About SFU's Community Engagement Initiative

A small grants program that strengthens community-university relationships and catalyzes impact.

As one of Canada’s most community-engaged research universities, we know that lasting impact comes from research, teaching, creative activity and service characterized by the mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and resources in a context of partnership and reciprocity.

The goal of the CEI is to catalyze, support, and broaden such partnerships.

Generally speaking, we look for proposals for initiatives that will address one or more opportunities identified in SFU’s Strategic Community Engagement Plan in ways that advance the priorities and values of What's Next: the SFU Strategy and that improve and expand SFU’s capabilities to engage with its communities through student experiential learning, knowledge mobilization and community-engaged research. 

Community Engagement

The CEI considers community engagement to be a methodology that is characterized by attention to relationships. In community-engaged research, teaching and service, the goals of the projects, programs and outreach are co-created with community partners, ensuring that the resulting knowledge, education, and impact are aligned with existing community priorities.

Successful community engagement is, of course, much more than just this. But successful community engagement often demands increased commitment and resources to building principled relationships before even beginning to define a project. As such, there is a particular need to support that part of the work. That’s where the CEI can be of use to many projects.

Whether you are just forming your partnerships or you’re taking a project to scale, if it is characterized by deep, equitable and respectful relationships with community, it is eligible to be considered for funding from the CEI. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us.