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.
Application Information
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
Criteria
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.
Proposal Deadlines
Proposals are accepted on a rolling basis.
Questions?
Please contact the Center for Democracy and Civic Life at civiclife@umbc.edu.