UM-Flint launches Engage Flint Grant Program to deepen community partnerships

The University of Michigan-Flint is inviting faculty and staff to strengthen connections with the local community through a new funding opportunity focused on collaborative, community-driven work.

Announced by the Office of the Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, the Engage Flint Grant Program will support projects co-designed by members of the university and the Flint and Genesee County community. The initiative focuses on fostering partnerships that prioritize shared knowledge, mutual benefit and community-identified needs.

The program will fund up to 12 projects for the 2026–27 academic year, with individual awards supporting project budgets of up to $12,000. The Office of the Provost will contribute up to $9,000 per project, with applicants required to secure at least a 25% cost share from a university unit or external partner.

Eligible projects may include workshops, speaker series, experiential learning opportunities or similar initiatives that bring together students, faculty, staff and community members to address issues important to the Flint community.

Unlike traditional outreach efforts, the program emphasizes co-creation, requiring applicants to demonstrate how community partners helped shape the project from the outset and how both the university and community will benefit from the collaboration.

"This program reflects our commitment to meaningful, reciprocal partnerships with the communities we serve," said Abby Parrill-Baker, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs. "By focusing projects on priorities identified by our community partners, we are creating opportunities for our students, faculty and staff to engage in work that is both academically enriching and directly responsive to the needs and strengths of Flint.

"We are not approaching this work as outreach, but as a partnership, where community voices help shape the ideas, the process and the outcomes from the very beginning."

Proposals must be led by UM-Flint faculty or staff and will be evaluated based on the depth of community collaboration, clarity of planning and alignment with shared goals. Selected projects will run between September 2026 and August 2027 and will include ongoing reporting and a final assessment developed in partnership with community collaborators.

Applications are due May 15 and those seeking additional information should email umflintprovost@umich.edu.