New York, NY – Project Pericles is pleased to announce the recipients of the Spring 2026 Civic Engagement Mini-Grants program, supporting innovative courses and projects that place civic learning at the center of higher education. Funded by the Mellon Foundation and the Eugene M. Lang Foundation, these $1,000 grants empower innovative educators to design pedagogical approaches that strengthen students’ civic agency and learning.
The Mini-Grants program supports courses and projects grounded in humanistic inquiry that advance Project Pericles’ mission to place community-engaged civic learning at the heart of higher education. By funding creative curricular enhancements, the program empowers educators to foster student engagement with pressing civic issues while cultivating the skills and dispositions essential for democratic participation.
“Civic learning should be as fundamental to higher education as math or writing,” said Sanda Balaban, Executive Director of Project Pericles. “With these grants, we’re investing in faculty who are making that vision real, creating classrooms where students discover both their civic identity and their power to lead change.”
Grants were awarded through a competitive process, with proposals evaluated on criteria that included advancing rigorous humanistic inquiry, deepening civic engagement, and testing creative pedagogies that can be scaled or replicated. Projects span a wide range of topics including narrative medicine, voting rights, and civil dialogue.
“From small liberal arts colleges to large public universities, the diversity of these projects reflects the many ways campuses can advance civic engagement,” said Arielle del Rosario, Associate Director of Project Pericles. “What unites them is a shared commitment to helping students engage deeply with the civic questions of our time through fresh, innovative pedagogy.”
Recipients:
- Bobbi Klingaman, Aaniiih Nakoda College
- Katie Bramlett, California State University East Bay
- Justin Vaughn, Coastal Carolina University
- Leslie Ekpe, East Texas A&M University
- Lindsay Hoyt, Fordham University
- Takeo Kuwabara, Macalester College
- Soji Akomolafe, Norfolk State University
- Lori Kanner, Pace University
- Carolanne Clark, Pace University
- Laura Cruse, Southeast Technical College, SD
- Linea Cutter, SUNY Oswego
- Kelcia Younis, The New School
- Essence Thomas, University of Florida
- Adrienne Lamberti, University of Northern Iowa
- Allison Rank, University of Northern Iowa
- Laurie Lewis, University of Texas San Antonio
- Deacon Fountain, Wabash College
- Allison Walker, Wake Forest University
- Marisa Charley, Washington and Lee University
- Howell Williams, Western Connecticut State University
Media Contact:
Harry Hou
Civic Impact and Communications Coordinator
harry@projectpericles.org