Grants and Funding

Service-Learning Transportation Grants

With funding support from a grant from the UGA Parents Leadership Council, the Office of Service-Learning can provide funding to cover transportation costs for classes traveling off-campus for service-learning experiences. Usually, this entails renting a van or other vehicle from the UGA motor pool, and multiple trips per course are allowable. See the attached PDF for details about transportation grants.  Requests should be made using this link at least three weeks in advance of the desired travel date(s). 

Service-Learning Course Support Grants

The Office of Service-Learning offers Service-Learning Support Grants (sometimes called “mini-grants”) intended to directly support activities related to developing, implementing or expanding academic service-learning opportunities for UGA students. 

Applicants may request up to $500 to help meet needs for service-learning classes at any level or location. Preference is given to projects that directly impact the expansion and support of academic service-learning opportunities for UGA students addressing critical community needs. Faculty members teaching course-based service-learning are strongly encouraged to ensure that the relevant course carries the S suffix. 

NOTE: Requests must comply with state funding use; food/meals cannot be part of what is funded. 

Successful past requests have included supplies for student outreach projects, travel costs, student background checks, materials for community partner agencies, support for hourly and student workers, and community-based research or outreach activities connected to service-learning projects. 

In order to best leverage limited funding, only one grant request per course (regardless of number of faculty/graduate students teaching) may be submitted. Requests should be made using this link and are accepted on a rolling basis, subject to availability of funds. Please be prepared to provide a departmental/unit chartstring for the transfer of funds to your unit. 

Recognizing Community CAPITAL: Community as Partners in Teaching About our Locale 

For many service-learning courses, members of the local community are best suited to help students understand the community’s history, assets, and needs, and to help train, explain issues, and prepare students for community-based service-learning activities. As co-educators of our students, community experts add value to the service-learning course experience, and modeling reciprocity in our partnerships should include acknowledging these partners’ time and expertise. The UGA Office of Service-Learning, with funding support from the UGA Parents Leadership Council, is pleased to pilot a new initiative supporting and recognizing community experts who are asked to be guest speakers for academic service-learning courses. 

During the 2023-24 academic year, community guest speakers who collaborate with an academic service-learning course may request a $150 honorarium, and (if needed) a parking voucher for a UGA parking deck.  

Details and Requirements: 

• A given course may only ask for one honorarium per semester. 
• Honoraria may not be provided to people who are UGA employees. 
• Priority is given to service-learning courses that have the S suffix/SERV attribute in CAPA. 
• The community partner should be a guest speaker for at least one class meeting or equivalent. The presentation may be in person, or via Zoom or equivalent. 
• For on-campus visits, parking deck vouchers (usually an electronic code) can be provided upon request for guest speakers.
• The course instructor should initiate the request to the OSL using this link. The guest speaker must be prepared to sign up as an approved vendor for UGA and complete a non-employee payment request. See the attached PDF for full details.  
• The guest speaker must sign up as an approved vendor (if they have not previously done so). For assistance, contact Kay Vaughn in the OSL (706-542-8924). 
• Next, the guest speaker will have to complete a non-employee payment request form (sections 1-7), sign the form, and return it to Kay Vaughn in the Office of Service-Learning for processing. 

To submit a request, please be prepared with information about the presentation (topic, date, class) and name and role of the community presenter to submit in the Qualtrics request. The Office of Service-Learning will follow up with approval and next steps. 

Questions? Please contact Dr. Paul Matthews (pmatthews@uga.edu) with program questions or OSL business manager Kay Vaughn (kyvaughn@uga.edu) for technical assistance.