CCE Grants for Student Led Programs – Center for Civic Engagement

What are my options?

Funds may be used to support and enrich ongoing activities, deepen and assess the impact of existing programs, launch an innovation through a small pilot program, and/or “tell the story” of the work they do together, consistent with the missions of the CCE and their specific program.

There are two funds that CESs may apply to The Linda Primavera Fund and The Marilyn LaPlante Endowment. Each of these funds has specific criteria that applicants have to consider when drafting a grant proposal; please see descriptions below.

After grant approval, you must complete the Post-Grant Use form to explain how your funds were actually used and reflect on their benefits. Information from your report will be shared with the affiliated donors.

Please contact Riley.Gabriel@kzoo.edu with any questions.

The Linda Primavera Fund

Linda Primavera ’77 is an advocate for civic outreach, having volunteered her time and resources in the Tucson, Arizona area for many years. This passion has led her to create a fund to provide support to Kalamazoo area women and children and to channel this support through the talented CES students at Kalamazoo College creating additional leadership opportunities for its students.

Linda Primavera would like to support the following CCE programs that relate to education and women/children empowerment programs:

CAPS
El Sol
Students for Reproductive Freedom
Woodward
Young Adult Program

CESs may apply for up to $500 per year to support programming that enhances their work in these above programs. See the grant proposal form for detailed information about project criteria.

The Marilyn LaPlante Endowment

Ronda Stryker and Bill Johnston established The LaPlante Endowment in 2001 when they created the Mary Jane Underwood Stryker Institute for Service-Learning (now Center for Civic Engagement) in the name of Ronda’s grandmother. The LaPlante Endowment honors the late Dean of Students Marilyn LaPlante, the College’s first Vice-President for Experiential Education, and a good friend to Ronda. The LaPlante Endowment primarily supports Civic Engagement Scholar wages, faculty grants and course-related expenses, and community partner involvement. However, a small amount of funding (up to $500 per program per year) is available to enhance CES-led programs that do not meet Primavera funding parameters. See the grant proposal form for detailed information about project criteria.

Please NOTE: Funds will be awarded based on the quality of proposals and appropriateness of programming. The total amount of funding and/or total available per grant may be limited in any given year. Receipt of these grants is not guaranteed, and they may be awarded on a first-come, first serve basis.

Please complete the below form after you have applied for and used your grant funds. This feedback will be used to assess the impacts of funding and contribute to future grant availability.

Apply for a grant:

Please complete this form, for either grant option, a minimum of two weeks prior to when you would like to begin project purchases. If you would like to discuss your proposal before submitting your formal form request, please get in touch with a member of CCE staff.

Grant Application Form

CCE Grant Applications

The Center for Civic Engagement (CCE) provides grant funding to current Civic Engagement Scholars (CESs) for up to $500 per program per academic year to carry out their work through activities that promote a more “just, equitable, and sustainable world.” CESs can apply to both the Impact Fund 2021-2022 and The Linda Primavera Fund/The Marilyn LaPlante Endowment. Funds may be used to support and enrich ongoing activities, deepen and assess the impact of existing programs, launch an innovation through a small pilot program, and/or “tell the story” of the work they do together, consistent with the missions of the CCE and their specific program. Each of these funds has specific criteria that applicants have to consider when drafting a grant proposal. For the Impact Fund specifically, if CESs don’t submit a proposal by 5th Week of Winter Quarter, the amount that they can apply will be reduced to $250 instead of the full $500. Funds don’t have to be spent in the same quarter that the proposal was submitted, but it will take at least 2 weeks for approval by the CCE staff.

Name * Required
First Last
Email * Required
CCE Program * Required
Date form is being completed * Required
MM slash DD slash YYYY
For which fund/grant will you be applying for? * Required
- Linda Primavera Fund (for programs that relate to education and women/youth empowerment programs)
- Marilyn LaPlante Endowment (for general programs not qualified for the Linda Primavera Fund)
Linda Primavera Fund (for programs that relate to education and women/youth empowerment programs)
Linda Primavera ’77 is an advocate for civic outreach, having volunteered her time and resources in the Tucson, Arizona area for many years. This passion has led her to create a fund to provide support to Kalamazoo area women and children and to channel this support through the talented CES students at Kalamazoo College creating additional leadership opportunities for its students. Linda Primavera would like to support the following CCE programs that relate to education and women/children empowerment programs. CESs may apply for up to $500 per year to support programming that enhances their work in these above programs.
PROJECT TITLE: * Required
PROJECT DESCRIPTION: * Required
DESCRIBE THE COMMUNITY ISSUE TO WHICH YOUR PROGRAM AND PROJECT RESPONDS: * Required
WHAT OUTCOMES DO YOU AND/OR YOUR PARTNER EXPECT? (INCLUDE RESULTS/PRODUCTS) * Required
HOW WILL YOU EVALUATE THE SUCCESS OF THE PROJECT? * Required
HOW WILL YOU SHARE THE RESULTS/PRODUCTS? * Required
IF APPLICABLE, WHAT COVIDE-19 PROTOCOLS WILL BE IN PLACE FOR THIS PROJECT? * Required
WHEN WILL YOUR PROJECT START? * Required
MM slash DD slash YYYY
WHEN WILL YOUR PROJECT END? * Required
MM slash DD slash YYYY
What will be the total Cost for Supplies? * Required
Please enter a number less than or equal to 500.
What will be the total Cost for Registration? * Required
Please enter a number less than or equal to 500.
What will be the total of Other Costs? * Required
Please enter a number less than or equal to 500.
Please attach a detailed budget and any information regarding community partner budget matching where applicable. * Required
Drop files here or

Max. file size: 5 MB.
How does your project advance a “more just, equitable and sustainable” Kalamazoo? How does it promote your program’s mission? * Required
How and why did you and your community partner come together around this topic or project? Who is affected and why? * Required
What will wild success look like? If your project is effective, what will change? How will you know? * Required
What learning will occur and for whom? What learning outcomes will there be for K College students and community members (be specific but don’t limit yourselves to “measurable” outcomes) What do YOU hope to learn? * Required
What strengths are you drawing upon to accomplish your objectives? Include experiences that have prepared you for this. * Required
Please describe how your project empowers women and/or young people. How are you avoiding the Savior Complex: the trap of “doing for” instead of “doing with” people and communities? * Required
Prepare a brief timeline for your project that reflects planning, collaboration and implementation. For example, if you receive funding for your project on November 1st and your final product is due on March 1st, what needs to have happened by or on December 31st? * Required
Drop files here or

Max. file size: 5 MB.
Marilyn LaPlante Endowment (for general programs not qualified for the Linda Primavera Fund)
Ronda Stryker and Bill Johnston established The LaPlante Endowment in 2001 when they created the Mary Jane Underwood Stryker Institute for Service-Learning (now Center for Civic Engagement) in the name of Ronda’s grandmother. The LaPlante Endowment honors the late Dean of Students Marilyn LaPlante, the College’s first Vice-President for Experiential Education, and a good friend to Ronda. The LaPlante Endowment primarily supports Civic Engagement Scholar wages, faculty grants and course-related expenses, and community partner involvement. However, a small amount of funding (up to $500 per program per year) is available to enhance CES-led programs that do not meet Primavera funding parameters.
PROJECT TITLE: * Required
PROJECT DESCRIPTION: * Required
DESCRIBE THE COMMUNITY ISSUE TO WHICH YOUR PROGRAM AND PROJECT RESPONDS: * Required
WHAT OUTCOMES DO YOU AND/OR YOUR PARTNER EXPECT? (INCLUDE RESULTS/PRODUCTS) * Required
HOW WILL YOU SHARE THE RESULTS/PRODUCTS? * Required
HOW WILL YOU EVALUATE THE SUCCESS OF THE PROJECT? * Required
IF APPLICABLE, WHAT COVIDE-19 PROTOCOLS WILL BE IN PLACE FOR THIS PROJECT? * Required
WHEN WILL YOUR PROJECT START? * Required
MM slash DD slash YYYY
WHEN WILL YOUR PROJECT END? * Required
MM slash DD slash YYYY
What will be the total Cost for Supplies? * Required
Please enter a number less than or equal to 500.
What will be the total Cost for Registration? * Required
Please enter a number less than or equal to 500.
What will be the total of Other Costs? * Required
Please enter a number less than or equal to 500.
Please attach a detailed budget and any information regarding community partner budget matching where applicable. * Required
Drop files here or

Max. file size: 5 MB.
How does your project advance a “more just, equitable and sustainable” Kalamazoo? How does it promote your program’s mission? * Required
How and why did you and your community partner come together around this topic or project? Who is affected and why? * Required
What will wild success look like? If your project is effective, what will change? How will you know? * Required
What learning will occur and for whom? What learning outcomes will there be for K College students and community members (be specific but don’t limit yourselves to “measurable” outcomes) What do YOU hope to learn? * Required
What strengths are you drawing upon to accomplish your objectives? Include experiences that have prepared you for this. * Required
Please describe how your project empowers community members. How are you avoiding the Savior Complex: the trap of “doing for” instead of “doing with” people and communities? * Required
Prepare a brief timeline for your project that reflects planning, collaboration and implementation. For example, if you receive funding for your project on November 1st and your final product is due on March 1st, what needs to have happened by or on December 31st? * Required
Drop files here or

Max. file size: 5 MB.

Save and Continue Later

After project completion:

Please complete this form within two weeks after your project has completed or conf

Grant Use Report Form

Post-Grant Use Report

Please fill out this form to explain how grant funds were used and for whom after the event or purpose has taken place.

Your Name(Required)

First Last

Program Name (and community partner name)(Required)

Which CCE program and community partner was the grant used for?

Your K Email(Required)

Which grant did you apply for?(Required)

When and where were your grant funds used?(Required)

Were you able to accomplish everything you set out to do?(Required)

Was there anything that you weren't able to do?(Required)

Did you use all the funds you requested? Would you change anything about how you used your grant?(Required)

Describe how your experience with the grant application process went. Is there anything you would change?(Required)

Do you have any questions or comments for us regarding the grant process?(Required)