FY 2018 Community Conversations | CNCS 03 08 18

Opportunity Information: Apply for CNCS 03 08 18

The FY 2018 Community Conversations grant opportunity is a discretionary funding competition run by the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) to support participatory, community-engaged research that strengthens civic life. The program centers on the idea of "community conversations" about civic health, meaning structured, locally grounded dialogue and inquiry that helps residents understand their community conditions, elevate local priorities, and build the relationships and skills needed to address shared problems. CNCS frames this work as directly tied to its mission because it aims to increase civic engagement and expand a community's capacity to take collective action on local issues.

Funding is offered through cooperative agreements, which typically means awardees should expect an active federal role in the project beyond a simple pass-through grant. The total amount available for the competition is up to $500,000, with an anticipated five awards. Individual awards are expected to range from $50,000 to $100,000 per year, and projects may be supported for up to two years. In other words, depending on the final budget and project period, a successful applicant could receive as much as $200,000 total across two years if funded at the top end annually.

Eligible applicants are limited to institutions of higher education, specifically public and state-controlled universities and colleges as well as private institutions of higher education. The intent is to fund academics and applied researchers who work with and in local communities, not researchers operating at a distance. The emphasis on "participatory research" signals that communities are meant to be partners in the research process, helping shape the questions, contributing to data collection and interpretation, and using findings in ways that are meaningful locally. The funding activity category is listed as Community Development (with an additional "Other" designation), which aligns with the program's focus on improving local conditions through civic participation and collaborative problem-solving rather than purely theoretical research.

CNCS gives equal priority to participatory research efforts in three types of settings. First are communities already working collaboratively to tackle a locally identified issue, where the research can strengthen ongoing collective efforts with better information, engagement, and shared understanding. Second are communities that have experienced a disaster, where conversations and participatory inquiry can support recovery by surfacing needs, reconnecting residents, and coordinating action. Third are communities in social crisis, where civic trust and social cohesion may be strained and where structured engagement and shared research can help communities navigate conflict, instability, or urgent social challenges.

Key administrative details include the opportunity title "FY 2018 Community Conversations," funding opportunity number CNCS 03 08 18, and CFDA number 94.026. The notice was created on March 9, 2018, and the application deadline is Tuesday, April 10, 2018, by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Overall, the opportunity is designed to fund higher-education-led, community-partnered research that uses inclusive dialogue and participatory methods to diagnose civic health, increase engagement, and support practical, locally driven solutions in communities facing ongoing challenges, disaster impacts, or social crisis.

• The Corporation for National and Community Service in the community development, other (see text field entitled explanation of other category of funding activity for clarification) sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "FY 2018 Community Conversations" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 94.026.
• This funding opportunity was created on Mar 09, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 10, 2018. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $100,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 5 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education.

Apply for CNCS 03 08 18

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: