Political Engagement Fund Grants

Wesleyan University is empowering its students to go out into the public sphere and participate in civic initiatives. Funding this engagement work enables students to devote their time and labor to campaigns, organizations, and initiatives that cultivate a stronger democracy.

Funding can go to cover living costs, transportation fees, and supplies needed as students work in the public sphere. This fund is an opportunity for brave experimentation and radical discovery. From canvassing and phone banking to voter registration efforts, advocacy initiatives, and awareness campaigns—be creative in your proposals!

Applications will be assessed based on the degree to which they address the educational value inherent in civic engagement, as well as the feasibility of proposed budgets. Proposals will not be evaluated on the political nature of specific causes, which are chosen and pursued wholly according to the interests of individual participants. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis through September 27, 2024.

If you seek additional information or want to further workshop your ideas, please contact Diana Martinez (dmmartinez@wesleyan.edu).

Jobs and Internships 

Find resources and opportunities to launch your engagement in civic life through the Gordon Career Center. Browse Handshake to learn about the many different areas students can pursue in the field. 

Browse our Advocacy and Social Justice page for advice blogs, available opportunities, and other resources to help you build your career in advocacy. 

The Jewett Center

The Jewett Center for Community Partnerships (JCCP) is the home of community engagement at Wesleyan University. Guided by the principles of mutual respect and collective responsibility, the JCCP focuses on developing and maintaining local partnerships with schools, nonprofit organizations, government agencies and the community at large through the Office of Community Service and Volunteerism, the Center for Prison Education, and WESU 88.1FM.

Education and Youth Development

Wesleyan is committed to supporting bold and rigorous practical idealists who are thoughtful and brave participants in the public sphere. One way we move toward that mission is by supporting a number of diverse programs that work with K-12 students in our community. 

Reimagining Justice

The Reimagining Justice Initiative is a coalition of campus partners determined to leverage campus resources to support the intellectual development and community building interests of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated persons and their family members. The Center for Prison Education offers incarcerated individuals the opportunity to take Wesleyan courses taught by Wesleyan faculty and receive college credit for their efforts.

Student Groups

This list includes several of the many student groups at Wesleyan dedicated to promoting political engagement on and beyond Wesleyan's Campus.

Wesleyan ACLU

This college chapter of the ACLU will work alongside the American Civil Liberties Union of Connecticut on projects concerning LGBT Rights, Women's Rights, Voting Rights, Immigration, Police Accountability, Racial Justice, and Youth and Student Rights. 

Arcadia Political Review

Entirely student-run and non-partisan publication published each semester. Arcadia aims to serve as a platform for political engagement on Wesleyan's campus and give student's a platform to publish their political articles.   

Sunrise Movement Middletown

We are the local, college hub of the national movement organization the Sunrise Movement.  The organization is building an army of young people determined to make fighting climate change an urgent priority of the public. 

The Wesleyan Refugee Project

The Wesleyan Refugee Project is a committed group of students that works with a variety of community partners to advocate for and provide services to refugees and other displaced persons as well as to cultivate a greater understanding of global displacement.

Cardinal Kids

Cardinal Kids is a teaching collective run by Wesleyan students from all domains of campus life. Each teacher brings a unique set of skills, adapting their on-campus work and passions into fun, kid-friendly lessons.

Wesleyan Burke Society

The Burke Society introduces conservative perspectives on academics, policy, and culture to Wesleyan’s campus. We hold discussions, participate in cross-political debates, and help students find their voice in the campus political conversation.

Wesleyan Democrats