The Office of Community Relations and the Morgridge Center for Public Service at the University of Wisconsin-Madison are pleased to offer a unique funding opportunity for community- university partnerships. The Community University Partnership Award (CUPA) provides recognition and support for exemplary and impactful collaborations between community organizations and UW-Madison faculty, staff, or graduate students.
Community-university collaborations, whether connected to research, teaching, or ongoing projects or initiatives, are a clear embodiment of the Wisconsin Idea and demonstrates UW’s interest in advancing research and knowledge relevant to Wisconsinites, as well as global communities. UW-Madison appreciates the continuous role community partners play in advancing such collaborations and shaping effective impacts.
Three total awards are available at amounts of $2,000, $3,000, and $5,000 which can be used to support or sustain existing community-university collaborations. Funding may be used to support any activities of the partnership, including but not limited to developing a new project, advancing community-based research or learning, or supporting ongoing projects or activities.
Award applications is now closed.
Any UW-Madison faculty, staff, or graduate student, alongside community partners (with or without nonprofit status) involved in an active partnership are welcome to apply.
Proposals are welcome from any discipline with the following stipulations:
- Each application must be co-submitted by both the community partner and campus partner (i.e. a team member from the community organization and campus unit have to submit one application)
- Partnerships should not be brand new (though new collaborators may be involved or new projects may be pursued), but rather demonstrate some history of relationship
The proposal should clearly describe the known or anticipated benefits to community partners and to the academy. Partnerships will be evaluated based on their commitment to respect, responsibility, reciprocity, and relevance within the partnership.
Specifically, applicants should demonstrate how their partnership:
- Addresses a community-identified priority (either originating within a community or co-created by university constituents and community members working together)
- Supports equitable relationships, specifically addressing the partnership’s commitment to respect, responsibility, reciprocity, and relevance.
- Works to build community capacity and provide a sustained positive impact
- Works toward social change and community impact
Funds may be used to support partnerships in any discipline that engage community organizations, public sector entities, or grassroots groups and UW-Madison collaborators. Because these funds are a form of recognition for community-university partnerhsips the budget does not need to explicitly tie to a research project, but should reflect an effort to sustain partnership.
Funding cannot be used for faculty salary, but may be used to compensate staff members, undergraduate and graduate student employees, or community partners. Funds may also be used to purchase supplies and services necessary for the project. Proposals that use all or a portion of funding for community partner expenses will be given extra weight.
2024: A Community-Engaged Approach to Cardiovascular Disease, Broadening the Impact, Reach, and Sustainability of Restorative Justice, Where do the Babies Go?
2025 CUPA Award Winners
Best of Both Worlds: Partnership between Academia and Lived Experience for Youth Empowerment
This project’s primary goal is to create a mentored experience for GROW Academy, a youth-focused program of the Wisconsin Department of Corrections, that builds community connection, belonging, empowerment, and preparation to contribute and lead within their communities. A second goal is to build capacity within a community organization, The Voices of Power, to support at-risk youth, develop scalable models to transform communities, and partner with university educators and researchers to better understand and grow such models.
Building the Path to Success Program for Returning Citizens
The collaboration, now in its second year, supports incarcerated individuals’ development of essential life skills with the Building a Path to Success workshop. My Way Out has and continues to do an incredible job with preparing learners for job interviews, building resumes, and strengthening their interviewing skills. Meanwhile, Extension continues to promote housing stability by helping participants understand their rights as tenants, find and maintain safe, affordable housing, and build positive rental histories. In partnership with UW-Extension, My Way Out plans to expand the program to provide returning citizens in the community practical, useful skills and strategies to break down obstacles, increase confidence, create lasting stability, and create a better quality of life after incarceration.
Lac du Flambeau Broadband Access
This project is rooted in a long-standing partnership that dates back to 1988, through the creation of a community development position within the Division of Extension to serve the Lac du Flambeau Tribe. Although the groups have worked together on multiple projects, the focus of this award is the expansion of broadband access to the La du Flambeau community. The local Extension Educator facilitates the meetings and brings in UW Madison Division of Extension Specialists from the Broadband Team, EDA University and the Applied Population Lab to assist. As a result, the tribal community has applied for numerous grants and secured over $25 million to install broadband infrastructure. This is allowing the tribe to install 200 miles of fiber to 2600 homes and 35 businesses.