Access and Engagement Innovation Grant

Building Capacity, Leadership, and Sustainability at UMB

The Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (OEDI) at the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) invites proposals from UMB faculty and staff to develop and implement innovative projects and initiatives that advance access and engagement at UMB.

Purpose

The purpose of the Access and Engagement Innovation Grant is to enhance access and engagement opportunities at UMB through education, research, service, climate, or leadership outcomes and to support and advance the UMB Strategic Plan, with a particular focus on Theme 3: University Culture, Engagement, and Belonging PDF and the integration of core values of equity and justice at UMB.

Eligibility Criteria

Projects must be both interprofessional and interdisciplinary.
- Involve at least two disciplines/schools/units at UMB.
- Include a combination of UMB faculty and staff in project creation.
Focus on the UMB campus community.
Address and increase access and engagement at UMB.

Proposal Requirements

Primary applicants must submit a proposal (maximum five pages) including:

Title of Project
Roles & Responsibilities: Names, contact information, affiliations, and roles of project leads and contributors.
Description & Impact: Goals, methods, partnerships, and how the project supports sustainable systemic change.
Work Plan: Evaluation plan, timeline, milestones, deliverables, and estimated resources.
Budget & Budget Narrative: Budget (up to $10,000) with justification.
Resume/CV of primary applicant and supervisor support letter.

Funding

Maximum award: $10,000. Typical awards: $2,000–$7,000. No funding for ongoing work, research, or bridge funding. 3–4 projects will be funded based on merit.

Funds will be awarded in two installments: Half of the funds the time of the award. Remaining funds 6 months from the initial installment.

Grant Term

Final report due June 2027. Presentations required at Fall 2026 and Fall 2027 convenings.

Post-Award Requirements

Grantees must present progress at a Fall 2026 convening and final project results at the Fall 2027 convening. Community-based projects must also be presented to target communities.

Timeline

Application Opens: September 29, 2025
Application Deadline: November 24, 2025
Proposal Review: December 1 – December 12, 2026
Award Notification: By January 9, 2026
Initial Funding Awarded: Week of January 19, 2026
Progress Convening: Fall 2026
Final Funding Awarded: June 2026
Final Report Due: June 30, 2027
Final Convening: Fall 2027

Submission Instructions

Submit all documents via the Access and Engagement Submission Form by November 24, 2025

Fill out my online form.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is meant by interprofessional/interdisciplinary?

Interprofessional means across two or more professions; interdisciplinary means between two or more academic disciplines.

Who can serve as primary applicants?

Full-time exempt staff and full-time faculty. At least one primary applicant and a lead partnership between staff and faculty is required.

What support will OEDI provide?

OEDI will disburse funds and offer consultation. OEDI will also organize the Fall 2026 and Fall 2027convenings.

How will funds be managed?

Funds will be disbursed to the SOAPF provided by the lead applicant’s school/unit. The project team will manage the funds.

How will unspent funds be handled?

Unspent funds must be returned to OEDI at the conclusion of the grant.

Can grants be renewed?

Grants may be eligible for a 1-year renewal based on funding and impact. Contact OEDI before the grant ends.

How will submissions be evaluated?

Submissions will be evaluated using a rubric with five categories worth 10 points each.

Significance and Impact
Project Leadership and Collaboration
Organization and Approach
Budget Justification
Sustainability

Karen L. Gordes, PT, DScPT, PhD received a $10,000 innovation grant for Faculty Educational Training Program - Fostering inclusion through a trauma informed pedagogical framework. The contributing faculty and staff include Courtney Jones-Carney, DPA, MBA; Mary Jo Bondy, DHEd, MHS, PA-C; Shani Fleming, MSHS, MPS, PA-C; Shannan Delany Dixon, MS, CGC; and Mary Lynn McPherson, PharmD, MA, MDE, BCPS, CPE.

Many health profession educators are not formally prepared to provide a trauma informed approach to their teaching despite a significant population of their learners experiencing traumatic and adverse events prior to and during their educational experience. Given the negative impact trauma has on learning, there is a need for educators to understand how to recognize and effectively respond to these issues in the learning environment. A trauma-informed educational approach aims to support learners by recognizing the impact of trauma, avoiding re-traumatization and building resilience in learners. We must recognize that marginalization is a fundamental trauma and re-traumatization in higher education is often related to marginalized identity status. Exclusion, minimization, and shaming based on backgrounds, experiences, and identities and more generate trauma in the individuals experiencing these directed behaviors. Further, the confluence of historical, societal and systemic trauma before, during, and after higher education is a critical problem in the health professions. The features, practices, and policies of environments and institutions that generate and maintain trauma create a loss of sufficiency and difference in the healthcare workforce. A trauma informed pedagogical framework focuses on systems and individuals and provides consideration for how our teaching and learning policies and practices can either challenge or facilitate success in learners who have experienced trauma. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA) has outlined six universal and non-discriminatory centered trauma informed principles congruent with inclusive pedagogy to foster a supportive environment for all learners. Some key principles include safety, trustworthiness and transparency, peer support, collaboration-mutuality, and empowerment-voice-choice. . A trauma informed approach recognizes the intersection of trauma and adversity and outlines instructional practices (such as representation, engaging intersectionality, advocating for non-discrimination, , and pedagogical partnerships) to support authentic participation and engagement in the classroom. The trauma informed lens is grounded in the concept that effective teaching depends on deep and caring relationships fostered through a community of support and respect where individuals can share their authentic self. Through the formalized training sessions on trauma informed practice, we will be building a cadre of faculty knowledgeable of the principles of universal and non-discriminatory centered trauma informed approach and prepared to create course content, course policies, and make systemic reform grounded in universal and non-discriminatory framework. Faculty participants will garner skills in non-discriminatory teaching that foster learning spaces that support learners who have experienced trauma, adversity, crisis, and social/cultural barriers as well as how to employ strategies for reforming policies, practices, and culture within their academic programs to a trauma resilient perspective.

Courtney Jones Carney, DPA, MBA, received a $10,000 Access and Engagement Innovation grant for Supporting University Culture, Engagement, and Belonging: Building Universal Access and Engagement Micro Credentials. The contributing faculty and staff include Patty Alvarez, PhD, MA; Shani Fleming, MSHA, MPH, PA-C; and Jessica Grabowski, MS.

Description of how the project/initiative will innovatively impact and increase access and engagement opportunities at UMB:

The Supporting University Culture, Engagement and Belonging: Building Universal Access and Engagement Micro-Credentials initiative will create a repository of professional development opportunities that are created specifically for the UMB student, faculty, and staff population. Participation in these professional development opportunities will contribute to the collective understanding of non-discrimination and compliance, and universal access and engagement. Also, because the micro-credentials will be designed for e-learning and are asynchronous, UMB students, faculty, and staff can participate at times that accommodate their demanding schedules.

Rosemary Ferreira, MEd, received a $7,000 Access and Engagement Innovation grant for Critical Conversations Dialogue Program (CCDP). Dawn Schafer, LCSW-C, is the contributing faculty.

Description of how the project/initiative will innovatively impact and increase access and engagement at UMB:

The Critical Conversations Dialogue Program will innovatively impact and increase non-discrimination access and engagement by creating opportunities for students, staff, and faculty at UMB to learn about and engage in dialogue as a practice for social and cultural awareness and fairness. Engaging in dialogue enables individuals at UMB to build community through story-telling, develop a greater sense of self and of others, raise their critical consciousness, and provide an opportunity to learn about or understand nondiscrimination that may show up in their personal and professional lives.

From the pilot that was launched in 2022, one participant shared in a post-assessment that participating in CCDP allowed them to “Build a sense of trust and shared experience with folks across a multitude of differences”. Another participant wrote, “It allowed me to learn more about myself because each time I see these resources I am in a different stage of my growth and may have increased awareness / experiences that broaden and change my beliefs and perspectives.”

At an institution that can be heavily siloed, CCDP bridges a gap for individuals across professions and holding various social identities to come together and develop skills that increase their sense of community and support their pursuit of social and cultural awareness and the provision of non-discriminatory access and engagement opportunities.

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