The Center for Student Leadership is Proud to Host

The Campus Community Partnership Foundation’s (C2P) and Kennesaw State University’s Community Academic Service Entrepreneur Grant (CASE) competition. 

About The Campus Community Partnership Foundation:
The mission of C2P is to foster higher education academic service learning and civic engagement with grants and awards for best practices and innovative new ideas that improve the lives of people in the community and improve student education.

The Community Academic Service Entrepreneur grant:
Community Academic Service Entrepreneur (CASE) grant is a student competition for an innovative and entrepreneurial community service project linked to the student’s academic discipline.

Grant Summary

Grant Package: $ 2, 500

Campus Community Partnership Foundation (C2P) is announcing CASE competition for students at KSU.  The Winner of the competition would receive the following: $1,000 to implement the innovative community service project, $500 scholarship applied to the winning student’s college account and a $1,000 stipend for the faculty advisor for guiding the student and submitting a short report on the value added to the student, the community and education.
 
Application submission Deadline: September 30, 2010

For more information contact the Center for Student Leadership at (770) 423-6329, stop by Room 172 in the Student Center, or e-mail:

Students receive the following:

• The winning proposal is provided $1,000 for implementing the project.
• The student winner receives a Certificate of Merit from C2P.
• The winner of the competition receives a letter from President Jimmy Carter.
• C2P publishes a “snapshot” version of student proposals and a summary of the winning student’s project report on its websites, www.C2PF.org and www.ServiceBook.org.
• Students who successfully complete their projects and post an updated project reflection report on ServiceBook receive a $500 scholarship credit to their college account.

Students do the following:

• Identify an innovative community service project.
• Recruit a community organization as a partner.
• Recruit a faculty member to oversee the project.
• Apply for the grant by filling out an application on www.ServiceBook.org. (steps are posted on the homepage of this website)
• Keep a running account of project activities and fund expenditures.
• Post a project summary report at the conclusion of the project on www.ServiceBook.org.
• In addition to posting a project summary report, students are strongly encouraged to create a documentary of the project via video, PowerPoint, briefing to other students, etc.

Faculty advisors receive the following:

• The faculty advisor of the student is provided $1,000 for the purpose of expanding the practice of service learning through this project and submitting a short report on the value added to the student, the community and education.
• The faculty member receives a Certificate of Distinction from C2P.
• The faculty advisor would receive a letter from President Jimmy Carter.

Faculty advisors do the following:

• Help a student identify an innovative community service project.
• Help a student recruit a community organization as a partner.
• Help a student refine an application.
• Monitor and support a student’s work on his or her project.
• Support the student in development of a reflection report on the project.

 Minimum requirements for students to apply for CASE:

• Applicants must be full-time students, either graduate or undergraduate
• Applicants must identify and secure a letter of participation from a prospective community partner, (in the US, students must secure a copy of the community organization’s IRS tax exempt status determination letter).
• Applicants must secure an endorsement letter from a faculty member willing to oversee the project.

Proposal requirements:
Student proposals essentially answer the question: “How would I use the grant funds to address a community need or solve a community problem with my innovative entrepreneurial proposal and make a difference in the lives of the others and link the project to an academic program?”

Selecting an award winner:
A selection panel reviews the proposals and selects the most innovative idea based on the following criteria:

Application instructions:

• Students must register online at www.ServiceBook.org.
• While logged in, students follow these links: Student Projects> Browse Projects>Submit Your Project. 

The student’s post-project summary report includes:

• A general report on the activities undertaken by the project.
• An assessment of the degree to which specific project aims were accomplished.
• An assessment of the degree to which general program criteria were met.
• An explanation of what the student learned about being a community service entrepreneur.
• Recommendations for further development of the proposed idea.
• Recommendations for enhanced collaboration between the community and the student’s academic institution in the future.
• An accounting of project funds.

Instructions for posting a final report:

• Student must log in to www.ServiceBook.org and follow these links: Student Projects>Browse Projects>Edit My Projects.
• Student then clicks on “Edit” next to their proposal and enters the results of their project over the original application answers.  Students must be sure to change the Project Status to “Completed.”
  

FAQs About CASE

Q: How long should a student have worked with the proposed community organization partner?

A: A project is more meaningful if it is based on an existing relationship at the time the proposal is submitted but is not a requirement.

Q: Must the student take a course during the time of the project with the faculty member who supervises the student project?

A: No. But it is a minimum requirement that a faculty member should agree to work as an advisor with the student on the project.  The student’s proposal will receive higher evaluations if the student can link the project to a current course or ongoing academic program requirement. However, if such a course is included in the application, it need not be taught by the same faculty member who agrees to serve as an advisor for the student’s project.

Q: Does the “integration of the project with a student’s coursework, practicum, thesis, dissertation, etc.” (see criteria, below) require that the project be included in the formal syllabus for all students in a class?

A: No. While this could be the case, the CASE program is intended for students own connection to their academic work. A proposal that shows this connection will be evaluated more highly on this criterion.

Q: Does C2P allow the language of an announcement to be adjusted to the needs of a specific host and their constituency?

A: Within the spirit of the CASE program, a host may tailor the language for the program announcement so the result is a partnership between the host and C2PF. All such adjustments must be shared with C2PF to ensure consistency prior to implementation

Q: Should the grant have a specific purpose at the community organization, or is “general operating expenses” an eligible use of the funds?

A: The student proposal will be for a specific activity with a specific budget requirement. The CASE grant funds may not be used as a contribution to general support.

Q: Are there other restrictions on the use of CASE grant funds?

A: Yes. CASE grants are only to be used to implement the project.  The use of grant funds must be directly related to the needs of a project, such as supplies, space or equipment rentals, etc.  Funds may not be used for expenditures that primarily benefit the winning student, such as stipends, travel, or tuition.

Q: To whom are grant checks made payable?

A: Checks are made payable to either the academic institution or community organization. The community organization in the US must be a 501(c) (3). In the case of proposed projects that entail more than one organization partner, one of the partners must be designated as the agent to receive and distribute the grant funds.  

Q: Who monitors and certifies that the funds were used in accordance with the proposal?

A: The student’s report includes a narrative accounting of the use of the funds. Any further documentation that may be needed will be initiated by C2PF directly with the community organization that is designated as the agent for the funds

Q: What are the criteria used to select the winner?
A:

1. IMPACT

• Impact on the community through increased economic opportunity, improved social/civic networks, more effective education programs, more responsive public systems, etc.
• Documentation of measurable outcomes.
• The promise of sustainability for the proposed innovative idea after the grant funding is exhausted.
• The prospect of transferability to other settings, such as the student’s home community/country environment.

2. PARTNERSHIP

• Identification of the community strengths and efforts to build upon and enhance these strengths.
• Collaborative and data-informed planning and decision making between the student and the community.
• Efforts to enlist other collaborators (e.g., students, businesses, etc.)

3. LESSONS LEARNED FROM BEING A COMMUNITY SERVICE ENTREPRENEUR.

• Integration of the project with a student's coursework, practicum, thesis, dissertation, etc.
• An optimal blend of learning, research, and service for the applicant.
• Rewards and challenges of being a Community Academic Service Entrepreneur.