BreakingGround Initiative

BreakingGround Initiative is sponsored by UMBC's Center for Democracy and Civic Life. This internal UMBC grant program awards funds to UMBC faculty, staff, and students for educational and community-building courses and programs that foster civic agency and contribute to social change within the UMBC campus and surrounding community.

Grant Application – Center for Democracy and Civic Life – UMBC Center for Democracy and Civic Life The BreakingGround initiative awards grants of up to $2,500 to UMBC faculty, staff, and students to implement educational and community-building courses and programs that foster civic agency: the capacity to initiate and make meaningful contributions to social change.

Launched as part of UMBC’s broader civic engagement and empowerment work, the program encourages applicants to design projects that empower participants to work collaboratively, address social challenges, and contribute to positive change in communities, including UMBC’s campus community.

Grants are intended to serve as early-stage funding that allows promising ideas to take shape, pilot new approaches, and demonstrate impact, often leading to expanded projects, sustained partnerships, or additional external funding. Through BreakingGround seed grants, UMBC fosters a culture of civic agency and shared responsibility for advancing a thriving democracy.

See out Past Awards for examples of previously funded BreakingGround projects. Applications should be submitted through this form and include three major components: Basic information (e.g., name, contact information) Your proposed budget detailing how you intend to use the funds, for which there is a template A narrative explanation detailing your proposal All components should be entered and uploaded through the form linked below.

Applications should be submitted through this form and include three major components: Basic information (e.g., name, contact information) Your proposed budget detailing how you intend to use the funds, for which there is a template you should use below A narrative explanation detailing your proposal (more explanation below) Need Help Thinking Through Your Idea?

The Center for Democracy and Civic Life is available to help applicants at all stages of their proposal writing process. The Center can help applicants with brainstorming (for those who are early in their planning process) and refining proposal drafts. If you are interested in getting further support, please email the Center at civiclife@umbc.

edu . Narrative Explanation Details Your application should include a letter detailing your proposal. The letter should be no more than three pages.

In the letter, you should address the following areas: This is what I plan to do: Describe the work you are proposing to do with the BreakingGround funds. If the seed grant funds would only be for one component of a larger project, describe the larger project, but be sure to devote most of your explanation to the work that BreakingGround will fund.

This is how this project will empower participants: Detail the process through which you believe your proposed project will empower UMBC community members to see themselves as capable of contributing to change. This is when I will do this : Explain the timeline for when you plan to implement this project.

This is who will be involved : Explain who will be involved, especially making sure to explain which members of the UMBC community (e.g., engineering students) will participate in the project and be more empowered as a result. This is how I will know it’s working : Explain how you plan to evaluate whether your project has been successful.

What things will you be looking for (e.g., data, behaviors, structures, deliverables) that will give you information about whether the project is working? (Note that you do not need to have a formal evaluation plan for this proposal; see the “Deliverables to the BreakingGround Committee” section for more details.)

This is how this funding will support future impacts: We hope that this seed funding helps enable your organization or team to maintain or build future success with your project. Describe how you will work to make the impacts of your project sustainable beyond the end date of the BreakingGround seed grant.

The letter should be uploaded as a DOC, DOCX, or PDF file, limited to three pages max This application must be connected to a UMBC office, department, or recognized student organization. Proposals should reflect BreakingGround values and help position participants to make meaningful contributions to the campus and/or surrounding community.

Deliverables to BreakingGround Committee Applicants who are awarded funds must agree to: Manage funds strategically and appropriately to support the work you propose. Complete a BreakingGround grant evaluation report.

Regarding the evaluation report, we will follow up with award recipients to discuss what this will look like, as what we will ask you to report will be influenced by how you describe the outcomes of your project in your letter. We will also provide support to applicants who need guidance on how to evaluate their projects. Proposals are accepted on a rolling basis.

However, note that proposals submitted during certain periods in the academic year, including during summer and winter breaks, may take longer to be processed. Please contact the Center for Democracy and Civic Life at civiclife@umbc. edu .

Part 1: Basic Information What title would you like to give your grant application? Does your grant involve or connect with an academic course? What is the course number and title?

(if applicable) If the course number is not available, please share what level the course is and how it relates to the department’s curriculum. How much funding are you requesting? Provide the main applicant’s first and last name.

Provide the main applicant’s email address. Provide the main applicant’s campus role. Provide the first and last names, email addresses, and campus roles of any additional applicants.

What is your department/organization name? The department/organization that will receive and manage the awarded funds. If you are not affiliated with a department/organization, please respond to this question with “N/A,” and complete the remainder of this form.

Center for Democracy and Civic Life staff will be in touch with you. What is your department/organization chartstring number? A “chartstring” is a financial account number used by UMBC departments.

If you are allocated a grant, the funds will be transferred to this chartstring number. If you do not know your chartstring number, enter “I don’t know” in this field and Center for Democracy and Civic Life staff will be in touch with you. It is normal not to know this information.

[upload]: Please download, complete, and upload the following budget form: Budget Form . Part 3: Proposal Narrative [upload]: Please upload your proposal letter as a DOC, DOCX, or PDF (best option) file. Make sure you have addressed the components detailed in the Narrative Explanation Details section above.

I am interested in: Undergraduate I am interested in: Graduate I am interested in: Professional Masters