Community Partnerships Grants

Who is eligible to apply?

University of Pennsylvania faculty (standing and non-standing), staff, departments, programs, and centers are eligible to apply for Sachs Program Community Partnerships Grants in collaboration with community arts and civic organizers or non-profit organizations. For-profit businesses cannot be considered a primary community partner.

What do the grants support?

Community Partnerships Grants support collaborations between the University of Pennsylvania and community arts and civic organizers or non-profit organizations—to cultivate meaningful partnerships between Penn and neighboring communities. Projects should be community-centered and the lead applicant must be a Penn faculty or staff member.
Examples of previously supported projects can be reviewed on our website.

How much can I apply for?

Community Partnerships Grant applicants may request up to $15,000, a significant portion of which should go directly to the community partner(s) or the communities being served. If the community partner prefers not to receive or manage grant funds and wishes for this to be managed by their Penn partner instead, then this can be explained in the application.

How and when do I receive the grant funds?

Awarded grant funds must be transferred from the Sachs Program to a Penn department, program, or center, before they can be disbursed to a community partner. Please refer to our general information page about grants disbursement for complete guidelines about receiving grant funds. Understanding these guidelines is important as we cannot provide support outside of university-approved options for receiving and managing grant funds.
The earliest date funds may be available in the 2026 grants cycle is May 2026, though in most cases they will be available in June or July. This timeline depends on several factors, including the responsiveness of grantees and their designated Fiscal Conduit (when applicable).
Any questions? Please email Sachs Program Associate Director Chloe Reison at reison@upenn.edu.

What do I need to know to apply?

The deadline to submit a grant inquiry form for 2026 Community Partnerships Grants is NOON on Tuesday, November 25, 2025.
Applicants must submit a grant inquiry form from the Sachs Program website to receive a link to the full online application. A link to the online application (via SlideRoom) will be sent to the email address provided when submitting the grant inquiry form.
The grant inquiry form will prompt applicants to indicate if they wish to schedule a meeting with the Sachs Program to discuss their project idea. Meetings are encouraged but are not required. Meetings are also based on availability and are not guaranteed. If you wish to schedule a meeting with Sachs Program staff, we encourage you to submit your inquiry early.
The deadline for submitting completed applications online via SlideRoom is MIDNIGHT on Friday, December 19, 2025.

Grant Inquiry Form

You must submit a grant inquiry form from the Sachs Program website to receive a link to the full online application. A link to the online application (via SlideRoom) will be sent to the email address provided when submitting the grant inquiry form.

The last day to submit a grant inquiry form is November 25, 2025.

The grant inquiry form for 2026 Sachs Program Community Partnerships Grants is now closed.

Applicant Guidelines

A complete list of grantmaking criteria can be found on the Sachs Program website. The Sachs Program grantmaking criteria serve as guideposts for our grantmaking process and describe what is expected of a competitive application.
Community Partnerships Grants must be managed by a Penn department, program, or center, as the designated Fiscal Condit for grant funds. If an individual faculty or staff member is applying as the lead applicant, they must obtain an agreement from a department, program, or center to manage their grant funds.
Penn applicants must apply in collaboration with at least one community arts or civic organizer or non-profit organization. For-profit business cannot be considered a primary community partner.
Community arts and civic organizers and non-profit organizations cannot independently apply. They must apply in partnership with a University of Pennsylvania applicant.
The proposed project should be community-centered, and applicants should clearly describe the communities they plan to engage, how their project will accomplish this, and its intended impact.
A significant portion of the grant award should go directly to the community partner(s) or the communities being served. If the community partner prefers not to receive or manage grant funds and wishes for this to be managed by their Penn partner instead, then this can be explained in the application.
Community Partnership Grants are not intended to fund the salaries of Penn employees. In some instances, however, Penn employees may receive a portion of the grant as compensation if the project falls outside the scope of their role at Penn and a case for this allocation is made in the application. The full grant award would be received by a Fiscal Conduit, who will manage paying out the designated portion as salary through payroll. The bulk of the grant should still be conveyed to the community partner(s), in alignment with the goals of this category.
Applicants may submit only one application per grant category in a given year.
Sachs Program grants are not intended for ongoing support. Priority may be given to applicants or projects not previously supported by the Sachs Program. If a project has been supported by the Sachs Program or another Penn entity previously, the applicant must make a compelling case for why there remains a need for support.
Sachs Program funding is competitive and is not guaranteed.
Applicants with an open Sachs Program grant must submit their final report before the current application deadline before submitting an application for another Sachs Program grant.
To be eligible for consideration, an application must be an appropriate fit for the category in which it is submitted. If an application is not an appropriate fit for its category or does not align with Sachs Program mission priorities, the Sachs Program reserves the right to withdraw submitted applications.
If you are applying for support for equipment, software, or other resources that may already be available to you through the University of Pennsylvania, a strong case must be made for why these purchases are necessary for the success of your project.
If you have any questions about the eligibility of your proposal, please contact Sachs Program Associate Director Chloe Reison at reison@upenn.edu.

Evaluation Process

Community Partnerships Grant applications are evaluated by a group of committee members, which may include former grantees, faculty, staff, students, alumni, and community members. All deliberations will be guided by Sachs Program mission priorities and grantmaking criteria. More information about application evaluations can be found on the Sachs Program website.

Award decisions for the 2026 grants cycle will be made in March 2026.

Important Information

While grant application advice meetings with Sachs Program staff are optional, they are encouraged—particularly for individuals and groups who have not previously applied for a Sachs Program grant and for those unsure which grant category might be most appropriate for their application.
Sachs Program staff will do their best to meet with all individuals and groups seeking advice on their application; however, meeting with Sachs Program staff does not guarantee funding, and meetings are subject to scheduling availability.
The Sachs Program has limited resources and will, therefore, be unable to fund all requests.
The Sachs Program aims to support projects that meet our grantmaking criteria, align with the guidelines for each grant category, and support our mission priorities. Should a proposal or application not meet the criteria or not align with our priorities, Sachs Program staff may recommend that a previously submitted application is withdrawn.
The Sachs Program provides equal opportunity and supports a pluralistic Penn community. We are committed to supporting individuals and groups from all races, ethnicities, gender identities, sexual orientations, religions, disabilities, and socioeconomic backgrounds.

2026 Information Sessions

Following the opening of our 2026 grant cycle in September 2025, the Sachs Program will host a series of information sessions during October and November to review 2026 grant opportunities. Interested applicants are encouraged to attend for a chance to learn about each opportunity in discussion with Sachs Program staff and previous grantees.

Learn More