Awarded Grants 2026-2027

ACCLAIM (Asian Community Civic Leadership and Involvement Movement) ...

ACCLAIM (Asian Community Civic Leadership and Involvement Movement) Leadership Institute

This is a year-long civic leadership cohort designed to expand democratic participation and leadership development among Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) students at Sacramento State during the 2026 midterm election cycle. Building upon the 2024–25 ACCLAIM civic education initiative, the Institute transitions from workshop-based programming to a structured leadership model focused on civic mobilization. In partnership with OCA – Asian Pacific American Advocates (Sacramento Chapter), 25 Fellows will complete advanced civic training, design and implement nonpartisan voter engagement initiatives, host campus civic forums, and participate in experiential advocacy at the California State Capitol. The Institute institutionalizes a sustainable civic leadership pipeline while increasing civic literacy, expanding representation, and strengthening university-community collaboration.

Project Lead: Andrew Yang

Sac State Department/College: Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) Center

Community Partner: OCA Sacramento - Asian Pacific American Advocates

Barrio Art in the Community

Barrio Art in the Community

The Art 148 A & B courses will be presented as two sets of courses taught during the Fall/Spring semester that provide CSUS students with the opportunity to engage with k-12 students & families in preparation for the teaching profession. The courses are an extension of what we have identified as Art 148: Barrio Art in the community. Extending to two courses (Art 148 A in the fall & 148 B in the spring) we begin developing what we call a Barrio Art program. Students develop experience by engaging with local K-12 students and families. The established partnership with Washington Elementary and Hiram Johnson High School provides on-site engagement for CSUS students via tutoring, classroom experience, field trips, engagement with families, educators and k-12 sites. The campus-wide Dia de Los Muertos program will develop art workshops, campus-wide lectures, campus tours and field trips for local k-12 students.

Project Lead: Luis Garcia

Sac State Department/College: Art/A & L

Community Partner: Sacramento City Unified Schools - Washington Elementary, Hiram Johnson HS, Umoja Academy

Big & Bold Paddle: Advancing Community Engagement and Empowerment...

Big & Bold Paddle: Advancing Community Engagement and Empowerment through Adaptive Paddling

This is a community-engaged adaptive paddling initiative that expands equitable access to aquatic recreation while creating experiential learning opportunities for Sacramento State students. Developed in response to a community request for inclusive paddling opportunities, the program serves individuals historically excluded from outdoor recreation spaces, particularly those in larger bodies and others facing structural barriers to participation. Students serve as trained co-facilitators, gaining hands-on experience in adaptive recreation and community engagement. Faculty-led research examines participant experiences and informs improvements in accessibility and program delivery. Through collaboration with the Aquatic Center and community partners, the project integrates civic engagement, student success, and public health promotion. By fostering confidence, belonging, and empowerment in public spaces, Big & Bold Paddle expands access to waterways and builds sustainable models for equitable community recreation.

Project Lead: Leah Joyner & Jamie Hoffman

Sac State Department/College: Kinesiology & Allied Health/HHS

Community Partner: Fat Activities Sacramento

Bushy Lake Eco-Cultural Education, Restoration, and Tribal Community...

Bushy Lake Eco-Cultural Education, Restoration, and Tribal Community Stewardship

This project is a year-long civic engagement project and living lab, initiated in 2015 by Dr. Michelle Stevens to expand environmental literacy, cultural education, and community stewardship. The project is in collaboration with the Indigenous Futures Society and local Tribal leaders, university faculty, students, and residents. We will host at least six public events at Bushy Lake and additional bird and turtle surveys, including habitat stewardship days, an Earth Day celebration, a Rainbow Pride Day, and four Tribal-led cultural education programs. The initiative also strengthens the newly formed Friends of Bushy Lake community group. Paid student assistants will coordinate outreach, field activities, social media and educational materials and gain hands-on experience in conservation science, Traditional Ecological Knowledge and public engagement. Bushy Lake will serve as a living classroom where science, culture, and community action converge to advance long-term ecological stewardship.

Project Lead: Sandra Garren

Sac State Department/College: Environmental Studies/SSIS

Community Partner: Indigenous Futures Society

Climate Justice through Chemistry: Civic Engagement Labs for High School

Climate Justice through Chemistry: Civic Engagement Labs for High School Students

This project is a partnership between Sac State and CK McClatchy High School that uses hands-on chemistry labs to deepen youth engagement with climate justice. Building on Sac State’s Climate Change Project, Sac State students will be engaged in adapting and co-facilitating NGSS-aligned chemistry experiments on greenhouse effect, cause and effect of ocean acidification, and biodiesel synthesis in high school Honors Chemistry classes. The climate change project connects chemical principles to social issues and supports high school students in creating advocacy products such as presentations and digital media for community audiences. Sac State students will gain civic education and research experience linked to science education, while high school students will build STEM identity and civic agency. Evaluation includes surveys, student work, and partner feedback. The project will be sustained as a continued development and implementation of chemistry experiments that are related to real-world contexts.

Project Lead: Yujuan Liu

Sac State Department/College: Chemistry/NSM

Community Partner: CK McClatchy High School

Empowering Futures: Advancing Inclusion, Engagement, & Career Readiness

Empowering Futures: Advancing Inclusion, Engagement, and Career Readiness in STEAM

This project fosters mathematical engagement among K-12 students and teachers by integrating math and design literacy with community organizing, advocacy, and civic innovation. Building on prior Anchor University–funded successes, the program strengthens students’ STEAM identities as future college learners while supporting teachers in implementing non-curricular, inquiry-driven tasks that deepen problem-solving for themselves and their students. For the 2026–2027 academic year, the project features interdisciplinary collaboration between the Department of Mathematics & Statistics and Department of Architecture and Interior Design, partnerships with Title I schools in the Sacramento region, an online Math-Art competition for local K–12 and Sacramento State students, and a culminating on-campus math experience for high school students. Continued collaboration with the Sacramento Area Mathematics Educators (SAME) will engage Sac State students as co-leaders of creative, inquiry-based professional learning sessions for K–12 teachers, strengthening inclusive pathways into STEAM.

Project Lead: Sayonita Ghosh Hajra

Sac State Department/College: Mathematics & Statistics/NSM

Community Partner: Hiram Johnson High School, Luther Burbank HS, Rosemont HS, SAME, Miwok Middle School, Arcade MS, Kinney HS, LeRoy Greene Academy, Caesar Chavez Elementary Community

Empowering Knights Landing: Pesticide Education and Civic Participation

Empowering Knights Landing: Pesticide Education and Civic Participation for Environmental Health

This project establishes a partnership between Sac State's Environmental Studies Department (ENVS-170) and the Sacramento Environmental Justice Coalition (Sac-EJC) to address high pollution exposure in Knights Landing, CA. While pesticide application rates are in the state's top 30% per CalEnviroScreen, this rural unincorporated community lacks the local monitoring provided by the Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) elsewhere in California. This initiative provides bilingual civic education to residents --starting with the “Grupo de Mujeres” --regarding their rights within local governance and mechanisms to propose pesticide monitoring to fill state data gaps. Hired student leads from ENVS-170 will facilitate eight bi-weekly workshops and a Community Town Hall featuring the Yolo County Supervisor, later presenting project insights back to their peers in the classroom. This project produces a “Community Pesticide Action Plan,” building the civic infrastructure necessary to secure future California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA) grants.

Project Lead: Alfonso Aranda

Sac State Department/College: Environmental Studies/SSIS

Community Partner: Sacramento Environmental Justice Coalition (Sac-EJC)

The Opulence Program: Expression of Black Queerness

The Opulence Program: Expression of Black Queerness

This is a community-engaged research initiative focused on community organizing and advocacy for Black Queer people in Sacramento. This initiative explores how expressions of Black Queerness within themes of healing, resistance, and collective reclamation create safe spaces for Black Queer community/people. Through workshops on poetry, music creation, fashion, and visual art, this initiative seeks to cultivate spaces of affirmation and empowerment by promoting authentic expression and visibility of Black Queerness. Through (1) participant observations, (2) video ethnography, and (3) in-depth interviews, the graduate student researcher will collaborate with the organization to conduct workshops that explore the meaning-making practices of the participants. By documenting the themes of joy, resistance, and collective care as sites of harm reduction, this initiative empowers Black Queer people while seeking to challenge white-heteronormative practices of belonging, sense of self, and organizational logic.

Project Lead: Christopher Rogers

Sac State Department/College: Sociology/SSIS

Community Partner: Love Liberated

El Poder de Tu Voz: An Intergenerational Civic Fellowship

El Poder de Tu Voz: An Intergenerational Civic Fellowship

El Centro Serna and the California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce (CHCC) will develop the fellowship to advance intergenerational civic education, voter engagement, and community-based leadership through a civic innovation and technology lens. This collaborative initiative will support a student intern and a cohort of Civic Fellows who will engage with Sacramento State students, Latine small business leaders, and elder community members who have limited civic participation. Grounded in experiential learning, the fellowship integrates civic literacy instruction, ethical voter engagement practices, and applied community organizing. Fellows will develop bilingual civic education materials and produce Spanish-language informational videos to increase access to accurate, nonpartisan voting resources. By addressing structural barriers such as language access and civic misinformation, the initiative advances equity and inclusive democratic participation in underrepresented communities. Measurable outcomes include increased civic knowledge, voter engagement activities, and strengthened partnership infrastructure, which will guide future evaluation and sustainability.

Project Lead: Saray Aguirre

Sac State Department/College: El Centro Serna

Community Partner: California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce

The Sankofa Research Collective: A Curation & Knowledge-Building Init...

The Sankofa Research Collective: A Curation and Knowledge-Building Initiative

This is an interdisciplinary, student-centered initiative dedicated to the research, preservation, and public interpretation of African and African Diasporic histories and material culture. Grounded in the Sankofa principle— “to return and retrieve”—the Collective reclaims historical memory as a foundation for contemporary civic and cultural engagement. Students conduct archival research and collaborative scholarship to curate a mobile learning exhibit featuring African artifacts that travel to K–12 schools, colleges, and community spaces. The exhibit transforms historical objects into interactive teaching tools, encouraging critical engagement with African civilizations, cultural traditions, intellectual systems, and diasporic connections. Each presentation incorporates dialogue and reflective inquiry to strengthen historical literacy and cultural affirmation. In partnership with Roberts Family Development Center, the Collective expands access to culturally grounded education, strengthens community learning networks, and bridges academic scholarship with meaningful public engagement.

Project Lead: Clarence George

Sac State Department/College: Ethnic Studies/SSIS

Community Partner: Roberts Family Development Center