CEL Scholars Grant Program

NOTICE:  Please be aware that the CEL Grant cycle will now be offered once per year, in the spring.  This yearly timing provides better alignment with the CEL curriculum, promoting longitudinal projects that culminate in presentation at the Annual CEL Conference. After the March 26, 2026 deadline, our next grant cycle will be offered in Spring 2027.

Call for Applications:  Community Engaged Learning (CEL) Projects
Spring deadline is March 25, 2026

Applications must be submitted through ENGAGED

UT Health San Antonio’s mission is to enhance community health awareness, education and practices thereby improving the wellness of the citizenry.  An effective method to accomplish this mission is through community engaged learning (CEL) defined as a structured learning experience that combines community service with mentored preparation and reflection.  Students provide service in response to community-identified concerns and learn about the context in which service is provided, the connection between their service and their academic coursework, and their roles as citizens and professionals.  The Cheever Center for Medical Humanities & Ethics believes CEL serves as the bridge between ethics education and the development of empathy and humanitarian values in the health care providers we train. In order to support and encourage CEL involvement by Health Science Center students, we are offering grants to defray project expenses.

Eligible Projects

All projects must have one designated student leader, a UT San Antonio faculty mentor, and a community partner. Students and faculty may be from any of the six schools of UT San Antonio’s Health Science Center.  We are especially interested in CEL projects that document and address health disparities in San Antonio and Bexar County, the surrounding counties, and South Texas. Applications should outline mentor guidance and community partner involvement, have a clear plan for sustainability, and include a scholarship aspect.

 Priority will be given to: 

• Interprofessional projects that involve students from more than one school

What We Provide

• Grants of up to $4,000 to help defray the cost of CEL project expenses, such as supplies, printing, and mileage.

Deadline

Deadline is March 25, 2026

Additional Information & How to Apply

Applications must be submitted through ENGAGED.

For detailed information about the application process, review CEL Funding Request for Application (RFA) below.

NOTE: Applicants are required to attend a CEL Funding Information Session prior to submitting an application. During this session, you will go over the grant application in detail and be able to ask questions. You can attend on Feb. 10 or Feb. 23, noon-1:30pm  Register here.  See RFA below for more information.

Contact

For inquiries please contact CEL@uthscsa.edu or 210-567-0795

Community Engaged Learning (CEL) Funding

Request for Application (RFA)

We are interested in CEL projects that document and address health disparities in San Antonio and Bexar County, the surrounding counties, and South Texas.

Priority will be given to:

• Interprofessional projects that involve students from more than one school

Examples of project topics include addressing social determinants of health, access to care and health literacy.

CEL Grants

The Cheever Center for Medical Humanities & Ethics is accepting proposals from mentored Health Science Center students at UT San Antonio to develop and implement community engaged learning (CEL) projects that provide innovative approaches for health solutions.  Grant awards are for up to $4,000 and are for specific project use as outlined in the budget section of the application.  Projects should document and address health disparities in San Antonio and Bexar County, the surrounding counties, and South Texas; have mentor guidance and community partner involvement; have a clear plan for sustainability and include a scholarship aspect.  The scholarship component may be the following: plans to present at a conference outside of the Health Science Center, submit an article for publication, and/or be part a larger research study.

Funding Application Process

• Applicants are required to attend a grant info session prior to submitting an application.  During this session, you will go over the grant application in detail and be able to ask questions.  You can attend on Feb. 10 or Feb. 23, noon-1:30pm.  Register here. Registration is required for these sessions.  Names of attendees will be recorded. If you have a conflict with both session dates, you will need to send another student leader of your project on your behalf and notify CEL@uthscsa.edu that you are doing so. You will be able to view the presentation online. You will need to attest in the application that you attended or viewed the info session.
• Applications must be submitted through ENGAGED. When you click on this link, you will be prompted to first log in to the site with your UT credentials.
• The project must have a faculty mentor employed by UT San Antonio, and the faculty must be part of the CEL Mentor subgroup in ENGAGED. The mentor’s letter of support is required at or before the time of application submission and should be uploaded to the online application.
• The project must have a community partner.  The community partner’s letter of support is required at or before the time of application submission and should be uploaded to the online application.
• Proposals will be reviewed by the CEL Review Committee.
• Award decisions will be sent by email.

Deadlines

Applications are due March 25, 2026 by 5pm.  Late applications will not be accepted.

Decisions will be announced no later than April 17, 2026. 

Proposal Considerations

Projects must have a designated student leader, a faculty mentor, and a community partner. Students and faculty may be from any of the six schools of UT San Antonio’s Health Science Center.

Institutional Review Board (IRB)

If the proposed project involves human subjects research, or you plan to publish your findings, it is the responsibility of the student applicant and faculty mentor to obtain approval from the Office of the Institutional Review Board (IRB).  It is suggested you contact the IRB office before starting your project to clarify status. 

Community Partner

A community organization must be identified in the proposal as the community partner.  A community organization is considered to be a community center, non-profit organization, church, or another place where clients are receptive to health-related services.  Preference will be given to community-based organizations over hospitals and clinics. The community partner should have considerable input into the proposal, and there should be evidence that the proposal clearly meets a specific community expressed need.  A letter of support from the community partner is a requirement of the proposal.

Outcomes & Evaluation

Monitoring and evaluation strategies for the outcomes of your intervention should be clearly stated in the proposal.  Your overall project goal should be aligned with a Healthy People 2030 goal. Healthy People provides science-based, 10-year national objectives for improving the health of all Americans.  You can read about the Healthy People 2030 goals online.

Your objectives must be written in the SMART format.  Click here to learn how to write a SMART objective.

Presentation / Dissemination

Under mentor guidance, the student leader will be expected to create and present a poster for the UT Health Science Center’s Annual CEL Conference in early 2027. The poster abstract and the poster submission will be due January 2027, date TBA. Presentation at the CEL Conference is a mandatory condition for receipt of the award. Students are also encouraged to present their projects outside of the Health Science Center.

Timeline

The project timeline should be clearly stated in the proposal and include time for preparation, evaluation, and reflection. Please note that projects must be completed in time for presentation at the Annual CEL Conference (described above), in early 2027.

Budget

The creation of a budget up to $4,000 for the project is mandatory for the proposal.  Include itemized costs and justification. Allowable expenses include project supplies, printing, and mileage reimbursement to the project site (calculated to and from the Health Science Center at the current reimbursement rate). Grant expenses may include conference registration fee and associated travel costs if presenting the project at another conference. No more than 15% of the total budget should be designated for conference expenses.  Food items are allowed only if specifically used as a teaching activity. Gift card incentives must be approved by the mentor’s department. Grant funds cannot be used for capital expenditures or purchasing major equipment. Equipment rental is allowed.

Award Considerations

Required Orientation for Awardees

Upon the grant award, the student leader and mentor will be required to have a meeting with the CEL team at the Cheever Center for Medical Humanities & Ethics, to discuss outcomes reporting and grant management requirements. Details of the meeting will be provided at the time of award decision.

Additionally, the grant student leader will be required to complete an online orientation in CANVAS within two weeks of being awarded.  This orientation will cover aspects of fundamental preparation for the leader and the team to promote successful CEL project implementation.

Funds Disbursement

After successful completion of the required orientation (described above), grant funds will be available for project use.  The CEL Coordinator will be responsible for disbursing funds to the student leader for the items outlined in the project’s budget.  If changes need to be made to the budget during the course of the project, both the mentor and the CEL Coordinator, must be notified for prior approval.

Application and project-related inquiries can be directed to:

Melanie Stone, DrPH, MEd, CHWI
Assistant Professor of Family & Community Medicine
Director of Community Engaged Learning
Charles E. Cheever Jr. Center for Medical Humanities & Ethics
Joe R. & Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine
(210) 567-0523
CEL@uthscsa.edu