Announcing the 2023 - 2024 Newman Civic Fellowship Mini-Grant Recipients

The Newman Civic Fellowship Mini-Grant Program, sponsored by The Allstate Foundation and facilitated by Campus Compact, extends financial support to Newman Civic Recipients for community impact projects. This initiative aims to empower student civic leaders with a passion for social impact. The grants are intended for the creation or development of programs, events, training sessions, evaluations, or projects that leave a lasting mark on their local communities.

Congratulations to the following outstanding fellows for securing the Newman Civic Fellowship Mini-Grant! Their dedication to community impact projects has earned them the opportunity to bring their visions to life.

2023 - 2024 Newman Civic Fellowship Mini-Grant Recipients: 

Aaliyah Moore

Bates College | Learn more about Aalyiah →
Project Title | Art: A Form of Expression for Youth
"The Youth at Tree Street are a reflection of my childhood. I am honored to have contributed to a mission that provides children with agency in shaping their forms of expression."

Abigail Faris

University of Nebraska At Omaha | Learn more about Abigail →
Project Title | Fueling Futures: Nebraska Student Support Summit
 

Adalheid Crum

West Virginia University | Learn more about Adalheid →
Project Title | Survey of Wardship Landscape, West Virginia and Missouri
"The data tells us that if we gather 100 teens from foster, group homes, and similar environments, 70 of them are on their way to incarceration. Meanwhile, less than 10 from the same group will earn a 4-year college degree. Thank you to The Allstate Foundation and Campus Compact for joining forces; we need to break this prison pipeline and develop better, safer, healthier pathways forward."

Alex Edgar

University of California, Berkeley | Learn more about Alex →
Project Title | Bears Help Bears Vote
"Our democracy is at stake and our team of student organizers at UC Berkeley are so grateful to Campus Compact for empowering us to use relational organizing and direct voter conversations in order to increase student voter engagement!

Alice Im

Brown University | Learn more about Alice →
Project Title | Women in STEM: highlighting the success and disparities of Women in STEM in an interactive model throughout Brown’s Campus
"Thank you to The Allstate Foundation for supporting this initative at Brown to continue to encourage women in STEM to form community and to continue talking about the complex barriers women in STEM face."

Angelynn Jimenez

City Colleges of Chicago - Wilbur Wright College | Learn more about Angelynn →
Project Title | HANA Center’s “Community Closet”
"We are thrilled to grow this project and extend access to clothing for all ages, Chicagoland, and especially our local community in Albany Park at the HANA Center.

Ash Tillman

Furman University | Learn more about Ash →
Project Title | Trans Artists of the Southeast Exhibition
“I look forward to uplifting trans and queer artists in my community!"

Caroline Leonard

University of Mississippi | Learn more about Caroline →
Project Title | Mississippi Youth In Civics
"Thank you to The Allstate Foundation for supporting this initiative to empower students to learn about and interact with their community. It is important to engage the upcoming generations to embrace and enhance civic life everywhere."

Cherin Russell

University of Kansas | Learn more about Cherin →
Project Title | Accessibility for All
"I believe everyone deserves to have equal access and ability to receive an education, which is not often the case for many students. This is why I am honored and thankful to The Allstate Foundation, who have made it possible for us to offer more accessibility support onto our campus."

Cuca Ramirez

Sewanee: The University of the South | Learn more about Cuca →
Project Title | Increasing Productivity with Technology Updates at Partners for Healing
"Partners for Healing, the community we serve, and I, as Newman Fellow, are immensely grateful for the support and opportunity to increase our capacity to provide patient care to the working-uninsured population of Coffee, Moore, and Franklin County. With this grant, we will continue doing community outreach and changing the lives of many, with particular attention to the Latinx population (a large percentage of whom are undocumented). The implementation of this project, made possible by The Allstate Foundation, will bring wellness and a sense of community into our clinic." 

Daniela Chavez

University of Denver | Learn more about Daniela →
Project Title | Youth Organizing
"Youth Organizing encourages marginalized students to gain the power of their voice through addressing community issues they have identified within their own community." 

Dasia Bandy

George Washington University | Learn more about Dasia →
Project Title | Assessing D.C.'s Foggy Bottom Neighborhood Community Needs and Assets - Research Project

Grant Pitts

UW-Parkside | Learn more about Grant →
Project Title | Andrew Goodman Democracy Wall
"The Andrew Goodman Democracy Wall" is a physical space where to students can respond to questions of social and political intrigue and engage with one another in dialogue. Thanks to funds provided by The Allstate Foundation, we are acquiring a digital smartboard to make this both a digital and physical space simultaneously. This will make the installation much more interactive, with increased opportunities for online and in-person participation."

Halle Gensler

Berea College | Learn more about Halle →
Project Title | Hunger Initiative: Uplifting Rural Houselessness
"I am eager to continue food insecurity work for the Berea community, to make sure all people in the community are able to feel comforted and seen this winter season. I am grateful for Campus Compact and The Allstate Foundation for their generosity to uplift our community."

Harry Hou

Swarthmore College | Learn more about Harry →
Project Title | Scaling Up Chester Eastside's Clothing Closet​​
"We are excited to expand our work, thanks to The Allstate Foundation's Generosity. Our gratitude also goes to the team at Campus Compact for their support!"

Heily Rivas

Massachusetts College of Art and Design (MassArt) | Learn more about Heily →
Project Title | Be the Change: Uniting Artists and the Community to Artfully Activate the Civic World
"I am grateful for the support of The Allstate Foundation in supporting a new initiative on my campus to utilize art and design to empower our creative students and the community as they prepare for the 2024 presidential elections. This program will hopefully help all those involved become more civically engaged citizens and voters."

James Hardy

University of Dayton | Learn more about James →
Project Title | Empowering Voices: Minorities in Politics (MIP) Initiative

Jai Kozar-Lewis

Michigan State University | Learn more about Jai →
Project Title | Community Engaged Scholars Sustainability Project
"Thanks to The Allstate Foundation I will be able to help educate the broader Nebraska community on basic needs access for higher education students! My team and I are so thankful that this will help fund our summit and grow community support for this important issue!"

Jessika Crocket-Murphy

Stonehill College | Learn more about Jessika →
Project Title | Cultivating Interfaith Collaboration through a Community Labrynth
"Receiving this grant is such an honor, and my team and I are so thankful for the support of The Allstate Foundation in making this project come to life to aid in interfaith worship and celebration!"

Jordan Branch

Millersville University | Learn more about Jordan →
Project Title | National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) STEM Community BBQ
"Thanks to The Allstate Foundation we are embarking on a journey to construct a strong STEM pipeline in our local community. Together, we are shaping a future abundant with innovation, especially for the minority and underrepresented community"

Kayla Walker

UNC Charlotte | Learn more about Kayla →
Project Title | Harvesting Healthy Habits​
"I am very grateful to receive this funding to continue an existing project to assist women in the Salvation Army Center of Hope improve their healthy habits and provide them with essential hygiene and health products."

Kelly Pilotte

NHTI Concord's CommuCollege | Learn more about Kelly →
Project Title | The Michael Stephen Boyd Foundation outreach initiative
"Thank you to The Allstate Foundation for your support. This grant will go a long way in helping the unhoused stay warm and safe in the cold of New England." 

Louis Fowler

Great Bay Community College | Learn more about Louis →
Project Title | Out of the Closet
"Out of the closet" is a trans focused clothing drive with the aim to help the trans and gender expansive folks in the northern New England area to get rid of old clothes that no longer suit them and reclothe them with items that are affirming and comfortable. "Out of the closet" also serves to give it's attendants first hand experience with their local community and nonprofits whom focus on safe spaces and quality of life." 

Marguerite Stoffel

Drake University | Learn more about Marguerite →
Project Title | Empowering Student Activists: How to be a Changemaker on Campus and in the Community
"I am extremely grateful to Campus Compact and The Allstate Foundation for supporting student activists across the country, and allowing me the opportunity to build community and provide resources to further the work of student activists at Drake University."

Mercado Dorado

Marymount University | Learn more about Mercado →
Project Title | Undocu Career Development Workshop

Mikayla Paquette

Tufts University | Learn more about Mikayla →
Project Title | Community Hoops Jamboree
"Community Hoops mission is to empower hearts and minds. Thank you to Campus Compact and The Allstate Foundation for giving me and my community the opportunity to experience the impact of basketball and art." 

Nina DeMilta

Nazareth University | Learn more about Nina →
Project Title | Panel Discussion on a Cross-Section of Topics within the U.S. Criminal Justice System
"I am incredibly excited to use this grant for a project surrounding incarcerated justice and reform through a "nothing about us without us" model. Through compassionate listening and community organizing with people of diverse backgrounds, I believe that this project can have wonderful outcomes for my university and local community to build engaged empathy and awareness of how we can begin to break down systemic biases and oppression in our criminal justice system. Thank you for this amazing opportunity, I hope that this can be a beginning for more education and informed empathy within this issue."

Paola Perez

California State University Northridge | Learn more about Paola →
Project Title | Plants 4 Good: A Community Resource Project
"I am very grateful to have my project funded through this mini-grant. It is a continuous effort to provide new resources to the low-income community in my area. Thank you to The Allstate Foundation and Campus Compact for all the funding and kind support."

Parwinder Singh

Ohio University | Learn more about Parwinder →
Project Title | InnovAIte Ohio - AI Symposium/Hackathon

Rachel Marchant

University of Montana Western | Learn more about Rachel →
Project Title | Drink Spiking Awareness Campaign
"I am honored and excited to utilize this grant to benefit my local community. This opportunity to improve the safety and well-being of my college campus will make a positive impact on students for years to come. Thank you Campus Compact and The Allstate Foundation for making this project possible." 

Yunge Xiao

University of Pittsburgh (Harvard School of Public Health, currently) | Learn more about Yunge →
Project Title | DataJam Expansion to Boston-area
"The DataJam is a data-science competition where high schoolers to work together and with university mentors to analyze public data and answer questions about their communities. When I mentored for the DataJam back in Pittsburgh, I was moved by its impact on advancing youth STEM education and community connectivity at all levels. Thank you to The Allstate Foundation for supporting my initiative to expand DataJam to my new home city, Boston!" 

"Thanks to the generous support of The Allstate Foundation, we are excited to fund these innovative and impactful mini-grant projects created by select 2023-2024 Newman Civic Fellows. These projects show the depth of skills these students possess and the breadth of issues and social change approaches they believe in. We hope this experience serves as a catalyst for the recipients and their communities to continue to create opportunities for student-led change. Together, this group of Fellows will break new ground in a mini-grant program we hope to continue for years to come. We could not be more excited to reward these incredible students, fund their amazing projects, and support so many communities nationwide." - Will Brummett, Student Engagement Manager