The Community, Democracy, and Dialogue (CDD) initiative

When grants are open, you may apply on the "Grants" web page. Before applying, please review the grant guidelines and meet with Linda Ziegenbein for an informational drop-in Zoom session where you can share and workshop your ideas and ask questions about the process and criteria. 

After grant funds are distributed, you will be required to complete your project by the end of the following semester.

A follow-up report is required for projects. Please note the following deadlines:

• Status reports for projects started and/or completed in the spring are due in early May.
• Status reports for projects started and/or completed in the fall are due in early October

Dates may be subject to change; the grant committee will be sure to keep you informed of important deadlines.

Grant awardees will be required to include the CDD mark on publicity materials and to include language in projects specifying that projects are CDD initiatives. Download the CDD Brandmark

Required language for CDD grant funded event publicity:

Funding provided by the Chancellor's Community, Democracy, and Dialogue (CDD) working group. The CDD has been created to promote dialogue, academic inquiry, and respect for difference in addressing challenging topics. These are forms of engagement central to higher education and a thriving democracy.

Yes! All funded projects will be highlighted on this website, with news and updates as the projects progress. If you have been awarded a grant and have an update you would like to share, please contact Ebru Kardan.

Yes. We recommend you meet with Linda Ziegenbein to workshop your proposal for resubmission.

The CDD working group is a diverse group of faculty, administrators, and students who collaborate to build events and invite speakers reflecting the needs of the campus in the context of global and domestic issues affecting us all. The CDD consults with student groups and leaders to gain consensus on these events and guests.

We encourage anyone with fresh ideas for an event or initiative that falls within the goals of the CDD to apply for an Advancing Community, Democracy, and Dialogue grant. These grants are awarded once at the beginning of each semester.

The University of Massachusetts Amherst upholds the values of freedom of speech, thought, inquiry, and artistic expression for all community members. Protests and demonstrations are recognized as legitimate forms of self-expression, but the university reserves the right to limit events that pose a danger or disrupt campus activities. Students planning demonstrations are encouraged to be aware of their rights, university policies, and available resources. Information on demonstrations can be found on the Student Life website.

Assessment and reflection are a crucial part of the CDD’s process. After every CDD event, participants will be sent a feedback survey to collect their thoughts and reactions, which will be used to plan future events and initiatives. Additionally, every CDD grant-funded project is required to have an assessment component in order to receive funding. We welcome all feedback.

• Community: Being a part of the UMass community is a central part of our lives, and UMass is a place where we live, learn, work, form friendships, and interact with others. For many, this is a new community structure where exponential growth happens. We aim to honor and nurture the community we are all part of building here at UMass.

• Democracy: We value the core concepts of democracy and the democratic process. Through collaboration across campus and our mechanisms for listening and receiving feedback, we rely on these principles. Higher education is one of the pillars of democracy because of its emphasis on constructive dialogue. Supporting and protecting higher education means supporting and protecting democracy.

• Dialogue: A core concept of this initiative is to foster respectful conversation and dialogue about crucial global and domestic issues. We seek to bring together people with diverse thoughts and opinions on these matters to engage and learn from one another in a supportive environment. 

Given the subject matter, it was important that the CDD be constructed by subject matter experts in the areas of geopolitics, equity and inclusion, and communication and civil discourse. It was also crucial to make sure the voices of graduate and undergraduate student leaders were included equally.