AAUW defines “community-based” broadly and recognizes that community can take many forms. A community may be geographic (such as a city, region, rural area, or school district), identity-based (such as girls who share cultural, linguistic, or lived experiences), or centered around a shared learning environment or network.
Projects may operate in a single location, across multiple sites, or in virtual settings. Virtual projects are eligible to apply, provided they demonstrate meaningful engagement and clearly define the community they are designed to serve.
Applicants will have an opportunity within the application to describe and define the community their project serves. We encourage organizations to articulate:
- Who their intended participants are
- What shared characteristics, needs, or barriers connect them
- How the project is responsive to that specific community context
Strong applications clearly demonstrate a thoughtful understanding of their community and explain how project design reflects that understanding, regardless of whether the project is place-based, multi-site, or virtual.
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