The Center for Puerto Rican Studies (CENTRO) at Hunter College has announced that it is now accepting applications for its inaugural cohort of Community Micro-Grants for the Rooted & Relational Micro-Grant Program. CENTRO will award up to 12 community organizations, individuals, or projects with grants up to $5000 for community-based programs that are non-institutionally affiliated. The inaugural theme of the Rooted + Relational initiative is Archives, Memory & the Present Past of Puerto Rico, and it invites applicants engaged with archives, memory work, public history, cultural preservation, and community initiatives within Puerto Rico and the Puerto Rican diaspora. The deadline to apply is August 30th, 2024. 

Community Micro-Grant Recipients are non-academic/non-institutionally affiliated community organizers, artists, creatives, writers, farmers, activists, organizers, and cultural workers or groups, residing in Puerto Rico or the USA, who collaborate on projects with participants who identify as Puerto Ricans or are of Puerto Rican descent, or work on a community project related to Puerto Rican histories, legacies, or futures. Community Micro-Grant Recipients will spend the year (September 2024-August 2025) in their communities of choice working on their proposed projects, events, or initiatives and will be invited to share their work at a CENTRO event (format to be announced). They will also be required to attend three virtual meetings and their work will be highlighted and shared through CENTRO’s communications and media channels. 

Eligibility

• Community-based individuals or groups or organizations producing artistic, agricultural, activist, or cultural projects in Puerto Rico or in the Puerto Rican Diaspora. 
• Must not be affiliated with a university(professors, graduate students, or academic staff are not eligible) 
• Individuals must be at least 18-years old and residents of Puerto Rico or the US
• Project/Initiative should further CENTRO’s mission to research, promote and preserve the Puerto Rican experience 

Submission Guidelines

• Create a submittable account and answer the required questions.
• Upload a 2-page PDF (12pts font and 1.5 line spacing) that outlines the following:
  • Program/initiative/event title
  • Description (1 paragraph)
  • Objectives (Bullet points)
  • Biographical or organizational sketch (150 words)
  • Timeline with implementation plans
  • Simplified budget showing total cost of program/initiative/event and the total amount being requested of CENTRO (up to $5,000)
• Optional:  Documentation showcasing a selection of past works by the individual/group (Photos, Media, Press, Reviews, Links, or Portfolio) in one PDF document with images or via a hyperlink  (or a combination of both)
• Proposals can be submitted either in English or Spanish. 

Overview of Submission Process

• Complete the form ensuring all mandatory fields are filled
• Review and confirm your submission.
• We will email you to confirm receipt of your form.
• We will email you with our decision and, if applicable, further steps.

Compensation for Selected Grant Recipients

Up to $5,000

Deadline: 

Friday, August 30th, 2024 at 11:59pm ET. Applications will open August 1st, 2024.

Contact Information:

If you encounter any issues or have questions about the submission process, please don’t hesitate to contact our Partnerships and Outreach Manager, Rosa Cruz, at centrofl@hunter.cuny.edu before August 15th, 2024.

About Rooted + Relational 

Rooted + Relational  is a five year research initiative at the Center for Puerto Rican Studies funded by the Mellon Foundation which seeks to reimagine the research agenda and scholarly and community impact of the Center for Puerto Rican Studies (CENTRO) in the US and beyond. This series of projects aims to make CENTRO a public facing, horizontal, decolonial feminist institute that opens new paths in academia and expands community-driven research that expands beyond the walls of the academy. This proposed project strategically links the center’s research agenda, data hub projects, media, arts and culture output, scholarly mentoring initiatives, and community partnerships by creating annual thematic structures that will address some of the most pressing social, political, and economic issues facing Puerto Rico and the diaspora. The goal is to create a unifying higher learning community at CENTRO that tends to the intellectual and cultural needs of our committed and diverse public.