Community-University Engagement Support (CUES) Fund

Source: https://communityengagement.ubc.ca/our-work/cues-fund/ Parent: https://research.ubc.ca/innovation-partnerships/partner-us

Get up to $25,000 to support community-university partnerships and projects.

The Community-University Engagement Support (CUES) Fund awards up to $25,000 to support community-university partnerships that benefit communities across the province and advance collaborative research, teaching, and learning.

Paid directly to community partners, funding removes financial barriers and prioritizes reciprocal, inclusive engagement so all communities — especially those that have been and continue to be underserved, marginalized, or excluded — can benefit.

The fund helps applicants develop new or existing community-university relationships and especially welcomes applications from collaborative projects that advance:

Equity, diversity, and inclusion
Indigenous engagement and reconciliation
Health innovation and community wellbeing
Sustainability and climate action
Teaching, learning, and research excellence

The CUES Fund is jointly administered by UBC Community Engagement and the Office of the Vice-President, Research and Innovation.

Community-University Engagement Support Fund 2025/26

Applications for CUES 2025/26 are now closed

Our team is currently working to finalize the 2026 cohort. If you would like to learn more about the newest set of CUES-supported community-university partners, check back here for more information in the coming weeks!

Fund FAQs

The CUES Fund in action

The CUES Fund is unique in the Canadian post-secondary and research funding landscape, in that it provides funding directly to community partners. Since 2018, the fund has awarded $3,942,914 to 172 different community groups — including 54 Indigenous communities and organizations — and university partners from 19 different faculties across UBC Vancouver and Okanagan campuses.

Engagement stories

Previous recipients

FAQs

Who can apply?

Each CUES Fund application must include two applicants who are the main points of contact for the proposal:

a co-applicant that represents an eligible BC-based community partner (principal community applicant)
and a co-applicant that is a current UBC faculty*, staff, or student* at either UBC Vancouver or Okanagan (principal UBC applicant)

* Please note, if you are a student, post-doctoral fellow, adjunct, clinical or emeritus faculty or lecturer applying for CUES funding, you will need to ensure that a current tenured faculty member is willing to co-sign on your project.

Eligible community partners should be a registered charity registered non-profit society or qualified donee listed by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). If the principal community applicant is not a qualified donee, a community organization that is a qualified donee or a UBC department may be permitted to act as a financial intermediary. If you know who may act as a financial intermediary for your project, please indicate this in the financial intermediary section of your application.

The CUES Fund is not able to support projects outside of Canada.

Who receives the funding?

Funding is paid directly to the principal community applicant organization. In cases where a community partner is unable to accept a grant, funds may be disbursed to the partnering UBC department or unit or other qualified donee who is acting as financial intermediary.

What are the CUES fund criteria?

Strong CUES Fund applications will address the following criteria:

Articulates a well-defined, community-identified opportunity, priority area, or need
Embodies our principles of engagement
And demonstrates how it supports at least one of the university’s institutional priorities:
Equity, diversity, and inclusion
Indigenous engagement and reconciliation
Health innovation and community wellbeing
Sustainability and climate action
Teaching, learning, research excellence

You can review our evaluation criteria here.

You can learn more about the CUES program, evaluation criteria and how to develop a strong proposal by reviewing our CUES Applicant Guide.

How may funds be used?

Funding is intentionally flexible to support the different costs that are associated with community engagement activities. However, eligible expenses must be related to the proposed relationship and/or partnership-building activities and outcomes. Examples of eligible expenses include:

Salary/stipends for project team members supporting relationship and/or partnership-building activities
Honoraria for community members, elders, leaders and knowledge keepers or brokers
Training or education fees necessary for project team members to fully participate or contribute
Program or organizational evaluations or assessments
Engagement costs, including travel & accommodation, facilities/space rental fees, for meetings, hospitality, and catering costs
Equipment and supplies that directly support relationship and/or partnership-building activities
Administrative costs related to running the project or working with a financial intermediary (if necessary); please consult with us before including this budget line item in your application

How do I apply?

Applying for the CUES fund is a two-step process.

Step 1: Submit a Notice of Intent (NOI); Deadline: September 25, 2025

All co-applicants are required to develop and submit a Notice of Intent (NOI) to confirm their eligibility and provide a brief description of their proposed work together. The NOI is for administrative purposes only. It is non-competitive and will not be evaluated. Everyone who meets the eligibility requirements and submits an NOI will be invited to submit a full application. You can download a Sample NOI template to prepare your answers in advance with your with your co-applicant.

Step 2: Submit a Full Application; Deadline: November 21, 2025

All eligible applicants who submit an NOI by September 25, 2024, will receive an email invitation to submit their full application for the 2025/26 CUES fund. Email invitations will be sent out no later than October 1, 2025. Applications will be submitted by a webform (a link will be provided in your invitation email) and are due by November 21, 2025. You can access the CUES application questions in advance to collaborate on your responses with your co-applicant.

What can funds NOT be used for?

Funding is not intended as a replacement for other sources of direct research funding or daily operational costs that are not directly related to the project. Examples of ineligible expenses include:

Direct costs of academic research, such as those already covered by tri-agency funding bodies (CIHR, NSERC, or SSHRC)
Administrative or core costs/expenses for community organizations, e.g., salaries associated with an organization’s daily operations or programming unrelated to the project
Funding that flows directly to an individual (CUES funds are intended to go to community partner organizations)
Costs of alcohol (or related costs such as liquor licenses)
Retroactive expenses

Do I need to provide a report at the conclusion of our project?

Yes. We ask that all recipients submit a narrative report within two months of the project end date. A template will be provided to all recipients. Alternative forms of reporting such as an interview or site visit will also be considered. Please reach out to us to discuss options.

In addition, CUES Fund recipients are asked to notify us of any materials that were developed with the support of CUES funding. Examples of materials include, but are not limited to, final publications, reports, event materials, and audio or video productions. With permission and in accordance with OCAP (ownership, control, access, and possession) principles, UBC Community Engagement may share these as examples of work supported by the CUES program.

Can I apply to the CUES Fund more than once?

Yes. However, starting this year (2025), any applicants who have received three or more years of consecutive funding will no longer be eligible.

When can I expect to receive funding for my project?

We expect all payments to be processed by March 31, 2026. For this reason, we suggest that any expenses related to your CUES project be incurred after March 31, 2026.

How competitive is the CUES Fund?

The CUES Fund is highly competitive. On average, the CUES success rate is 27%.

What is the review process?

CUES Fund proposals are adjudicated by a multidisciplinary review panel composed of UBC faculty members, staff members, and local community representatives. All proposals are initially reviewed and scored by three separate reviewers using our evaluation criteria.

A review panel then convenes to finalize rankings of applications and make recommendations for funding.

If you are interested in joining our review panel, please reach out to the CUES Program Manager at cues.fund@ubc.ca.

Can I use Partnership Recognition and Exploration funding to develop our CUES application?

Absolutely! We recognize that many recipients of the Partnership Recognition and Exploration (PRE) Fund have used PRE funding to build reciprocal relationships between UBC and community partners. Several of these partnerships have gone on to apply to the CUES Fund to further develop and grow their projects. However, the PRE fund is now closed for the year. It will reopen in May 2026.

Learn more about the PRE Fund and how to apply here.

Still have questions? Contact us at cues.fund@ubc.ca.

Join our mailing list

Be the first to know about funding, events, news, and other community-university engagement opportunities.

Subscribe