Center for Community-Based Learning

Community Fund

The Bonner Community Fund provides grants of $50 - $2,500/semester* to support community engagement and community-based learning activities that contribute to: positive impact in a community-identified issue, student civic learning, equity and social justice, and/or deeper community/campus collaboration. Any Wofford student or faculty/staff member is eligible to apply. Collaboration with at least one community partner, as well as other Wofford stakeholders, is strongly encouraged.

TIMELINE FOR SPRING 2024 COMMUNITY FUND DISBURSEMENTS:

  • Deadline to apply/propose a project for Spring 2024 funding: March 3
  • Decisions communicated by: March 19
  • Funded projects accept awards by: March 22
  • Funded projects submit reports by: May 17

A PDF of the application/proposal form is here. We recommend drafting responses in another format and then cutting and pasting into the actual application/proposal form, which is here.

Appropriate Community Fund expenses are:

  1. Community programs: direct donations to community-based organizations and nonprofits, especially to support programs in which Wofford students are involved.
  2. Student programs: expenses to support student-initiated or student-led service projects, programs, and community-based experiences.
  3. Training: expenses for students, community partners, staff, and/or faculty to participate in relevant conferences, workshops, and other trainings. (Grants for training must not exceed $750).

The Community Fund is student-managed by a subcommittee of the Bonner Leadership Team (BLT), with guidance and support from Bonner and Center for Community-Based Learning staff. They will assess proposals on the following criteria:

  1. Community Impact: Potential to contribute to evidence-based, measurable, positive impact in a community-identified issue area – e.g., kindergarten readiness, %age of children living in poverty, the racial life expectancy gap, college access and success for marginalized groups, etc.
  2. Student Civic Development: Potential to deepen student learning in community engagement and democratic values, including place and issue knowledge, communication, perspective-taking, empathy, integrative learning, civic agency, civic identity, and social justice. Learn more here.
  3. Social Justice: Potential to advance systemic social justice and equity in Wofford's and/or Spartanburg's communities, and
  4. Collaboration: Potential to deepen collaboration between Wofford and Spartanburg partners toward a shared civic aim.

As the Bonner Community Fund pulls from Wofford’s Bonner endowment, projects that involve Bonner Scholars may receive priority consideration. Questions may be directed to members of the 2023-24 Bonner Community Fund Committee: Jeanae Escobar, Marlen Ramirez-Alvarado, and Devin Stewart.

We can’t wait to hear (or read) your ideas!

*The Community Fund is available in the Fall and Spring semesters only: not Interim or Summer.