Innovation Fund for Community-Academic Partnerships
Launched in 2025, the Innovation Fund for Community-Academic Partnerships is a five-year, universitywide initiative to seed and sustain community-academic partnerships that address a wide spectrum of local community interests and needs. There are two primary streams of grants: 1) Institute, Center, and Program Grants; and 2) Community-Based Project and Research Grants
Applications for the 2026-2027 cycle will open here in December 2025. Applications will be accepted through January 31, 2026.
If you have any questions regarding the Innovation Fund, please email IFCAP@jh.edu.
ON THIS PAGE:
Institute, Center, and Program Grants
Awards of up to $100,000 to enhance the work of JHU institutes, centers, and programs that have historically supported community-academic partnerships.
IN THIS SECTION:
I. Purpose
Community-academic partnerships have a long history at JHU, through various institutes, centers, and programs dedicated to fostering connection, communication, and collaboration between faculty, staff, students, and their local communities. The Institute, Center, and Program Grants are designed to support community-based academic engagement and partnerships at JHU (including, but not limited to, research, teaching, fellowships, internships, and projects) by leveraging this pre-existing infrastructure. The grants seek to sustain and enhance current programming, as well as test innovative new projects and approaches.
II. Eligibility
- Applications will be accepted from staff and/or faculty in leadership positions at institutes, centers, or programs that have historically supported community-based academic engagement (including, but not limited to, research, teaching, fellowships, internships, and projects) as a significant part of their mission.
- Each institute, center, or program may only submit a single application.
- To qualify for this grant, the institute, center, or program should employ at least one FTE (not including the applicant) who dedicates at least 75% of their effort to the institute/center/program applying for funds. See FAQ for details.
- Institutes, centers, and programs that facilitate community-engaged coursework are especially encouraged to apply for these grants.
- Institutes, centers, and programs that receive grants are eligible to apply for renewal in subsequent funding cycles.
- Proposed work should take place in a geographic area local to the institute, center, or program.
- JHUAPL staff are potentially eligible. Please contact Anne Roberts-Smith before applying.
- All staff/faculty leads must be full time at JHU.
III. Funding
- Institutes, centers, and programs can request up to $100,000, with an award term of up to two years, to support their community-academic partnerships work.
- Support may be used for salary, graduate students, undergraduate students, postdoctoral fellows or technicians, supplies, equipment, travel, and events. Fringe should be included in all salary requests. Support may also be spent on activities/services of a particular community partner.
- For applicants intending to support coursework: each semester should require no more than $10,000 in proposed grant support.
IV. Guidelines
Applications will consist of three elements:
- Title of the submission
- A proposal, which should include six sections that succinctly describe:
- the name and mission of your institute/center/program;
- the proposed use of the requested funds, including rationale and relevant background (including any paused or cancelled federal or other funding that may have supported the institute/center/program’s community-academic partnership work, specifically);
- experience and qualifications that equip the institute/center/program to carry out the proposed community-academic partnerships work;
- a description of how the funded activities will innovate on current practices;
- expected impact on the community, JHU, and the relationship between the community and the university, both during and beyond the initial grant period (including how you plan to measure or assess this impact); and
- potential source(s) of funding to sustain the work after the initial grant period concludes.
The proposal section can be no more than three pages. Please use 12-point font and margins no smaller than ½ inch.
- A budget (and any necessary justification) that describes how funding will be apportioned for any personnel, supplies, equipment, or other project expenses. Any budget amount up to the cap may be proposed. Faculty salary (including fringe), and equipment costs may be included. Please include all current and pending support from sponsored and non-sponsored sources.
V. Review Criteria
Proposals will be evaluated on the detail and feasibility of the planned use of funds; experience and qualifications; the proposal’s spirit of innovation; the expected short- and long-term impact on the community, JHU, and the relationship between the community and the university; and the propriety of the budget.
VI. Post-Award Requirements
Recipients must submit a mid-term progress report and complete an end-of-term survey. Recipients may also be asked to present their work at an annual JHU Community-Academic Partnerships Symposium.
Community-Based Project and Research Grants
Awards of up to $30,000 or $80,000 for JHU faculty and community partners collaborating on community-based projects and/or research.
IN THIS SECTION:
I. Purpose
- Community-Based Project/Research Grants are designed to support the bidirectional exchange of community-based and university-based knowledge, values, and expertise, with the goal of addressing specific community needs through collaborative efforts.
- The proposal may or may not result in traditional academic output, such as a research article, and we encourage partners to be creative in how they envision and measure the outcomes of their collaborative work.
II. Eligibility
- JHU tenure-track and tenured faculty of any rank are eligible to apply on behalf of a community-academic partnership of which they are a part.
- Faculty must have at least 1 (and no more than 3) named community partners who have acted as partners in the proposal process. You may also list 1-2 JHU faculty co-applicants.
- While applications from a single faculty member are welcome, the Innovation Fund is especially interested in proposals from multiple faculty members (up to 2) that span more than one school/division of the university.
- Community partners may be single individuals or members of large organizations.
- Applications from all academic and professional disciplines within JHU are invited.
- Proposals may cover fundamental, clinical, or applied research, or projects within the arts and humanities, sciences, engineering, etc.
- Applications must be led by a faculty member representing at least one school/division of the university from the following list:
- Applied Physics Lab (APL)
- Senior and Principal JHUAPL staff are potentially eligible. Please contact Anne Roberts-Smith for more information on submitting proposals for teams that include JHUAPL staff.
- Bloomberg School of Public Health (BSPH)
- Carey Business School (CBS)
- Krieger School of Arts and Sciences (KSAS)
- Peabody Institute
- School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS)
- School of Education (SOE)
- School of Government and Policy (SOGP)
- School of Medicine (SOM)
- School of Nursing (SON)
- Whiting School of Engineering (WSE)
- Applied Physics Lab (APL)
- Only one Project/Research proposal per lead PI will be accepted. There is no limit to the number of Project/Research proposals one may submit as a co-PI.
- Staff, students, postdoctoral fellows, and non-tenure-track faculty are not currently eligible to serve as PIs or co-PIs on Project/Research Grant applications.
III. Funding
Two tiers of project/research grants are available, depending on the strength and longevity of the pre-existing partnership.
- Faculty can request up to $30,000 to support established partnerships over a term of up to two years.
- Typically, these partnerships will already have existed for at least a year prior to the application submission. University and community partners should have a strong working relationship in place.
- Faculty can request up to $80,000 to sustain firmly established partnerships over a term of up to two years.
- Typically, these partnerships will have existed for at least two years prior to the application submission. This grant is intended to support partnerships as they look to secure longer term sources of funding.
Support may be used for salary (including fringe), graduate students, undergraduate students, postdoctoral fellows or technicians, equipment, travel, and events.
IV. Guidelines
Applications must consist of seven elements:
- Title of the submission
- An abstract of the proposal (~250 words)
- A proposal, which should include six sections that succinctly describe the:
- specific goal to be achieved or the hypothesis to be tested, including rationale and relevant background;
- history, balance, and depth of the collaboration that enables the proposed work, including the role of community partners. If relevant, describe any paused or cancelled federal or other funding that supported some or all of this work (preliminary data are not required);
- approach to be pursued during the period of funding;
- expected impact of the proposed project on the community and on the relationship between the university and the community, both during and beyond the initial grant period (including how you plan to measure or assess this impact);
- ways you might publicize the outcomes of your work at the end of the funding term (articles, books, events, performances, etc);
- potential source(s) of funding to sustain the effort after the initial grant period concludes.
The proposal section can be no more than three pages. Please use 12-point font and margins no smaller than ½ inch.
- A budget (and any necessary justification) that describes how funding will be apportioned for any personnel, supplies, equipment, or other project expenses. Any budget amount up to the cap may be proposed. Faculty salary (including fringe) and equipment costs may be included. Funds should be split between JHU and community partners; in most cases, the majority of the grant should go to the community partners.
- A current CV, resume, or biosketch for all project leads/investigators and co-applicants, including community partners. Please include all current and pending support from sponsored and non-sponsored sources.
- One letter of affirmation from each community partner describing their role in creating the proposal and the budget and their expectations for the partnership.
- Up to five key words to aid in reviewer assignment. Applicants will be prompted to enter these key words in the application itself.
Note: Applicants will be asked to upload the proposal, budget, CVs, and letter(s) of affirmation in one combined PDF file. Be sure to request all co-applicant CVs and letters of affirmation before you intend to submit.
V. Review Criteria
Proposals will be evaluated on the detail and feasibility of the planned use of funds; experience and qualifications; the balance and depth of the partnership; the expected short- and long-term impact on the community and relationship between the university and the community; and the propriety of the budget.
VI. Post-Award Requirements
Recipients must submit a mid-term progress report and complete an end-of-term survey. Recipients may also be asked to present their work at an annual JHU Community-Academic Partnerships Symposium.
FAQs
IN THIS SECTION:
Innovation Fund for Community-Academic Partnerships
What exactly do you mean by local community?
While we expect the majority of the awardees to be working in Greater Baltimore or Washington, D.C., we recognize that JHU is embedded in local communities across the world and welcome proposals from any geographic location.
How do I know if I should apply for an Institute, Center, and Program Grant or a Project/Research Grant?
There is no formal, university-wide definition that distinguishes centers, institutes, and programs at JHU. In general, however, an institute, center, or program usually involves a group of faculty or researchers working across related areas toward a shared goal — something more expansive than the work of a single PI or lab. If your entity has some formal infrastructure — like dedicated staff, a web presence, defined reporting lines, or its own budget — you should apply for an Institute, Center, and Program Grant. All other applicants should apply for a Project/Research Grant.
Can I apply to both streams?
Yes, although such cases will be relatively rare.
How does this Fund differ from other University Awards (including Nexus Awards, Discovery Awards, Pivot Grants, Bridge Grants, etc.)?
While there is some potential overlap in the scope and purpose of these awards, the Innovation Fund for Community-Academic Partnerships is unique in its emphasis on local community engagement. The above awards may fund community-engaged research and teaching, but such engagement is a core component of the Innovation Fund grants.
When will funding decisions be announced and when will funds be made available?
We will notify all applicants about award decisions in Spring 2026. Funds will be made available starting in late Spring 2026.
Institute, Center, and Program Grants only
Can I submit multiple applications to this stream?
Each applicant can submit up to two separate applications on behalf of different institutes, centers, or programs.
Can a single institute, center, or program submit multiple applications?
No. Applications must either come directly from institute, center, or program directors or be submitted after direct consultation with them.
What counts as community-engaged coursework?
We define community-engaged coursework broadly, as coursework that entails a substantial and ongoing interaction with an off-campus community partner. Typically, students will spend a significant amount of class time in the local community. Community partners may also come to campus.
Can JHU offices that aren’t technically institutes, centers, or programs apply through this stream?
Yes.
Community-Based Project/Research Grants only
Can I submit multiple applications to this stream?
Not as lead applicant/PI. There is no limit to the number of grants on which you can be listed as a co-applicant.
What if I am eligible for both <$30K and <$80K grants (e.g. the partnership has existed for at least two years and I am applying for <$30K in funding)?
There is no particular advantage to applying to one tier over another, as all applications will be read together. In the application, you will be instructed to check that you are applying for both tiers.
Can a Project/Research Grant support part of a course I’m teaching?
Yes. While these grants are not intended to directly support teaching or learning, specifically, they can support certain projects that are related to courses.
How will funds be disbursed?
Funding will be made available to the JHU applicant with the expectation that they will allocate the funding according to the proposed budget. Successful applications will demonstrate a plan to allocate at least half of the budget either directly to the community partner or to project costs that will benefit the community directly.
Can a JHU employee apply as the community partner?
Yes, but not in their capacity as JHU employee.
What exactly are you looking for in the letter of affirmation from the community partner?
The letter is a chance for the community partner to confirm their role in the conception, design, execution, and evaluation of the proposed project. Between the letter and the rest of the proposal, it should be clear that the partnership is not one-sided, and that all participants are in alignment as to why and how the project/research will be collaboratively undertaken and evaluated. If community partners are colleagues, or come from the same organization, they are only required to submit a single letter between them.
Can I apply for a Project/Research grant on behalf of a new partnership?
This year, only partnerships that have existed for at least a year will be funded. Next year, we plan to offer smaller grants of up to $10,000 to support new partnerships.
