Scholarship in Action
The Scholarship in Action program (SIA) advances community-engaged research in Worcester through partnerships with faculty, students and community stakeholders.
Funded by the Donelan Office of Community-Based Learning, Teaching, and Engaged Scholarship, SIA supports faculty, students and community organizations through resources, coordination, and short-term and long-term grants.
How it Works
By cultivating long-term relationships in Worcester, faculty, student researchers and community stakeholders design meaningful research projects that center principles of equity, antiracism and shared knowledge production that engage wider audiences both locally and globally.
The Three Tenets of SIA
All successful projects support the three tenets of Scholarship in Action.
-
Center Community
When we build and sustain relationships with our Worcester partners that are based upon reciprocity and respect, we build trust. From these relationships, we can collaborate to co-create creative projects to produce knowledge that will tap into the talents, capacities, and skills of our stakeholders, our faculty and our students.
-
Advance Equity
By encouraging Holy Cross faculty to think Worcester-first when developing research agendas, we produce research that matters both locally and globally. The collaborative approach to knowledge production from raising questions, sharing findings and showcasing community projects ensures that our academic enterprise is equity-centered.
-
Integrate the student experience
When faculty bring their students into their work in Worcester, students find ways not only to connect their liberal arts education to community-engaged projects, but also to bring their whole selves to the research in Worcester, offering immersive and transformative lessons in critical civic engagement.
The Grants
SIA Seed Grants are modest one-year grants of $2,000-$3,000 that can help faculty jumpstart community-based research by providing faculty and their community partners with resources to embark upon community projects together. Faculty can apply with or without a community partner co-author, as the Seed Grants are meant to help pilot ideas or partnerships. In addition, if community partners have Seed Grant ideas, they can reach out to the Donelan Office to find a faculty partner. Funds can be used to explore partnerships around a particular topic or research area, to pilot a small program that could lead to a larger research project, to support the expansion of a Community-Based Learning course that could lead to a research project, and more.
SIA Grow Grants are two-year $30,000 grants for community-engaged research projects. Faculty and community partners must apply jointly, indicating that the research agenda, while perhaps faculty driven, is one that is community-centered and responds to a community-generated research problem/idea. When Holy Cross faculty think Worcester-first when developing research agendas, research is produced that matters both locally and globally. The collaborative approach to knowledge production from raising questions, sharing findings, and showcasing community projects ensures that the academic enterprise is equity-centered.
SIA Harvest Grants are $5,000 grants that faculty and community partners can jointly apply for after completing 1.5 years (or more) of an SIA Grow Grant. Harvest Grants can fund products/outcomes of community-engaged research, such as conference travel, websites and/or publications, exhibits, co-authored publications, and more. SIA Harvest Grants are 1-year projects (that occur after the 2-year Grow Grant cycle).
How to Apply
Faculty can navigate to the Donelan Office’s Ignite Page for information about applying for SIA Grants. Community partners can contact the Donelan Office to learn more.
SIA Partners
- Ecotarium Museum
- Latino History Project
- Worcester Historical Museum
- Worcester County Poetry Association
- Worcester Public Schools
- AIDS Project Worcester
- Music Worcester
- Family Health Center
- Refugee Artisans of Worcester
- Worcester Art Museum
- Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central MA and Metrowest
- St. Mary Healthcare Center
- Worcester Cultural Coalition
- Green Island Residents Neighborhood Group
- Together for Kids Coalition
Questions about applying?
Contact us at donelanoffice@holycross.edu.
HOW COLLEGE AND COMMUNITY ARE CREATING
A New Kind of Knowledge
Holy Cross faculty, students and Worcester nonprofits are teaming up to explore the history of some of the city’s uncharted communities, delivering scholarship, real-world experience and practical impact.
Contact Us
Donelan Office of Community-Based Learning, Teaching, and Engaged Scholarship
Location
Smith Hall 333
One College Street
Worcester, MA 01610
One College Street
Worcester, MA 01610
Office Hours
Monday-Friday
9 a.m.-5 p.m.