Tisch Fund for Civic Engagement

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The Tisch Fund for Civic Engagement (CEF) provides up to $1000 in financial support to groups of Tufts students during the academic year. Specifically designed for graduate and professional school students working in groups of 4 or more, CEF supports innovative, active citizenship projects locally or abroad.

Medical students should contact Jennifer Greer-Morrissey, CSL Coordinator, at Jennifer.Greer_Morrissey@tufts.edu.

Undergraduates should visit our co-sponsorship page.

2012-13 Application

  • Applications for any project during the 2012-2013 academic year are now closed. For information about applying for 2013-2014 funding, please check back in September 2013.

Eligibility

  • CEF projects must be led by a group of four or more Tufts graduate or professional school students. Both official and unofficial student groups are welcome to apply.
  • Project funding must be used during the academic year.
  • Projects must be designed to meet community-identified needs. Priority is given to projects in Tufts’ host communities of Medford, Somerville, Boston’s Chinatown and Grafton.
  • CEF is not available to directly support the election of any particular political candidate, for conference registration fees or conference travel expenses.

Application Materials

Before you complete the application, be sure to prepare these materials for submission:

Project Details

  • A 75-125 word project description. If selected, this description will be used on Tisch College website and in publications.
  • A 75-125 word project history.
  • Approximate start and end dates of your project.
  • Approximate number of Tufts students you plan to engage through this project.
  • Approximate number of community members you plan to serve through this project.

Student Information
For each member of your group, you will be asked to provide his or her name, email address, phone number and expected year of graduation

Project Budget
Projects may receive up to $1000, though your project may be awarded less funding then than you applied for. In your application you will be asked to upload a budget document which:

  • Accounts for the total cost of the project (i.e. $5,000).
  • States how much funding you’re requesting from CEF.
  • Identifies priority items that will be covered by the requested CEF funding.

Please also be prepared to briefly share other funds or in-kind donations you’ve received or a a plan to seek those funds.

Preferred format is in Excel with columns for • Item • Vendor/Source • Quantity • Unit Price • Total Cost (per unit) • Explanation of Need • Indicate if a priority item to be supported by requested CEF funds.

Project Timeline
In your application you will be asked to upload a project timeline that includes major events and actions. Please be as precise as possible – if a specific date is not yet scheduled, identify the week or month an activity will occur. Please also include relevant deadlines connected to preparing for your major events.

Developing this timeline is an opportunity to look at a project from a high-level perspective: Are you developing three days of workshops or spreading workshops out over three months?  Are you avoiding major holidays or other conflicts?  Are you giving yourself enough time to prepare?

You may submit this timeline in whatever format you find most helpful for your project.

Letters of Support

You will be asked to upload 2 letters of support, one from a community representative and one from a Tufts faculty or staff member. Letters should include:

  • A clear explanation of the author’s relationship to the individual student or student group,
  • Major goals, outcomes and any past activities,
  • The community identified need being met by the individual student or student group, and
  • The author’s contact information.

Short Answers:
In 50 words per answer, you will be asked to respond to the following prompts:

  • What community are you seeking to engage?  What connection do you have to that community?
  • What need or opportunity in this community are you seeking to address?  How was this need or opportunity identified?
  • Name and a brief description of the organization/stakeholder with which you will work.
  • What do you hope to learn through your project?
  • What impact do you hope to have in the community?
  • Is there any additional information you would like to share?

If you have any questions contact activecitizen@tufts.edu.