Community Partnerships Grants
Frequently Asked Questions
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 Penn faculty, staff, programs, departments, centers, 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 applicants should clearly explain what communities they plan to engage, how their project will accomplish this, and its intended impact.
- 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 disbursements for complete guidelines about receiving grant funds. Understanding these guidelines is important as we cannot guarantee support outside of university-approved options for receiving and managing grant funds.
- The earliest date grant funds may be available is May 2025, though in most cases they will be available in June or July. This timeline depends on several factors, including response times from grantees and their designated Fiscal Conduit (when applicable).
- Any questions? Please email The Sachs Program Associate Director Chloe Reison at reison@upenn.edu.
What do I need to know to apply?
- The deadline to submit a Grants Inquiry Form for Community Partnerships Grants is NOON on Friday, December 6, 2024.
- Applicants must submit a Grants Inquiry Form 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 Grants Inquiry Form.
- Community Partnerships Grant applicants must meet with Sachs Program staff before submitting an online application. This meeting must include at least one representative from the applying Penn department, program, or center, and at least one key community partner.
- Applicants who would like to receive optional feedback on a draft of their application must submit a Grants Inquiry Form at least one week before the general submission deadline of Friday, December 6, 2024. Draft applications should then be emailed to Elizabeth Shaw at elizshaw@upenn.edu by NOON on Friday, December 6, 2024 to receive feedback before the application deadline. All drafts should respond to the questions included in the SlideRoom application.
- The deadline for submitting completed applications online via SlideRoom is MIDNIGHT on Friday, January 10, 2025.
Grants Inquiry Form
You must submit a Grants Inquiry Form 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 Grants Inquiry Form.
The last day to submit a Grants Inquiry Form is December 6, 2024.
Eligibility and Criteria for Applications
- A complete list of general application criteria can be found on the Sachs Program website.
- 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, with the exception of hires made to enable the work of a proposed project, which the applicant must clearly outline in the application and accompanying budget. Grant funds cannot be received by a Penn employee as compensation for the purposes of managing the grant outside of a Penn department, program, or center.
- 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 they apply 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 priorities for grantmaking, 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 grantmaking priorities and criteria.
Award decisions for the 2025 grants cycle will be made in March 2025.
Important Information
- A Sachs Program review of an application does not guarantee funding.
- The Sachs Program has limited resources and will, therefore, be unable to fund all requests.
- The Sachs Program aims to support projects that meet the criteria established for each grant category and align with our priorities for grantmaking. 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 supports a creative, culturally diverse, and pluralistic Penn community. We are committed to supporting individuals and groups from all races, ethnicities, gender identities, sexual orientations, religions, disabilities, and socioeconomic backgrounds.