
www.community.vcu.edu
DUE: February 20, 2015
[APPLICATION FOR 2015-16 CCE GRANTS]
Project Title
Virginia Commonwealth University Partners’ Information
Principal Investigator (PI) Name
Title
Unit
PO Box
Phone
VCU Email
PI Signature
Date (mm/dd/yyyy)
Unit Head (e.g. department chair, supervisor) Signature or Designee Signature
Date (mm/dd/yyyy)
VCU Partner Faculty/Staff Name
Title
Unit
PO Box
Phone
VCU Email
VCU Partner Signature
Date (mm/dd/yyyy)
Unit Head (e.g. department chair, supervisor) Signature or Designee Signature
Date (mm/dd/yyyy)
VCU Partner Faculty/Staff Name
Title
Unit
PO Box
Phone
VCU Email
VCU Partner Signature
Date (mm/dd/yyyy)
Unit Head (e.g. department chair, supervisor) Signature or Designee Signature
Date (mm/dd/yyyy)
Use additional blank copies of this form if you have more VCU or community partners than will fit in the space provided.
DUE: February 20, 2015
[APPLICATION FOR 2015-16 CCE GRANTS]
Community Partner(s) Information
Organization or Agency Name
Address
Phone
Contact Name
Email
Title
Contact Signature
Date (mm/dd/yyyy)
Organization or Agency Name
Address
Phone
Contact Name
Email
Title
Contact Signature
Date (mm/dd/yyyy)
Budget Information
Amount Requested
Community Engagement
Grant Request:
Matching Funds:
Total:
Fiscal Administrator (FA) Name
FA Phone
FA Unit
FA Email
Use additional blank copies of this form if you have more VCU or community partners than will fit in the space provided.