Current CSU Students, representing student organizations, university units, or individual efforts are eligible to apply. All student application teams should include a faculty or staff advisor, though the project should be led primarily by students.

Student projects should address barriers to dialogue across lines of disagreement and deepen democratic engagement among students and/or community groups. Successful projects should:

• Be student-led. The project should substantially involve CSU students in project design, implementation and participation.
• Represent high-quality partnerships. Project teams should demonstrate substantial and meaningful collaboration with community members. Partners might include members of the CSU community or other organizations or institutions in Colorado.
• Create engagement across difference. Projects should have a particular emphasis on bringing two or more groups together across lines of political or cultural difference. These could be CSU student groups, groups across the university, or community groups.
• Have scalability potential. The project should hold potential to be replicated both at CSU and elsewhere. Students may choose to pilot a program using seed grant funding, with the expectation that successful projects may be scaled up in the future.
• Advance CSU’s commitment to democracy. The project should reflect CSU’s strategic niche as (1) a place for convening across political difference and (2) a place to nurture civic skills among students.

Though students are welcome to propose a wide variety of projects, the following list provides some examples of how funds might be used:

• Design and implement informed and respectful conversations on campus or in the community.
• Develop educational or training opportunities for classrooms, workshops, or other campus or community spaces.
• Host student events or community celebrations.
• Enact collective action projects.
• Conduct community-engaged research.
• Create community-art or third-spaces for community gathering and interaction.

When designing your seed grant project, consider the following:

• Impact: How will your project advance dialogue across disagreement, deepen civic engagement, and strengthen democracy? Will your project bring people together across difference for productive conversation, engagement, or collective action? Does your project have the potential for significant impact on campus or in Colorado communities? Does it offer an innovative or creative solution to current challenges? Will the impact of your project be permanent or temporary? What communities will your project impact? Can the project serve as a pilot, first step, or model for future democratic engagement efforts?
• Collaboration: What partnerships will you build or strengthen through your work? Do partnerships demonstrate the potential for collaboration and understanding across difference? Do you already have agreements in place from potential partners? How will campus or community partners be involved in your efforts? Will project partnerships create opportunities for increased collaboration in the future.
• Evidence: Is the project supported by credible evidence? Do you provide evidence about the problem your project hopes to address or that justifies your chosen solution? Do you draw on academic research or professional expertise? Can you offer evidence of community needs or goals? Can you point to similar projects in other communities that have produced positive outcomes?
• Feasibility and timeline: Is this project realistic? Can it be implemented and completed by March 2026? Do you provide clear plans for project implementation? Will your project be a singular implementation or will it require several stages to implement? Can you obtain the resources and permissions needed in that timeframe? Is this something that you could implement collectively or will you need someone else to help with implementation or approve the project? How might you draw on existent community resources?
• Cost: Seed grants will be up to $1,000. How much will it cost to implement your project? Will you need hospitality funds to rent event space or buy food for participants? Will you have to buy, build, or distribute things? What are the material costs associated with that? Will you have to hire individuals to assist with implementation? Will there be long-term costs such as care or upkeep that need to be considered and included?
• Sustainability and upkeep: Does the project show potential for sustainability beyond the scope of the seed grant? Will the project need continual care, community involvement, or institutional support? How will you ensure the project’s long-term success?
• Evaluation and assessment: How will you know your project is successful? Do you have clear plans to measure the success of your efforts? Will your assessment efforts be able to provide insight into the success of your intended outcomes?