The President's Public Purpose Grant Program supports efforts of UNLV faculty, staff, and students who wish to establish and/or to enhance mutually beneficial and reciprocal partnerships that align with the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching’s definition of academic community engagement and the university’s Top Tier 2.0 Community Partnership objectives.

UNLV subscribes to the definition of community engagement provided by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching:

Community engagement describes the collaboration between institutions of higher education and their larger communities (local, regional/state, national, global) for the mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and resources in a context of partnership and reciprocity. The purpose of community engagement is the partnership of college and university knowledge and resources with those of the public and private sectors to enrich scholarship, research, and creative activity; enhance curriculum, teaching, and learning; prepare educated, engaged citizens; strengthen democratic values and civic responsibility; address critical societal issues; and contribute to the public good.

In addition to this definition, the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching provides guidance for higher education institutions regarding “resources that demonstrate an institution’s commitment to institutionalizing and sustaining community engagement. Resources include funding dedicated to community engagement—not for any activity external to the campus, (community-based) but for community engagement activity as defined by the Carnegie Foundation.”

The President’s Public Purpose Grant Program is a reflection of UNLV’s commitment to institutionalizing and sustaining academic community engagement and partnerships university-wide. The grant program offers 36 funding opportunities, across 10 grant categories, totaling $140,000 annually.

Eligibility

To be eligible for a President's Public Purpose Grant, the applicant must be:

  • A UNLV faculty, staff, or student
  • Engaged in or planning to engage in a community partnership or activity that aligns with the Carnegie Foundation for Teaching’s definition of academic community engagement

Additionally, the community partnership or activity must reflect each of the following partnership attributes:

  • Mutual Benefit - the assurance that all parties involved achieve outputs and/or outcomes that serve their interests 
  • Reciprocity - all partners, especially community partners and students, are involved as thought-partners and collaborators who help decide and inform the direction, activity, assessment, and dissemination of the partnerships’ efforts 
  • Asset Based – recognition and value of the knowledge, capacities, resources, and resilience of all partners, especially community and student partners 

Applications

Applications for a grant must be accompanied by a letter of recommendation from the primary community partner who is/will be involved in the partnership.

Applications must be submitted by an individual; group applications will not be considered. Applicants can apply for only one grant in only one category each year. There is no requirement for the grant to be given in every category every year.

Applications must be received by April 30. Grant funding cycles align with UNLV's fiscal year, (July to June).

To learn more or to apply, please review the award categories and criteria below.

President’s Public Purpose Grant Program Printable Overview

President’s Choice Partnership Grant

  • New Partnership Grant - $25,000 (one opportunity)
  • Existing Partnership Grant - $15,000 (one opportunity)

Rian Satterwhite Civic Engagement Partnership Grant

  • New Partnership Grant - $15,000 (one opportunity)
  • Existing Partnership Grant - $7,500 (one opportunity)

Faculty Service-Learning Class Partnership Grant

  • New Class Development Grant - $5,000 (two opportunities)
  • Existing Class Enhancement Grant - $1,500 (two opportunities)

Faculty Community-Based Research Partnership Grant

  • New Partnership Grant - $5,000 (two opportunities)
  • Existing Partnership Grant - $2,500 (two opportunities)

PPPGP – Community-Based Research Grant Printable Overview

PPPGP – Community-Based Research Grant Portal

Faculty/Staff Community Needs Event Partnership Grant

  • New Event Grant - $5,000 (two opportunities)

Staff Outreach Partnership Grant

  • New Partnership Grant - $3,000 (two opportunities)
  • Existing Partnership Grant - $1,000 (two opportunities)

Community Engagement Professional Development CUMU Conference Grant

  • Faculty Grant – $2,500 (one opportunity)
  • Staff Grant - $ 2,000 (one opportunity)

Publication or Policy Report Partnership Grant

  • New Partnership - $1,250 (two opportunities)

Student Outreach Partnership Grant

  • Graduate Student New Partnership Grant - $2,500 (two opportunities)
  • Graduate Student Existing Partnership Grant – $1,000 (two opportunities)
  • Undergraduate Student New Partnership Grant - $1,500 (two opportunities)
  • Undergraduate Student Existing Partnership Grant – $750 (two opportunities)

Funding Gap/Emergent Need Support for Existing Partnership

  • Faculty, Staff, or Student Partnership Grant - $500 (six opportunities)

Roster of Recipients

  • President’s Choice Partnership Grant
    • New Partnership Grant - $25,000
      • Greg Moody, Lee Business School and College of Engineering - Cyber Security Management and Network Defense Institute in partnership with Cybersecurity Management and Network Defense Institute
    • Existing Partnership Grant - $15,000
      • Edwin Oh, College of Sciences - Wastewater Intelligence for Southern Nevada in partnership with the Southern Nevada Health District
  • Rian Satterwhite Civic Engagement Partnership Grant
    • New Partnership Grant - $15,000
      • Marcedes Butler, College of Education - Homegrown Teacher Pipeline Program in partnership with Silver State Education Foundation
    • Existing Partnership Grant - $7,500
      • Laura Kruskall, School of Integrated Health Sciences - UNLV Farmer’s Market in partnership with Three Square

      • Yingtao Jiang, College of Engineering – Youth STEM Program in partnership with Silver Sands Montessori Charter School

  • Faculty Service-Learning Class Partnership Grant
    • New Class Development Grant - $5,000
      • Elana Paladino, College of Sciences - SCI 202X Galactic Conservationists: Saving Ecosystems in partnership with Get Outdoors Nevada
      • Brian Uldall, Honors College - HON 496: AI Pedagogy Studio: Service-Learning with the Clark County School District
  • Faculty Community-Based Research Partnership Grant
    • New Partnership Grant - $5,000
      • Sarah Surrain, College of Education - Cultivating "Family Circles": A New Community Partnership to Support Bilingual Development and Caregiver with Family2Family
      • Tiffiany Howard, College of Liberal Arts - CMDP (UNLV) and LVEA Community-Based Research Partnership with the Las Vegas Enrichment Academy
    • Existing Partnership Grant - $2,500
      • John Mercer, School of Integrated Health Sciences - Las Vegas Desert Dogs Professional Lacrosse Team in partnership with Las Vegas Desert Dogs Professional Lacrosse Team
      • Renato Liboro, College of Liberal Arts - CHAMPION Mental Health Research Lab in partnership with Golden Rainbow
  • Faculty/Staff Community Needs Event Partnership Grant
    • New Event Grant - $5,000
      • Jung-Hwa Kim, College of Fine Arts - Learning from Las Vegas: Jack W. Zunino and Xeriscapes in partnership with the Nevada Chapter of The American Society of Landscape Architects (NVASLA) 
      • Hanqing Pan, College of Sciences - PFAS Community Water Testing & Environmental Health Day: A UNLV-Doral Academy Partnership
      • Moana Lose, William S. Boyd School of Law – Nevada Entrepreneurial Artist Toolkit (NEAT) Series in partnership with the City of Las Vegas Department of Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Affairs

  • Staff Outreach Partnership Grant

    • New Partnership Grant - $3,000
      • Melinda Yee, School of Dental Medicine - Support for Kinship Parents and Children in partnership with Foster Kinship
    • Existing Partnership Grant - $1,000
      • Heather Rappaport, Boyd School of Law - Legal Inquiry and Community Voices Seminar in partnership with Clark County School District and the Canyon Springs Law and Leadership Academy
      • Michelle Paul, UNLV PRACTICE - Expanding a Mental Health Partnership with Communities In Schools of Nevada
  • Publication or Policy Report Partnership
    • New Partnership - $1,250
      • Jennifer Byrnes, College of Liberal Arts - Silos to Solutions: Improving Missing and Unidentified Person Data through Multi-Stakeholder Collaboration in partnership with the Clark County Office of the Coroner/Medical Examiner
  • Student Outreach Partnership Grant
    • Graduate Student New Partnership Grant - $2,500
      • Hengsong Ye, College of Hospitality - Belonging, Voice, and Future Readiness Workshop in partnership with The Orozco Siblings
      • Kim Chua, School of Public Health - Native Hawaiian Diaspora Community Partnership with Hawaiian Diaspora
      • Anam Fatima, School of Public Health - Minds That Matter: A Community Mental Health Literacy Initiative in partnership with Nevada Mercy and Care
    • Graduate Student Existing Partnership Grant - $1,000
      • Romina Ballesteros, School of Integrated Health Sciences - UNLV Farmer’s Market in partnership with Three Square
      • Renee Olney, College of Sciences - Science Access and Engagement Program (SAEP) in partnership with Sunrise Mountain High School
    • Undergraduate Student New Partnership Grant - $1,500
      • Aria Bennett, Lee Business School - Through the Lens: Financial Futures, Risk Readiness, and Career Confidence in partnership with Junior Achievement of Southern Nevada
      • Anthony Pham, School of Integrated Health Sciences - Pages of Hope in partnership with Cure 4 The Kids Foundation