The Office of Civic Engagement (OCE) offers an internal grant program that funds projects proposed by Universities of Wisconsin faculty, staff, and students. These grants support initiatives that advance OCE\u2019s mission to strengthen civic and democratic life across campus and community contexts. This grant program continues the work previously supported through the Wisconsin Institute for Citizenship and Civil Dialogue (WICCD) internal grants. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
OCE grants are intended to support projects that:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Total funding available: $90,000 <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Grant period: FY27 \/ Academic Year 2026\u201327 <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Criteria remain strongly aligned with WICCD\u2019s standards: OCE will award internal grants for projects related to one or more of the following areas:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Projects should align with at least one or more grant area and may focus on topics including (but not limited to): <\/p>\n\n\n\n
All proposals undergo a multi-stage review process: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Due to limited funding availability, not all eligible proposals can be funded. Applicants may revise and re-submit proposals in a future grant cycle.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
Grant funds will be distributed to the appropriate office or department at the applicant\u2019s home university and are subject to all Universities of Wisconsin and home institution policies and procedures. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Please note: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Any unspent grant funds must be returned to OCE at the conclusion of the project period.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
Within 60 days of project completion, the Project Lead must submit a post-grant report to OCE that includes the following four sections: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dissemination: A summary of completed or planned dissemination of project results or outcomes. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
Spring 2025<\/p>\n\n\n\n
UW OSHKOSH ASSESSING CIVIL DIALOGUE AND FREE SPEECH PROGRAMS<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Project Lead:<\/strong> Michael Lueder, Director of the Center for Civic and Community Engagement<\/p>\n\n\n\n Other Project Members:<\/strong> Dr. David Siemers, Political Science Faculty; Dr. Amber Lusvardi, Political Science Faculty; Dr. Tony Palmeri, Communications Faculty<\/p>\n\n\n\n University:<\/strong> UW-Oshkosh<\/p>\n\n\n\n Award:<\/strong> $6,000<\/p>\n\n\n\n Start \/ End Date:<\/strong> June 1, 2025 to September 1, 2025<\/p>\n\n\n\n Project Description:<\/strong> The University of Wisconsin Oshkosh will assess and evaluate our university’s work in civil dialogue. The team will produce the following, to be implemented during the 2025-2026 academic year: A full catalog of all courses and programming efforts related to democracy, civil dialogue, and free speech. Including the UW System course offered to all incoming students. A list of shared learning objectives that can be implemented across academic and program offerings. Assessment tools that will be used across academic and program offerings. A learning goal document focused on what we want all students at UWO to get out of free speech academics and programming. This document will outline current academic and programming offerings and make suggestions for future work across academic disciplines. Following the summer work, we will embed the learning outcomes and assessment tools into the academic course offerings and programs offered at UW Oshkosh. After each semester we will review the assessment results to gain a clearer understanding of the effectiveness of each offering.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/details>\n\n\n\n PROMOTING PRODUCTIVE DIALOGUE THROUGH CRITICAL THINKING: ARGUMENT MAPPING AND SYSTEMATIC EMPATHY FOR CAMPUS AND COMMUNITY DISCOURSE<\/p>\n\n\n\n Project Lead:<\/strong> Dr. Dona Warren, Philosophy Faculty<\/p>\n\n\n\n Other Project Members:<\/strong> Dave Dettman, Library Instruction Program Coordinator and Assessment Librarian; Shanny Luft, Director of General Education; Anne Rogalski, Associate Director of Continuing Education and Outreach; Erin Speetzen, Director of the Center for Inclusive Teaching and Learning<\/p>\n\n\n\n University:<\/strong> UW-Stevens Point<\/p>\n\n\n\n Award:<\/strong> $18,000<\/p>\n\n\n\n Start \/ End Date:<\/strong> August 25, 2025 to May 16, 2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Project Description:<\/strong> Research shows that argument mapping, which visually represents the structure of reasoning, helps reduce polarization in evaluating arguments for and against politically charged conclusions. In fall 2025, we will train faculty, staff, students, and administrators in the use of argument maps to facilitate discussions about controversial issues. In spring 2026, we will host a series of campus-community discussion forums, each structured around an argument map to guide conversation. If these forums foster productive dialogue, we will explore establishing an annual discussion series.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/details>\n\n\n\n ESTABLISHING A HETERODOX ACADEMY CAMPUS COMMUNITY<\/p>\n\n\n\n Project Lead:<\/strong> Heather McGrew, Teaching Professor<\/p>\n\n\n\n Other Project Members:<\/strong> [None listed]<\/p>\n\n\n\n University:<\/strong> UW-Superior<\/p>\n\n\n\n Award:<\/strong> $13,000<\/p>\n\n\n\n Start \/ End Date:<\/strong> September 1, 2025 to May 31, 2027<\/p>\n\n\n\n Project Description:<\/strong> I propose the pursuance of a Heterodox Academy Campus Community at the University of Wisconsin-Superior. Heterodox Academy is an organization whose “mission is to advance open inquiry, viewpoint diversity, and constructive disagreement across higher education — the foundations of our universities as truth-seeking, knowledge-generating institutions.” HxA invites applications annually for the creation of HxA Campus Communities that seek to improve institutional policies and culture and model the values of open inquiry. For those who receive the designation, HxA has a two-year timeline of setting up meetings, recruiting members, establishing trust, and hosting events that advance open inquiry and dialogue.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/details>\n\n\n\n WISCONSIN ALLIANCE FOR CIVIC TRUST: A COMMUNITY ACTION RESEARCH PROJECT<\/p>\n\n\n\n Project Lead:<\/strong> Dr. Samantha June Larson, Public Administration Faculty and Interim Director of the Whitburn Center for Governance & Policy Research<\/p>\n\n\n\n Other Project Members:<\/strong> Dr. Paul Van Auken, Sociology Faculty; Lisa Lewis, Administrative Manager for the Whitburn Center; Dr. Scott McCallum, Whitburn Center Advisory Board and WisAct; David Haynes, WisAct; Allison Carter-Keely, WisAct<\/p>\n\n\n\n University:<\/strong> UW-Oshkosh<\/p>\n\n\n\n Award:<\/strong> $19,000<\/p>\n\n\n\n Start \/ End Date:<\/strong> July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Project Description:<\/strong> The Wisconsin Alliance for Civic Trust (WisACT) is part of a national initiative established by The Carter Center. The program aims to promote trust in the political system, election integrity, and peaceful engagement. The need for WisACT emerged due to increasing polarization, misinformation, and threats of political violence. Based on recommendations of five focus groups in 2024, the objectives for this project include organizing six regional teams of campus and community leaders, providing conflict resolution training, and conducting a needs assessment for each region. Outcomes will be shared through monthly meetings, a final report, and a statewide summit in 2026.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/details>\n\n\n\n ATTENTIVE CITIZENSHIP: SLOW CIVIC ENGAGEMENT IN MILWAUKEE<\/p>\n\n\n\n Project Lead:<\/strong> Jennifer Johung, Director of the Center for 21st Century Studies<\/p>\n\n\n\n Other Project Members:<\/strong> Katherine Waddell, Managing Director of the Center for 21st Century Studies<\/p>\n\n\n\n University:<\/strong> UW-Milwaukee<\/p>\n\n\n\n Award:<\/strong> $14,000<\/p>\n\n\n\n Start \/ End Date:<\/strong> July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Project Description:<\/strong> UWM’s Center for 21st Century Studies will develop an attention toolkit offering campus and community-driven participatory exercises that cultivate attention as the basis for engaged citizenship. This toolkit will be incorporated into the next phase of our Story Cart, a mobile story collection program that travels across campus and into community spaces, asking us to slow down and move away from screens and digital platforms in support of dialogues in real spaces. From toolkit to community engagement, “Attentive Citizenship” resists the fast-paced efficiency models dominating our contemporary lives, instead fostering a campus and community culture that privileges sustained civic engagement.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/details>\n\n\n\n ASSESSING CIVIC ENGAGEMENT AS A DETERMINANT OF HEALTH IN THE FAMILY MEDICINE CLINIC<\/p>\n\n\n\n Project Lead:<\/strong> Mike Leasure, MD, Family Medicine Physician, Clinical Assistant Professor<\/p>\n\n\n\n Other Project Members:<\/strong> Mary Henningfield, PhD, Associate Director, Wisconsin Research & Education Network; Keelin McHugh, Project Coordinator, Wisconsin Research & Education Network<\/p>\n\n\n\n University:<\/strong> UW-Madison<\/p>\n\n\n\n Award:<\/strong> $20,000<\/p>\n\n\n\n Start \/ End Date:<\/strong> May 1, 2025 to January 31, 2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Project Description:<\/strong> Growing evidence suggests that civic engagement, including voting and volunteering, has measurable health impacts. However, its broader effects on well-being remain unclear. This study explores the role of family doctors in promoting civic engagement as a modifiable health behavior. We hypothesize that increased civic engagement among patients improves mental and physical well-being. Our initial plan is to survey patients in a clinical setting to examine this relationship further. If our pilot study supports this hypothesis, we aim to expand this research statewide. This work could inspire novel approaches to integrating civic engagement into healthcare to improve patient outcomes.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/details>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n Fall 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n Enhancing Campus Culture: Free Expression and Civil Discourse<\/p>\n\n\n\n Project Lead: <\/strong>Alexander (Xan) Bozzo, Assistant Professor of Philosophy & Director, Center for Applied Ethics<\/p>\n\n\n\n Other Project Members: <\/strong>Mai Khou Xiong, Executive Director for Student Inclusion and Belonging; Rickie Ann Legleitner, Interim Director of Inclusive Excellence<\/p>\n\n\n\n University: <\/strong>UW-Stout<\/p>\n\n\n\n Award:<\/strong> $10,000<\/p>\n\n\n\n Start \/ End Date: <\/strong>January 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Project Description:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cEnhancing Campus Culture: Free Expression and Civil Discourse.\u201d This project seeks to enhance the campus culture at UW-Stout around free expression, the First Amendment, and civil discourse more generally. The aim is to train a select group of instructors and staff, via a three-day seminar led by the Discussion Project from UW-Madison. From there, these instructors\/staff will help facilitate student discussion at four Discussion Dinners. Each Discussion Dinner will center around a controversial political or ethical topic. The aim is to have students learn and model constructive dialogue in a relaxed and enjoyable setting. We hope that such programming can continue going forward.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/details>\n\n\n\n The Civics Lab<\/p>\n\n\n\n Project Lead:<\/strong> Russ Castronovo, Director, Center for the Humanities & Professor of English<\/p>\n\n\n\n Other Project Members: <\/strong>Ainehi Edoro, Assistant Professor of English; Megan Massino, CH Associate Director; Danielle Wiendling, CH Public Humanities Coordinator; Melissa Ulbricht, CH Events Coordinator<\/p>\n\n\n\n University: <\/strong>UW-Madison<\/p>\n\n\n\n Award:<\/strong> $10,000<\/p>\n\n\n\n Start \/ End Date: <\/strong>February 1, 2025 to November 30, 2025<\/p>\n\n\n\n Project Description:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe Civics Lab.\u201d Through workshops and public lectures organized by the Center for the Humanities (CFH) at UW-Madison, the \u201cCivics Lab\u201d seeks to examine the factors impeding civil dialogue and the exchange of informed perspectives. Activities will also work toward identifying alternative factors and strategies to improve civil dialogue. Particular attention will be paid to the contexts behind the breakdown in civil discourse. Rather than smooth over differences of political perspective, the goal is to understand how unbounded inquiry is enhanced by the opportunity to evaluate evidence, compare aims, hear counterarguments\u2014in short, to \u201csift and winnow.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/div><\/details>\n\n\n\n Civic Dialogue and Human Rights Workshop & Speaker Series<\/p>\n\n\n\n Project Lead: <\/strong>Sumudu Atapattu, Teaching Professor and Director, Global Legal Studies Center, Law School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Other Project Members:<\/strong> Sara MacKinnon, Professor of Communication; Tyrell Haberkorn, Professor of Southeast Asian Studies<\/p>\n\n\n\n University: <\/strong>UW-Madison<\/p>\n\n\n\n Award:<\/strong> $12,000<\/p>\n\n\n\n Start \/ End Date: <\/strong>January 15, 2025 to December 15, 2025<\/p>\n\n\n\n Project Description:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cCivic Dialogue and Human Rights Workshop & Speaker Series.\u201d The Human Rights Program at UW-Madison seeks $45,000 in WICCD funding for a Civic Dialogue and Human Rights workshop and speaker series in spring and fall 2025, focusing on four contemporary human rights issues: (a) climate change; (b) academic freedom and protest; (c) gender and LGBTQ+ rights; and (d) immigration, migration, and refugees. This workshop and speaker series – a workshop and a flash talk-style event – will create a muchneeded space for constructive discourse on human rights issues, providing resources for honest robust conversation on issues that have given rise to considerable disagreement and polarization.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/details>\n\n\n\n Dialogue Matters: Bridging Voices at UWL<\/p>\n\n\n\n Project Lead:<\/strong> Ashley Nowak, Director, D&I<\/p>\n\n\n\n Other Project Members: <\/strong>Caleb Colon-Rivera, Program Manager, D&I; Ashley H. Edwards, Inclusive Teaching Specialist; Nevin Heard, Assistant Vice Chancellor, D&I; Kara Ostlund, Dean of Student Affairs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n University: <\/strong>UW-La Crosse<\/p>\n\n\n\n Award:<\/strong> $21,000<\/p>\n\n\n\n Start \/ End Date:<\/strong> January 1, 2025 to September 8, 2025<\/p>\n\n\n\n Project Description:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDialogue Matters: Bridging Voices at UWL.\u201d A transformative initiative aimed at<\/p>\n\n\n\n enriching the new student orientation experience by promoting a resilient campus community anchored in civil discourse, inclusivity, and free expression. This initiative involves training faculty and staff in a proven dialogue protocol (The Discussion Project) applicable across various settings, including classrooms and student programs. A key component is the implementation of this protocol during UWL\u2019s New Student Orientation sessions in groups of no more than 35. The time together is used to highlight free expression, civil discourse, and belonging through meaningful conversation. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/details>\n\n\n\n Student Civil Dialogue Skill Building Project<\/p>\n\n\n\n Project Lead: <\/strong>Chia Vang, UW-Milwaukee, Vice Chancellor for Community Empowerment & Institutional Inclusivity<\/p>\n\n\n\n Other Project Members: <\/strong>Sarah MacDonald, Training and Dispute Resolution Specialist, Division of Community Empowerment and Institutional Inclusivity<\/p>\n\n\n\n University: <\/strong>UW-Milwaukee<\/p>\n\n\n\n Award:<\/strong> $30,000<\/p>\n\n\n\n Start \/ End Date: <\/strong>January 1, 2025 to May 30, 2025<\/p>\n\n\n\n Project Description:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cStudent Civil Dialogue Skill Building Project.\u201d UWM\u2019s Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and Division of Student affairs will implement an educational, skills-building, and data and information gathering project to take place in the Spr 2025 semester. The project will consist of regular facilitated small group dialogues with various student groups and organizations regarding the intersections of free expression and inclusivity. These dialogues aim to increase students\u2019 awareness of the implications of the First Amendment on a public campus; topics will include: Free Speech protections and limits, related campus resources, how these principles align with civic values and may enhance inclusivity, and ways to effectively navigate disagreements and conflict situations<\/p>\n<\/div><\/details>\n\n\n\n Exploring Contentious Issues Through Civil Dialogue – A Speaker Series and Book Club<\/p>\n\n\n\n Project Lead:<\/strong> Joshua Bedi. Asst Professor, Economics<\/p>\n\n\n\n University: <\/strong>UW-Superior<\/p>\n\n\n\n Award:<\/strong> $3,000<\/p>\n\n\n\n Start \/ End Date: <\/strong>January 22, 2025 to May 9, 2025<\/p>\n\n\n\nPROJECT DETAILS <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Promoting Productive Dialogue through Critical Thinking: Argument Mapping and Systematic Empathy for Campus and Community Discourse<\/summary>
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Establishing a Heterodox Academy Campus Community<\/summary>
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Wisconsin Alliance for Civic Trust: a Community Action Research Project<\/summary>
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Attentive Citizenship: Slow Civic Engagement in Milwaukee<\/summary>
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Assessing Civic Engagement as a Determinant of Health in the Family Medicine Clinic<\/summary>
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Enhancing Campus Culture: Free Expression & Civil Discourse<\/summary>
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The Civics Lab<\/summary>
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Civic Dialogue & Human Rights Workshop & Speaker Series<\/summary>
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Dialogue Matters: Bridging Voices at UWL<\/summary>
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Student Civil Dialogue Skill Building Project<\/summary>
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Exploring Contentious Issues Through Civil Dialogue – A Speaker Series & Book Club<\/summary>
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