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Public Scholarship Grants

Rackham Public Scholarship Grants provide funding for students to implement collaborative scholarly projects with community partners that serve community identified needs and the greater public good. For an idea of the types of projects we support, read about last year’s grant recipients.

Rackham Public Scholarship Grants provide support for publicly engaged scholarly projects created between Rackham students and community partners. Examples of public scholarship include, but are not limited to, exhibits, policy research with a direct impact, podcasts and public programs, K-12 partnerships, and community-engaged research with clear benefits to partners and students.

Rackham Public Scholarship Grants support students’ professional and academic development by helping them:

  • Apply their scholarly knowledge and skills to serve the public good.
  • Initiate and develop trusting, mutually beneficial collaborations with their community partners.
  • Experience the rewards of scholarship, pedagogy, and/or creative work that affects positive social change and justice.

Overview and General Requirements

  • Only students enrolled in a Rackham program of study are eligible. Students who are only a part of Rackham through a certificate program (in other words, their home program or department is not a part of Rackham) are not eligible to apply.
  • Rackham students may apply for up to $10,000 to lead and implement a public scholarship project over the course of a one-year grant period.
  • Projects need to be co-created with a community partner. Partners might include, but are not limited to, civic organizations, cultural institutions, government agencies, K-12 schools, or grassroots community groups.
  • Project collaborations need to be mutually beneficial, meaning they are designed to meet student goals and the needs of a community partner.
  • Projects should result in deliverables and an impact that contributes to the greater public good and/or a community identified need, not only a scholarly field.
  • Students may apply individually or as part of a team of students.
  • Students are only eligible to receive a public scholarship grant once.

Program Goals

The Public Scholarship Grants aim to support students’ intellectual and professional development by helping them:

  • Apply their scholarly knowledge and skills to serve the public good and work toward positive social change.
  • Initiate and develop trusting, mutually beneficial collaborations with their community partners.
  • Experience the rewards of scholarship, pedagogy, and/or creative work that affects social change and justice.

How to Apply

The application process includes the following steps:

  1. Attend the required grant workshop.
  2. Submit a draft proposal (optional, but strongly encouraged).
  3. Submit a full application.
Application Timeline
Event Deadline

Mandatory grant workshop (online) for students. Community partners are welcome to attend, but not required to. Are you interested in applying but were unable to attend the workshop? Please reach out to the Rackham Public Scholarship team to discuss alternatives to this program requirement.

October 3, 2023, 12pm – 1:30pm
Draft proposals due by 11:59pm via this form November 1, 2023
Submit full proposal using application portal. December 15, 2023
Award notifications sent. March 2024

 

Students with questions about the eligibility or alignment of their idea or project with Rackham’s Public Scholarship Grants program are encouraged to reach out to [email protected] to connect before starting the application process.

Public Scholarship Grants

Contact the Program in Public Scholarship

1530 Rackham Building
915 E. Washington St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1070
Email: [email protected]

Hours

The Program in Public Scholarship is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

The office is closed Saturdays and Sundays and on the following holidays: Thanksgiving (Thursday and the following Friday), Christmas through New Year’s, Memorial Day, Independence Day (July 4), and Labor Day.