APSA Awards Grants to Support Community Programs for Political Efficacy and Engagement

The American Political Science Association (APSA) today announced two, $6,000 grants to support collaborations between political scientists and their local communities aimed at fostering informed, engaged, and effective citizens. Grant recipients will bring together political science faculty, local non-profit organizations, and community members and will draw on both political science expertise and community expertise to develop innovative programming.

“Latinx Youth Political Leadership” is led by Professor Celeste Montoya of the University of Colorado Boulder, in partnership with Colorado Latino Votes, a non-partisan voter mobilization organization in El Paso County Colorado. This project will develop a youth leadership program that introduces high school seniors and college students to Latino politics scholars and scholarship, teaching them about persistent obstacles to full political participation, and strategies to overcome these obstacles. Students will work collaboratively to develop evidence-based get-out-the-vote initiatives aimed at increasing Latinx youth participation in the 2022 election.

“Civic Education in Louisiana” is led by Anna Mitchell Mahoney of Tulane University and Ashley Shelton of The Power Coalition for Equity and Justice, a non-partisan coalition of community-based organizations focused on voter education and empowerment. This project will engage Louisiana citizens in the 2021 redistricting process through virtual redistricting academies led by local experts, including faculty from local HBCUs. Faculty will also work with the Louisiana Scholars Strategy Network chapter to develop op-eds to further disseminate information about the redistricting process. The project will also train Census and Redistricting Fellows to monitor and contribute to the redistricting process and to help educate their fellow community members about the redistricting process and how they can get involved.

The Growing Democracy grant program supports community-based programming from political scientists that aims to bridge the boundaries between academia and community and break down the barriers between residents and governing institutions. Growing Democracy grants provide funding for co-designed programs aimed at supporting informed, engaged, and effective citizens. Funded work must be community-centered, developed with an awareness of community needs, and must recognize the expertise held by both faculty and community members.

The Growing Democracy grant program was developed in partnership with Professors Ashley Nickels and Casey Boyd-Swan at Kent State University (learn more at: www.growingdemocracyOH.org). Growing Democracy grants are made by possible thanks to the support of the Ivywood Foundation, and the APSA Presidential Task Force on New Partnerships.

To learn more about this program visit: https://connect.apsanet.org/centennialcenter/growing-democracy/

To learn about all of APSA’s grant opportunities, visit: apsanet.org/grants