The Gephardt Institute for Public Service invites students, faculty and staff to apply for the Civic Engagement Fund (CEF), which awards grants to support service trips, civic initiatives or community service projects.
CEF grants, available to individuals and groups, provide up to $500 for projects in the St. Louis area, across the country and around the world. Deadlines for the upcoming funding rounds are April 13 and July 20.
Recent CEF supported projects include public health screenings for the Asian community in St. Louis, improvements to water storage systems in Ethiopia and a music program that teaches percussion with recycled materials.
“It only takes a little support to bring ideas into fruition,” says Arts & Sciences junior Prateek Kumar, whose group Beat Therapy received CEF support this year.
Beat Therapy used their funding to purchase boomwhackers, PVC pipes, paint buckets, pots and pans and materials to make scrap musical instruments. The group teaches percussion to local elementary students who otherwise would not receive musical education.
For Kumar and other grant recipients, CEF funding provides a bridge into the community.
“The Civic Engagement Fund not only allowed us to share our musical passions but also initiated what has become a meaningful avenue for musical enterprise and community service,” he says.
For more information or a grant application, visit gephardtinstitute.wustl.edu or e-mail gephardtinstitute@wustl.edu.