Evaluating the Impact of Seed Money Grants in Stimulating Growth of Community-based Research and Service-Learning at a Major Public Research University, Judith A. Jetson, Mary E. Evans, and Wendy Hathaway University of South Florida

Abstract:
At a major research university, community engagement must intersect with research productivity and attract external funding to be well-regarded. At USF, community engagement increased its value to the institution by using seed grants for community-based research and service-learning projects. Between 1998 and 2006, 132 projects received $1.65 million in seed money from general revenue and local government funds, bringing over $9 million in grants to USF, a return on investment of approximately 6-to-1.