UM-Flint Launches Initiative to Foster Community Partnerships
UM-Flint has unveiled a new funding program aimed at enhancing ties between its faculty and staff and the local community through collaborative efforts. This initiative, known as the Engage Flint Grant Program, seeks to encourage projects that are co-developed by university personnel and the broader Flint and Genesee County community.
Introduced by the Office of the Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, the Engage Flint Grant Program emphasizes partnerships that thrive on shared knowledge, mutual benefits, and addressing community-identified needs.
For the 2026-27 academic year, the program is set to fund up to 12 projects, with each receiving a budget of up to $12,000. The Office of the Provost will provide up to $9,000 per project, while applicants are expected to secure a minimum 25% cost share from either a university unit or an external partner.
Eligible initiatives can include workshops, speaker series, experiential learning opportunities, or other activities that unite students, faculty, staff, and community members in tackling issues important to Flint. The program stands out from traditional outreach by emphasizing co-creation. Applicants need to demonstrate how community partners have influenced the project from the beginning and how both university and community will gain from the collaboration.
Abby Parrill-Baker, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs, emphasized, “This program reflects our commitment to meaningful, reciprocal partnerships with the communities we serve.” She added, “By focusing projects on priorities identified by our community partners, we are creating opportunities for our students, faculty and staff to engage in work that is both academically enriching and directly responsive to the needs and strengths of Flint.” She further commented on the nature of the initiative as a partnership rather than outreach, highlighting the importance of community voices in shaping the project’s ideas, processes, and outcomes from the start.
Proposals, which must be led by UM-Flint faculty or staff, will be judged on the strength of community collaboration, the clarity of planning, and the alignment with shared goals. The approved projects are scheduled to take place from September 2026 to August 2027 and will entail ongoing reporting and a final evaluation developed with community partners.
Interested parties should submit their applications by May 15. For additional information, inquiries can be directed to umflintprovost@umich.edu.
