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Community Leadership Award

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The Community Leadership Award offers grants to Lancaster County community leaders to implement four months-long projects focused on alleviating community issues and maximizing impact on all members of our diverse community. Three awards of $15,000 each will be granted each academic semester.

Eligibility

  • Projects must fit within three focal areas of CSEwL’s support: poverty and social inequality, environmental sustainability, and social practice and community-based art.
  • Individuals must be employed or sponsored by an organization located and/or serving Lancaster County, Pa.
  • At least $10,000 of the award must be budgeted for the implementation of the proposed community project. Your maximum stipend will be $5,000. 
  • Funds may not be used for any other purpose than pursuit of the CSEwL’s Community Leadership Award.
  • Applications are limited to one applicant per organization.

Application Process

Each application requires:

  • An 800-word summary of the project
  • Applicant’s resume
  • Letter of support from sponsoring organization

You must submit your application in Word or PDF to CSEwL@fandm.edu.

Application Timeline

  • January 6, 2023: Complete applications due
  • January 20, 2023: Review process completed 
  • January 23, 2023: Awarded applicants informed 
  • February 13, 2023: The program starts. Project implementation should be four months only, unless otherwise agreed with CSEwL. If awarded, you will be required to provide bi-weekly reports/updates and a final presentation or report at the completion of the project. 

Evaluation Criteria

Each application will be evaluated by the following criteria:

  • Community issue: What is the relevance of the proposed project to the mission of the CSEwL and community needs?
  • Leadership capacity: How much does this project increase the applicant’s leadership capacity?
  • Organizational support: Does the applicant demonstrate support from the sponsor organization?
  • Community benefit: How much will this project impact the sponsoring organization and the community it serves?
  • Diversity, equity and inclusion: Does the applicant demonstrate a commitment to racial, equity, inclusion, and social justice?

Each evaluation criteria will be provided the following score and a brief evaluator’s feedback note:

  • [N/A] No score
  • [1] Unsatisfactory
  • [2] Needs improvement
  • [3] Average
  • [4] Very good
  • [5] Exceptional

Questions?

If you have questions about the award or application process, please contact us at CSEWL@fandm.edu.