2026 ELECTION RAPID RESPONSE MINI-GRANT APPLICATION

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Election Rapid Response Mini-Grant Application

Thanks for your interest in the 2026 Election Rapid Response Mini-Grant Program. This initiative provides funding of $500 to $5,000 per award to support immediate, high-impact, nonpartisan activities that respond directly to the circumstances of the 2026 midterm elections.

Election seasons are among the most powerful opportunities higher education has to engage students and communities in civic life. Campaigns, ballot measures, and public debate create a natural environment for learning about the American experiment, and campuses that act on that window can reach students who might not otherwise connect with civic processes. The Rapid Response Mini-Grants are designed to help member institutions seize this moment with innovative, student-centered approaches to civic engagement during the 2026 election cycle.

These awards are intended to supplement, not supplant, existing campus investments. Funds should extend the reach of current programs, seed new activities that would not otherwise be possible, or accelerate work already underway. Because election cycles move quickly, the program is structured to deploy funds rapidly and enable timely engagement opportunities that respond to the specific conditions on each campus.

To match the arc of the election cycle, the program offers two implementation windows. Get Involved (September through November 2026) supports pre-election voter education, mobilization, and Election Day participation. Keep Momentum (November 2026 through January 2027) supports post-election reflection and continued civic organizing. Applicants will select the single window that best fits the project's timing and goals, with full details in the Project Timeline section below.

Eligibility Criteria

To be considered for funding, applicants must meet the following criteria:

Institutional Membership: Applicants must be from a Campus Compact member institution in good standing (e.g., dues paid for current year or actively pending renewal).
Applicant Role: The lead applicant must have a clear institutional affiliation and be a current faculty member, staff member, or administrator at the institution where the project will be implemented.
Student Engagement and Leadership: While projects are coordinated by institutional professionals, competitive proposals will demonstrate an exceptionally strong student engagement and leadership component. Applicants must identify the projected number of students to be engaged and describe how students will hold meaningful roles in the design, delivery, or facilitation of project activities.

Campus Context Reflection

Before drafting your proposal, take a few minutes to consider your campus landscape. What coalitions and activities already support election engagement on your campus? Where are the critical gaps in student participation or civil deliberation? What barriers do your students or your institution face? You will be asked to reference one or two insights from this reflection in your proposal narrative to explain why your project fits your campus at this moment.

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Mini-Grant Details

Project Timeline and Implementation Windows

Applicants must select one primary time frame for implementation that aligns with the project's strategic goals and peak activity period:

Option A: September through November 2026 (Get Involved): A pre-election window focused on nonpartisan voter education, mobilization, and Election Day participation.
Option B: November 2026 through January 2027 (Keep Momentum): A post-election window focused on reflection, civil deliberation, and bridging election dialogue into ongoing campus and community civic organizing.

Core Framework Alignment

This program is designed to support innovative approaches to student civic engagement. We encourage proposals that go beyond standard registration drives or single-event programming and instead test new formats, reach disengaged populations, or combine civic learning with hands-on democratic participation in ways your campus has not tried before. The framework below provides a shared structure for that experimentation; it is not a checklist but a tool for connecting your proposed innovation to specific student learning and engagement outcomes.

Your proposal must be anchored in Campus Compact's core framework for democratic learning. In your application deliverables, you must identify one primary selection from each of the three categories below. If your project touches multiple areas, select the single most prominent driver. Note: When submitting your proposal through the online application portal, you will be able to select a primary approach from each section using streamlined checkboxes.

A. Primary Outcome Dimension / Learning Goal

Political Knowledge: Structural design of government, current issues, and events in historical context.
Political Skills: Political analysis, assessing news and information, communication, leadership, teamwork, and collaboration.
Political Motivation: Recognizing the relevance of political issues and understanding that examining national shortcomings is an expression of democratic commitment.
Civic Action: Actual participation in democratic processes (e.g., voting, advocacy involvement, contacting representatives, civic organizing).

B. Primary Student Outcome

Civic Media Literacy: Increasing student capacity to distinguish reliable from unreliable political information.
Deliberation for a Shared Future: Enhancing respectful listening, cultural humility, and critical discussion of public questions.
Democracy in Principle and Practice: Deepening student understanding of democratic institutions, foundational texts, and respect for the rule of law.
Civic Accountability: Cultivating reflective patriotism and working alongside affected communities to diagnose and address root causes of public problems.

C. Primary Capacity-Building Strategy

Student Leadership for Democracy: Building student leaders with the skills and commitment to drive democratic renewal.
Teaching for Democracy: Developing the capacity of faculty and staff to deliver high-quality courses and programs focused on democratic engagement.
Institutions for Democracy: Institutionalizing and scaling democratic-learning practices and norms across the campus.
Partnerships for Democracy: Leveraging contacts, networks, and external organizations to reinforce democratic practice and community partnerships.

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Organization Information

Section Description

Required: This information is required whenever individuals at colleges/universities are the primary audience for your form.

In which state/province is your institution located?

Select "Remote/Hybrid" if your organization is not based in a specific State/Province.

What is your institutional affiliation?

Choose the correct organization from the dropdown. If not listed, select "Not Listed" and type the name in the dialogue box that appears below.

Can't find the organization? Write it here.

Membership Status

Membership Status Defined

Pending Renewal: Previously active member with a renewal invoice for the current fiscal year. Applied at the start of the fiscal year to institutions active in the previous one. [Current FY dues are still due.]
Active: Member institution in good standing. Dues are paid and current.
Inactive: Non-Member Institution.
Lapsed Commitment: The institution committed to membership in the previous fiscal year, participated in a program for which membership was required (e.g. VISTA), but has not paid that year’s dues. Consult with the membership team before discussing membership or admitting to any member-required program.

Directions: Please carefully review all directions and context materials to complete this application for the 2026 Election Rapid Response Mini-Grant Program.

Application Information

Required: This information is required. Please change the text to the appropriate application type [options > placeholder]. It is hidden from end users.

Please confirm the Application Type, Program Cohort Name, and Program Name with Membership.

Application Type

Program Cohort

Program Name

Primary Contact Information

Required: This information is required and is pulled directly from Salesforce. It is hidden from end users.

President/Chancellor

President/Chancellor

President/Chancellor Title

President/Chancellor Email

Campus Champion

Campus Champion

Campus Champion Title

Campus Champion Email

Membership Required

Section Description

This section includes relevant options (choice points) for programs that require membership for participation (e.g. VISTA, Newman, ESI, etc.). Please review each part of this section, including decision-points, before continuing.

Decision Point 1: Does your program require membership in Campus Compact?

Group 1: Non-Member Institution (Membership Required)
Group 2: Non-Member Institution (Yes! I'm interested in Membership)
Group 3: Non-Member Institution (No! I'm not interested in Membership)

Non-Member Institution (Membership Required)

Field Description

This dialogue box has conditional formatting and will appear if the user inputs an institution that is not currently a member of Campus Compact. The "member status" field above will read "inactive" in this case.

It looks like your organization is not currently a member of Campus Compact.

Membership is required to participate in this program. We're happy to discuss how membership can support your campus community.

Please click here to be rerouted to the Member Interest Form! Our Membership Team will follow up with you directly after receiving it.

Data from Salesforce

Account ID

State 2 Digit

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Contact Information

Section Description

Please do not remove any of the required questions in this section from your application. These are designed to help us build out profiles on the people involved in our programs.

First Name

Last Name

Primary Role

Please select the options that most accurately describes your current role.

Title

If you are a student, you are welcome to include a title that's important to you (e.g. Student Government President) or to simply type "student".

Phone Number

Nonpartisan and Legal Guardrails
Mandatory Compliance: All proposed program activities must be nonpartisan and fully adhere to local, state, and federal laws regarding elections and political activity. Funded projects must not endorse, support, or oppose any specific political party, candidate for public office, or partisan ballot measure. Failure to comply will result in disqualification and reclamation of funds.

Do you affirm that the funds you may receive from this application will adhere to the mandatory compliance statement as show above?

YesNo

Reporting Compliance Affirmation

By checking the box below, applicants must affirm their commitment and capacity to report on the utilization of funds. Final reporting requirements and data templates will be provided with the formal award letter and will include expectations for reporting on the number of students engaged and the observed impact on student learning and participation.

I affirm my institution's commitment and capacity to utilize these funds appropriately, and to comply with reporting requirements as set forth in the formal award letter.

Page 5: Uploads

Uploads

Section Description

Application Steps and Deliverables

A complete application package consists of a brief campus context reflection and four application deliverables.

(A) Proposal Narrative (Maximum 3 Pages)

The narrative is your opportunity to explain your project in plain language. It must address:

Project Intent and Approach: A concise explanation of what your project will do, the change you expect it to produce for students, and how the proposed activities connect to that intended change.
Activity Details and Student Engagement Plan: A description of your proposed nonpartisan, election-focused activities, including (a) the projected number of students to be reached or engaged, and (b) the specific leadership roles students will play in planning, executing, or facilitating the work.
Institutional Capacity and Rationale: Evidence of your team's ability to successfully execute this project, including past experience and existing institutional support, together with a brief explanation of why your team, campus, and community context make this the right project at this moment.
Budget Narrative (½ page): A brief description of how the requested funds will be used, corresponding to the top-line categories in Step 4.

(B) Project Design and Alignment Matrix (Table Template)

To provide reviewers with a clear, organized snapshot of your project, complete and submit the following table alongside your narrative.

Program Purpose / Project Core Question: (Insert a brief 2 to 3 sentence summary here)

Proposed Activity	Timeline / Target Date(s)	Primary Framework Alignment	Student Engagement & Leadership	Anticipated Measures of Success (Outputs & Outcomes)	Related Budget Line Item(s)
e.g., Multi-partisan student-led panel on local ballot measures.	October 15, 2026	Goal: Deliberation for a Shared Future Dimension: Political Skills Strategy: Student Leadership	Two student leaders will design the questions and facilitate the panel.	Output: 60+ students attend. Outcome: 80% of attendees report a better understanding of ballot issues.	Honorarium for external speakers ($300 total)

Applicants must submit a summary budget organized by top-line category, with a short descriptor for each category rather than line-item detail. A simple template will be provided with the application portal to streamline review.

Zero Overhead Policy: In alignment with Campus Compact grant guidelines, these mini-grants must have no overhead or indirect costs taken by the host institution.
Allowable Expenses: Funds may be used for event supplies, speaker honoraria, travel directly related to project implementation, communications materials, short-term technology needs, or student stipends. Student stipend requests should not exceed 25% of the total for grants of $3,000 or more.

When uploading your application, please submit it as one PDF.

Please select one Primary Outcome Dimension / Learning Goal:

Political Knowledge: Structural design of government, current issues, and events in historical context.

Political Skills: Political analysis, assessing news and information, communication, leadership, teamwork, and collaboration.Political Motivation: Recognizing the relevance of political issues and understanding that examining national shortcomings is an expression of democratic commitment.Civic Action: Actual participation in democratic processes (e.g., voting, advocacy involvement, contacting representatives, civic organizing).

Please select one: Primary Student Outcome:

Civic Media Literacy: Increasing student capacity to distinguish reliable from unreliable political information. Deliberation for a Shared Future: Enhancing respectful listening, cultural humility, and critical discussion of public questions.Democracy in Principle and Practice: Deepening student understanding of democratic institutions, foundational texts, and respect for the rule of law.Civic Accountability: Cultivating reflective patriotism and working alongside affected communities to diagnose and address root causes of public problems.

Please select one Primary Capacity-Building Strategy:

Student Leadership for Democracy: Building student leaders with the skills and commitment to drive democratic renewal.Teaching for Democracy: Developing the capacity of faculty and staff to deliver high-quality courses and programs focused on democratic engagement.Institutions for Democracy: Institutionalizing and scaling democratic-learning practices and norms across the campus.Partnerships for Democracy: Leveraging contacts, networks, and external organizations to reinforce democratic practice and community partnerships.

Proposal Application

Upload Your Proposal Application (PDF only)