Community-Engaged Research

Building on the history of community-engaged research at UC Santa Cruz, which traces its roots back to the founding of the Community Studies program in 1969, university researchers, staff, and students collaborate with community organizations or members to co-create knowledge and generate mutually beneficial outcomes that address the principles of social justice.

50+


Years of engagement in the Santa Cruz region

140


Community-engaged research projects active in the last five years

99


Campus faculty, staff, and grad students reported to have led community-engaged scholarship projects in the last five years

  • Farmworkers working in a field.

    UC Santa Cruz projects win California Climate Action Grant funding

    Last week, in partnership with the state, the University of California awarded more than $80 million in California Climate Action Grants to four-year academic institutions across the state. These two-year grants are designed to spur the implementation of solutions that advance climate resilience and social equity. Five UC Santa Cruz projects secured a total of more than…

  • Watsonville in the Heart.

    National Endowment for the Humanities honors Watsonville Is In The Heart with a prestigious $75,000 project grant

    The National Endowment for the Humanities has awarded a prestigious $75,000 Public Humanities Projects: Exhibitions Planning grant to Watsonville Is In The Heart (WIITH). Housed in The Humanities Institute at UCSC, WIITH is a community-driven public history initiative to preserve and uplift stories of Filipino migration and labor in the city of Watsonville and the greater Pajaro…

  • Campus + Community panel.

    University launches new center, Campus + Community, to facilitate engaged scholarship

    After more than 50 years of engagement in the region, UC Santa Cruz is launching a new center to coordinate campus and community connections for action-oriented scholarship that advances social justice. Campus + Community (C + C) builds on previous efforts by the university to build meaningful local partnerships, such as the longstanding work of the Community…

Integrated expertise

Our community-engaged research explores extremely complex issues, from racism, economic inequity, and educational reform to affordable housing, migrant communities, and environmental justice.

Campus + Community team

Campus + Community

Campus + Community is a center dedicated to supporting ethical and mutually beneficial engaged scholarship at UC Santa Cruz. Using scholarly activities and teaching in partnership with community-based agencies, we enable the greater campus to engage with our local and global communities, resulting in transformational experiences for all. 

Introducing: Community-Engaged Research at UC Santa Cruz

Scholars across campus are advancing research for the labor movement, developing collaborative projects with non-profits, and helping our local communities address urgent issues.

Last modified: May 13, 2024