Community Award Program

The Morgan CARES Community Award is a small seed funding initiative intended to support community-campus collaborations. The goal of this small award is to promote and strengthen partnerships between community-based organizations and groups, and members of academia at Morgan State University. It is the hope that these connections form a strong foundation that supports the emergence of responsive, community-led public health initiatives that promote health equity in communities across Baltimore City.

New partners may engage in supportive activities and trainings, among other supports, for as long as they wish, to forge a strong partnership before developing and submitting an application. Partners who have existing community-campus collaborations may also apply.

Morgan CARES is able to support up to 10 Community Award projects a year, and applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Applications are reviewed each quarter, and projects are selected for funding. Applications will continue to be accepted while funds remain available.

New Applicants:

Eligibility & Selection Criteria
Eligible applications must...

• Be submitted by a community-campus team. The Community Lead could be from a local nonprofit, grassroots organization, or other community-based group. The Academic Co-Lead could be a faculty or graduate student, and must be from Morgan State University.
• Have a project timeline of 1 year or less
• Contribute to the overall improvement of health and reduction of health disparities for focal communities
• Target a specific group or community residing or working in Baltimore City
• Be committed to utilizing the data and other products from this small award to disseminate the results, and grow and expand the project and partnership

Application Review
Partnerships can submit applications any time using this link. Applications will be reviewed on a quarterly basis, on the following dates:

• March 15th
• June 15th
• September 15th
• December 15th

Applications will be reviewed first by the Morgan CARES administrative team, then by at least one external reviewer. Final funding recommendations will then be made by the Morgan CARES Steering Committee. Applicants will be notified in writing of the outcome of their application immediately following the Steering Committee Review Task Force meeting.

Expectations of Funded Partnerships
Once projects have been selected for funding, it is expected that both the Community Lead and Academic Co-Lead participate in the following activities:

• Quarterly Check-in Meeting: Following each application review, a check in meeting will be scheduled. It is expected that all funded projects will be represented in these meetings, as pertinent programmatic updates will be provided.
• Quarterly Training: As a means to support partnership development, and project success, our team will offer quarterly training workshops to support funded project teams.
• Reports: We ask that partnerships collaboratively submit a Mid-Project Report halfway through (for projects longer than 6 months), and Final Report at the conclusion of the project.
• Partnership Evaluations: These evaluations are to be completed individually at the midpoint (for projects longer than 6 months) and end of the project.
• Dissemination and Participation at Morgan CARES Annual Symposium: It is the expectation that each funded project will prepare a presentation capturing the work of the partnership. This presentation will be incorporated into the annual Symposium, where the work is showcased and disseminated to the broader network and local community. Both partners are expected to contribute to the presentation and attend the event.
• Consultation (optional): Morgan CARES team is available for consultation throughout the duration of the project.

APPLY HERE

Continuation Funding

The Morgan CARES Community Award is a small seed funding initiative intended to support community-campus collaborations. Previously funded partnerships are now eligible to apply for continuation funds, pending the below eligibility criteria:

Eligibility & Selection Criteria:

Partnership teams are eligible to apply if… 

• They have previously received a Community Award 
• The partnership is ongoing and additional support will be used to strengthen the partnership and result in deliverables such as: new publications, grant proposals, innovative products, etc.
• All required forms and documentation for the previous award have been submitted 
• No more than $5,000 is requested 
• The proposed project clearly demonstrates a continuation or expansion of the previously funded project, OR, will clearly support the strengthening of the partnership itself 

Apply Here 

Interested in Applying?

Community Award Details

Frequently Asked Questions

Application Development Guidance

Project Guide

Current Recipient?

Congratulations! Please see below for any forms or documents you may need throughout the duration of your project. Please feel free to reach out to use at any time with questions, comments, or concerns.

Forms:

Funding Guidelines

Mid-Project Partnership Evaluation Form

Mid-Project Report Form

Final Project Partnership Evaluation Form

Final Project Report Form

Funding Request Form

Continuation Funding Form

Space Request Form