Federal Grant Award Summary

The University of Cincinnati received a $771,710 Project Grant award from the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Postsecondary Education under the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE, CFDA 84.116) program, effective January 1, 2026 through December 31, 2029. The award supports the implementation of "Applied Civil Discourse for Civic Leaders: Integrating Civility and Civic Life Campus-Wide at the University of Cincinnati's Portman Center for Policy Solutions." This initiative addresses institutional reform and innovative educational strategies designed to enhance postsecondary instruction and expand educational opportunities through the integration of civil discourse training and civic engagement programming across the university campus.

The project deliverables focus on developing and implementing comprehensive civility and civic life programming centered at the Portman Center for Policy Solutions. This effort aims to cultivate applied civil discourse competencies among campus leaders and students while fostering institutional culture change through campus-wide civic engagement initiatives. The four-year performance period allows for sustained implementation, evaluation, and refinement of these educational and institutional improvement strategies consistent with FIPSE's mission to support postsecondary reforms that enhance instructional quality and student development.