Seed Fund for Community Engaged Research
The Seed Fund for Community Engaged Research at Penn supports faculty-community partnerships to collaboratively address community-identified challenges through rigorous, participatory research projects.
Funder: University of Pennsylvania
Due Dates (Anticipated): May 2027 (Application deadline, projected)
Funding Amounts: Up to $25,000 per year for up to 2 years (max $50,000 total)
Summary: Supports Penn faculty in developing early-stage, collaborative research projects with community partners to address community-identified challenges.
Key Information: One application per faculty member per cycle; requires a standing faculty appointment and partnership with a community collaborator.
Description
The Seed Fund for Community Engaged Research (CER) at the University of Pennsylvania offers targeted internal funding to faculty for early-stage, place-based, partner-focused research in sustained collaboration with community partners. The program aims to foster research partnerships built on transparency, trust, and mutual benefit, supporting rigorous scholarship that addresses challenges identified by the community and contributes to peer-reviewed knowledge. It is designed to help faculty establish or deepen collaborative research plans, promote participatory and democratic research methods, and produce scholarly outputs that benefit both the community and the academic field. The fund particularly emphasizes intentional relationship-building and provides resources tailored to the unique needs of community-engaged research, aiming for long-term sustainability and positioning projects for future external funding.
