The St. Louis Impact Fund catalyzes substantive regional partnerships through four grant categories and will grant up to $50,000 this year. In line with Gephardt Institute’s mission to foster student community engagement, the St. Louis Impact Fund will equip students to effectively foster intentional and mutually beneficial relationships with community partners.
“Community partnerships invite dialogue, launch learning, inspire action, and generate positive impact,” said Associate Director for Community Engagement Sam Babb, who leads the new St. Louis Impact Fund program for the Gephardt Institute.
The different grants offer various degrees of aid to advance St. Louis regional priorities, up to $10,000. The grants vary depending on the scope of engagement intended by both community partners and students.
For major initiatives, the Transform Grant funds up to $10,000 to support robust partnerships between Washington University students and community organizations. Successful proposals will involve a substantial co-led project between students and one or more community partners who collaborate, advise on, and influence the project.
Working with community partners is something Gephardt’s St. Louis Fellows and Civic Scholars know very well, and now, they are able to prolong their partnerships through the St. Louis Impact Fund’s Partnership Extension Grant. This grant allows for up to $1,500 more—on top of the $6,000 stipend Fellows and Civic Scholars receive—to continue their summer internship into the academic year at no additional cost to the partner organizations with which they work.
Open to all students, the Mini Grant will offer up to $500 for a short-term, student-led project with a local non-profit or civic organization. Funding will support project planning, event planning, transportation, and supplies.
Finally, the Engage STL Grant awards up to $500 to students who wish to further immerse themselves in the St. Louis community. This may look like attending a community event, visiting a cultural institution, or exploring a local neighborhood. The goal of this immersion is to come away with a better understanding of St. Louis’s history, culture, politics, opportunities, and challenges.
“We are proud to partner with a variety of civic and non-profit organizations throughout the year, and are looking forward to how the St. Louis Impact Fund may be another inroad for community organizations to partner with the Gephardt Institute and Washington University students,” Babb said.
The St. Louis Impact Fund was also featured on The Source, WashU’s site for University news.
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The St. Louis Impact Fund is supported by the Office of the Provost and generous donations to the Gephardt Institute. Through the former Civic Engagement Fund, the Gephardt Institute has distributed over $267,000 in grants that advance student learning and St. Louis regional priorities. If you would like to make a gift to support the St. Louis Impact Fund, please contact Colleen Watermon at cwatermon@wustl.edu