Community-University Engagement Support (CUES) Fund

Each CUES Fund application must include two applicants who are the main points of contact for the proposal:

• a co-applicant that represents an eligible BC-based community partner (principal community applicant)
• and a co-applicant that is a current UBC faculty*, staff, or student*at either UBC Vancouver or Okanagan (principal UBC applicant)

* Please note, if you are a student, post-doctoral fellow, adjunct, clinical or emeritus faculty or lecturer applying for CUES funding, you will need to ensure that a current tenured faculty member is willing to co-sign on your project.

Eligible community partners should be a registered charity registered non-profit society or qualified donee listed by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). If the principal community applicant is not a qualified donee, a community organization that is a qualified donee or a UBC department may be permitted to act as a financial intermediary. If you know who may act as a financial intermediary for your project, please indicate this in the financial intermediary section of your application.

The CUES Fund is not able to support projects outside of Canada.

FFunding is paid directly to the principal community applicant organization. In cases where a community partner is unable to accept a grant, funds may be disbursed to the partnering UBC department or unit.

Strong CUES Fund applications demonstrate meaningful collaboration between community and university partners and clearly show how the proposed project will create mutual benefit and contribute to positive community impact.

Applications are evaluated across the following areas:

• Issue, Opportunity & Relevance: Clearly identifies a community-informed opportunity, priority, or need, supported by relevant context and rationale.
• Partnership, Roles & Shared Goals: Demonstrates a reciprocal partnership with shared goals, clearly defined roles, and collaborative decision-making.
• Community Impact & Engagement: Shows how community members and organizations will be meaningfully engaged throughout the project and how the work will create tangible community benefits.
• Academic Contributions: Explains how the project contributes to research, teaching, learning, knowledge exchange, or other academic outcomes while integrating community knowledge and expertise.
• Project Plan, Learning & Feasibility: Presents a realistic and well-developed plan with clear goals, activities, timelines, outcomes, and opportunities for reflection and learning.
• Equity & Inclusion Practices: Demonstrates how equity, inclusion, accessibility, and relevant community protocols are intentionally integrated into the project.
• Resource Leveraging & Future Impact: Describes how CUES funding will help leverage partner resources, strengthen partnerships, support future funding opportunities, and contribute to longer-term impact.
• Budget: Provides a transparent, well-justified budget that aligns with project activities and includes fair compensation for community participation where appropriate.

Competitive proposals will embody our principles of engagement, must be community-informed and articulate clear benefits for both community and university partners. Strong applications also show a commitment to equity, meaningful engagement, and long-term impact.

You can review our evaluation criteria here.

You can learn more about the CUES program, evaluation criteria and how to develop a strong proposal by reviewing our CUES Applicant Guide

Eligible expenses must be related to the proposed relationship and/or partnership-building activities and outcomes. Examples of eligible expenses include:

• Salary/stipends for project team members supporting partnership-building activities; and project management activities (scheduling meetings, coordinating with partners, completing reports). 
• Honoraria for community members, elders, leaders, and knowledge keepers or brokers
• Training or education fees necessary for project team members to fully participate or contribute
• Program or organizational evaluations or assessments
• Engagement costs, including travel & accommodation, facilities/space rental fees for meetings, and catering costs
• Equipment and supplies that directly support relationship and/or partnership-building activities

Applying for the CUES fund is a two-step process.

Step 1: Submit a Notice of Intent (NOI); Deadline: September 28, 2026

All co-applicants are required to develop and submit a Notice of Intent (NOI) to confirm their eligibility and briefly describe their proposed work together. The NOI is for administrative purposes only. It is non-competitive and will not be evaluated. Everyone who meets the eligibility requirements and submits an NOI will be invited to submit a full application. You can download a Sample NOI template to prepare your answers in advance with your with your co-applicant.

Step 2: Submit a Full Application; Deadline: November 21, 2025

All eligible applicants who submit an NOI by September 28, 2026, will receive an email invitation to submit their full application for the 2026/27 CUES fund within two weeks. Applications will be submitted by a webform (a link will be provided in your invitation email) and are due by November 20, 2026. You will have access to the CUES application questions in advance to collaborate on your responses with your co-applicant.

Funding is not intended as a replacement for other sources of direct research funding or daily operational costs that are not directly related to the project. Examples of ineligible expenses include:

• Direct costs of academic research, such as those typically covered by tri-agency funding bodies (CIHR, NSERC, or SSHRC). Examples include hiring someone specifically to perform data analysis for an academic publication, buying laboratory supplies, paying fees to publish in academic journals, or faculty travel to academic conferences.
• Administrative or core costs/expenses for community organizations, e.g., salaries associated with an organization’s daily operations or activities unrelated to the project
• Funding that flows directly to an individual (CUES funds are intended to go to community partner organizations)
• Costs of alcohol (or related costs such as liquor licenses) 
• Retroactive expenses

Yes. We ask that all recipients submit a narrative report within two months of the project end date. A template will be provided to all recipients. The report will provides an opportunity to share project outcomes and confirm that the funds were used as described in the approved application. Alternative forms of reporting such as an interview or site visit will also be considered.

In addition, CUES Fund recipients are asked to notify us of any materials that were developed with the support of CUES funding. Examples of materials include, but are not limited to, final publications, reports, event materials, and audio or video productions. With permission and in accordance with OCAP (ownership, control, access, and possession) principles, UBC may share these as examples of work supported by the CUES program.

Yes. However, any applicants who have received three or more years of consecutive funding will no longer be eligible.

We expect all payments to be processed by March 31, 2027. For this reason, we suggest that any expenses related to your CUES project be incurred after March 31, 2027.

The CUES Fund is highly competitive. On average, the CUES success rate is 27%.

CUES Fund proposals are adjudicated by a multidisciplinary review panel composed of UBC faculty members, staff members, and local community representatives. All proposals are initially reviewed and scored by three separate reviewers using our evaluation criteria.

A review panel then convenes to finalize rankings of applications and make recommendations for funding.