The document summarizes information about a Community Fund and proposes a Social Innovation Fund for Bonner Scholars. The Community Fund provides $50 per scholar each semester to support community programs, student projects, and training. It outlines a 4-stage process for funding: increasing awareness, completing proposals, selecting projects, and evaluating impact. The Social Innovation Fund would provide smaller initial grants for social innovation projects developed and led by scholars with community and faculty support. Feedback is requested on interest, guidelines, and staff support needed.

1. The Bonner Foundation
Sam Ha & Elvis Diaz
The Community Fund and Social Innovation Fund:
Best Practices, Resources, and Future Ideas

2. Agenda
COMMUNITY FUND
• What is the Community Fund?
• Resources and Best Practices
1. Initial Knowledge and Motivation
2. Completion of Proposals
3. Approval and Selection Process
4. Tracking and Evaluation
• Questions/Feedback
SOCIAL INNOVATION
FUND
• What is the Social
Innovation Fund?
• Tentative Process/Ideas
• Questions/Feedback

3. What is the Community Fund?
• Each semester, $50 per Bonner Scholar is set aside in
an accumulating reserve called the Community Fund
• Three intended uses:
Community Program
Benefit program partner,
donations to community-
based organizations
Student Program
Expenses to support/
implement student-led
service projects or
programs
Training
Expenses to support
students to attend
conferences or
workshops
• Student initiated and managed process

4. 4 Stages of Community Fund Process
Initial
Knowledge &
Motivation
How do you get
applicants to
know about the
fund, its
qualifications,
and the process,
and also be
motivated to
apply?
Completion of
Proposals
What does an
effective proposal
look like, and
how do you
prepare and
support
applicants
through this
process?
Approval &
Selection
Process
What is an
effective
committee
structure that will
work for your
campus?
Tracking and
Evaluation
How do you track
the progress or
completion of
funded projects?
How do you
evaluate the
project’s impact?

5. Initial Knowledge and Motivation
One reason why students may not apply to use the
funds is because they do not know or have access to
what these funds can be used for.
Recommendations:
• Allot time for a Community Fund session or
workshop into Bonner Orientations or meetings
• Facilitate a training on “Idea Generation”

6. Data collected from Community Fund usage:
~46%
~20%
~29%

7. Initial Knowledge and Motivation
Most usage of funding (~50%) is for small
expenditures such as supplies, food, and background
checks.
Challenge CF applicants to use this fund for more
creative, problem-solving projects.

8. Examples of CF-Funded Projects:
• Davidson Refugee Support: Davidson students are partnering with Refugee
Support Services to build capacity within the organization and offer additional
services for the refugee community. The students will develop ESL and test prep
courses, nutrition and cooking classes, a community garden and community social
events.
• Madison County Partnership for Children and Families: Madison County
Partnership for Children and Families is one of our community partners. This
organization received a $1,000 grant from us to purchase new children's books and
literacy education materials/supplies.
• Heavy Industry Pollution Africatown: The Exposing Heavy Industrial Pollution in
Africatown winter term project will allow Bonner Scholars to continue supporting the
Africatown community in Mobile, Alabama, as they file a legal suit to hold industries
accountable for the environmental and health detriments as a result of the over-
pollution from those industries. Bonners will engage with the community and learn
laboratory techniques to share with community members.
• Printed Book to Support Local Homeless-Support Nonprofit: Funds to print
published interviews conducted of homeless clients at the local non-profit partner The
Neighborhood Center by Jason Cruz. Printed books were sold to raise funds for new
emergency bed space at the shelter.

9. Completion of Proposals
Title of Proposal
Student Name
Student Email
Type of Community Fund Request
Community
Program
Student
Program
Training

10. • Goal Statement
• Project Overview
• Key Stakeholders
• Community
Collaboration
• Student Motivation
and Roles
• Sustainability
• Budget
• Workplan
Community Program

11. Completion of Proposals
Resources:
• Template Community Fund Proposal is available for
modification and use on the wiki
• Will eventually be programmed directly into
BWBRS
• The Bonner Wiki also has many other examples of
other CF proposal forms, among other resources
and examples

12. Student submits application for funding
Committee approves application
Committee denies application
Application is reviewed by committee
Committee
asks for
clarification
Bonner Coordinator reviews the committee’s
recommendation
Coordinator denies application
Coordinator
asks for
clarification
Student submits receipts for expenses
Funding approved
Approval and Selection Process

13. Approval and Selection Process
•Bonner Senior Intern chairs the committee with one elected
representative from each Bonner class (i.e. one first year, one
sophomore, one junior, one senior).
•The committee is composed of two student representatives from
each class (eight total students).
•One or two students convene the committee. Other students
choose to participate. There are typically 4-6 members on this
committee.
•One of the three Congress Representatives leads the committee
and other Bonner Scholars are invited to be a part of the
committee. At least three Bonner Scholars must review an
application.

14. Tracking and Evaluation
Important, Overlooked Piece of the Community Fund Process
• What follow up occurs post-funding?
• Submission of receipts
• Student reflection questions
• Follow up with community partner: Did the project effectively
achieve its goals?
• How will the impact be sustained? What are next steps?

15. • Best Practices:
• Have students who have received funding
present their projects to the Bonner group
• Community partners should play an instrumental
role in helping students develop and implement
projects under ‘Community Programs’
• Keep a public log of previously funded projects
(e.g. Macalester’s Action Fund)
Tracking and Evaluation

16. Questions
• What aspect of the Community Fund process is the
most challenging for your campus?
• What does the funding process look like for your
campus?
• Do you have any resources or best practices to
share?

17. New source of funding open to Bonner students to
develop and implement Social Innovation Projects
What is the Social Innovation Fund?

19. Refining Our Definition
Bonner Social Innovation Project:
Community-based projects that can be completely
new, or seek to improve or expand upon current,
existing programs, structures, or initiatives

20. Tentative Process
Applicants submit
a one page
“concept paper”
by two deadlines/
year.
1
Foundation reviews
concept papers and
invites full proposals
after discussion with
applicants.
2 Applicants submit
full proposals.
3
Foundation
reviews proposals,
with flexibility for
discussion,
updates, and
clarifications.
4
Finalist proposals
are forwarded to
Foundation
Trustees.5
Foundation
Trustee review
and select
proposals to fund.6
One year funding
disbursed to
applicant’s
Bonner Program.7
Follow up and evaluation
after one year. Potential
renewal for additional
year of funding.8

21. Things to Note
• Begin with a pilot program with smaller grants
(~$1,000-2,500), which may be renewed the next
year for up to $10,000
• Students required to have both a faculty/staff
advisor and community partner advisor
• Sustainability is a key factor. Applicants are
encouraged to think about how to improve and
expand existing programs, not just create their own
programs for the sake of doing so

22. Examples of Applicable Projects
• Reaching Out, Supporting, and Empowering
Southeast Asian Immigrant/Refugee Families,
Women's Initiative for Self Empowerment (WISE)
• Oral Histories and College Access: A Family-
Based Collaboration, Casa de Esperanza

23. Feedback, Suggestions, or Concerns?
• Do you think there would be student interest this
fund?
• Are the guidelines for the funding process clear?
• What staff capacity is needed to support students in
this process?