New York, NY – Project Pericles is pleased to announce the seven college campus teams who have been selected to join the inaugural National Civic Story Lab Fellowship. Supported by the Eugene M. Lang Foundation, the Civic Story Lab empowers clusters of faculty mentors, community partners, and undergraduate students to tackle meaningful civic problems while shaping the public narratives surrounding them.
Selected through a rigorous evaluation process, each campus team will receive a grant of $7,500 to support their work throughout the spring of 2026. As part of the Fellowship, teams will strengthen student civic agency, build sustainable community partnerships, and showcase the vital role of higher education in democratic renewal. Throughout the program, student fellows will also produce original media that documents how young people are contributing to local, grassroots changemaking.
“The Civic Story Lab Fellowship is grounded in a critical premise: who tells civic stories matters,” said Sanda Balaban, Executive Director of Project Pericles. “These teams demonstrate how students, working alongside faculty and community partners, can help shape the narratives that influence public understanding, policy, and democratic participation.”
The fellowship will culminate in May 2026 with in-person campus showcases and a national virtual convening hosted by Project Pericles, creating opportunities for each team to share the impact of their work.
The Spring 2026 Grantees include:
- Allegheny College: Through a partnership between Allegheny students and the organization Common Roots, this project supports low-income families achieving homeownership through sweat equity.
- Ursinus College: In partnership with the Hispanic-serving nonprofit ACLAMO, Ursinus students will design and facilitate workshops focused on youth civic leadership.
- Hampshire College: Students and faculty will work with the Belchertown Nipmuc Farm Conservation Alliance (BNFCA) and the Hassanamisco Nipmuc Band to advance Indigenous-led efforts to return Lampson Brook Farm to Nipmuc stewardship.
- Skidmore College: Through a collaboration between Skidmore College’s MDOCS Co-Creation Initiative and the Parole Preparation Project (PPP), students will conduct archival research to challenge prevailing narratives about the 2025 New York State correction officer strike.
- Macalester College: In partnership with the Lake Street Council, Rondo Center of Diverse Expression, and Hallie Q. Brown Community Center, students will develop multimedia storytelling projects that connect historical and contemporary narratives in the Twin Cities.
- Pace University: Pace University’s Politics & Media course will partner with Hell Gate, a worker-owned NYC news outlet, to engage students in original reporting on civic issues and City Council hearings, with a focus on issues affecting young people.
- Bethune-Cookman University: In partnership with the Equal Ground Education Fund, students will document and elevate the civic impact of women and faith leaders in Florida and support voter education and leadership development in underrepresented communities.
About Project Pericles
Project Pericles is a national consortium of colleges and universities that places civic learning at the heart of higher education. By partnering with faculty and campus leaders, Project Pericles creates innovative learning opportunities that foster the agency and confidence students need to strengthen their communities and democratic life.
MEDIA CONTACT: Harry Hou, Civic Impact and Communications Coordinator | harry@projectpericles.org