The Racial Equity and Community Partnership Grant Program
Beginning in 2020, Northwestern is committing more than $500,000 annually to advance racial equity in our home communities of Evanston and Chicago. Our goal is to foster mutually beneficial partnerships between community-based organizations and Northwestern University representatives that address the root causes of racial inequities and work toward structural changes. Northwestern seeks to become a national model for how a major research university engages with the communities where it resides.
The Racial Equity & Community Partnership Grants program is led by the Office of Neighborhood and Community Relations. A committee of University administrators and academics, along with community representatives, serves as advisors to the program.
Letters of Intent (LOIs) opened November 28, 2023 for Partnership Grants between $25,000 and $75,000. The deadline to submit the LOI was January 26, 2024 by 11:59PM. Click here for the Guidelines. Apply through the grants portal.
If you have questions about the Racial Equity and Community Partnership Grant Program, we are hosting an information session on Zoom to answer questions. Attendance is not required in order to apply. However, we do ask that those with questions attend, as we don’t have the capacity to field individual calls and emails. Register in advance for the session below:
You can also find more information in our FAQ.
In the first round of grants, 21 projects were funded in 2021. Click here to view both the partnership and incubator projects. Some projects have been featured in other news outlets. Read more about them at the links below.
In the second round of grants, 9 projects were funded in 2022. Click here to view the partnership projects.
In the third round of grants, 13 projects were funded in 2023 and are now underway. Click here to view the partnership projects.
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