Community Academic Service Entrepreneur (CASE) Grant

Online application for the grant is available at servicebook.org.

The Community Academic Service Entrepreneur grants (CASE) are offered in the US, UK, South Africa, Germany and India. This is a competition among students whose proposals represent the most innovative ways to serve the community associated with their academic discipline. The student winners receive a grant to implement their projects, a Certificate of Merit from the foundation and their project is published on the Foundation websites www.C2PF.org, servicebook.org. The grant is given to the students through their community partner or their institution to complete their project. Winners are chosen by a local selection panel, including faculty members and by the foundation. Student's project summary reports are published on: servicebook.org.

Criteria:

The student's proposal must meet the following general criteria:

Impact of their proposal in the community
The proposal must show a partnership between the student/department/academic institution and the community partner. This means working "with" the community as an equal partner.
There must be an academic service learning component, a connection between what the students are learning in class and what is being applied in the community through their service project.

CASE winners are selected based on the following main criteria:

1. Impact:

Impact on the community through increased economic opportunity (job creation), improved social or civic networks, more responsive public systems etc:
Documentation of measurable outcomes.
The promise of sustainability for the project after the grant funding is exhausted.

2. Partnership:

Identification of the community partner's strengths and efforts to build upon and enhance these strengths.
Collaborative and data-informed planning and decision making between the student and the community partner.
Efforts to enlist other collaborators like other students, businesses, civic organizations, government agencies, faith-based institutions, etc.

3. Academic Service Learning:

Integration of the project with a student's coursework, practicum, thesis, dissertation, etc.
An optimal blend of learning, research and service for the applicant.

Student's project report should include the following elements:

A general report on the activities undertaken by the project
An assessment of the degree to which specific project aims were accomplished
An assessment of the degree to which general program criteria were met
An explanation of what the student learned about being an entrepreneur.
Recommendations for further development of the project in the future.
Recommendations for enhanced collaboration between the community partner and the affiliated institution of the student in the future.
An accounting for project funds.
Sustainability of innovation/their project.

Requirement for CASE

Student Requirements:

Applicants must be a full-time student; propose an innovative community service project; must recruit a community organization (or village) as partner and must have a faculty member agree to oversee the project. Winners need to keep a running account of project activities and write a project summary report at the conclusion. In addition, the student may create a documentary of the project via video, PowerPoint for briefing to other students and for publication.

Requirements for a College/Organization to be a CASE host:

Agree to become a host (agreement signed by host with the foundation)
Publicize the grant availability to the students
Direct interested students to apply on line at ServiceBook.org
Select a panel of judges to choose the winning proposal
Orchestrate the evaluation and selection process
Announce the winning proposal.
Monitor project during the process.
Request the student to submit a final report along with a short video.

C2P provides assistance in this process when requested and necessary.

The CASE application is available by registering at servicebook.org.

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