Division of Community Engagement

The Small Business Opportunity Center (SBOC) has joined the Division of Community Engagement, bringing its work to strengthen entrepreneurship and economic opportunity into the university’s broader community engagement efforts. The move builds on SBOC’s existing partnerships across VCU, including its continued collaboration with the VCU School of Business and the da Vinci Center for Innovation. […]

Investing in the Starting Point of Community-Engaged Research Every impactful community-engaged research project has to start somewhere. Sometimes, it starts with a conversation, a question, or a community-identified need that does not yet have an easy answer. The Thriving Communities Research Pilot Grant was developed to support that starting point. Meaningful partnerships take time to […]

From the Classroom to the Community This fall, the Hub is home to four academic interns, including three School of Social Work field placements and one HPEX student, as well as a student employee. In partnership with the School of Social Work Evaluation Lab, the student will spend the academic year helping tell the story […]

As students arrived at George Washington Carver Elementary School for the first day of classes, they were greeted by VCU students, faculty, staff and community partners cheering them on. The celebration was a visible reminder of a relationship between VCU and Carver that extends well beyond the first day of school. For VCU Senior Manager […]

Strong communities are built by organizations that understand the unique needs of the people they serve. Through its Seed Grant Programs, the Division of Community Engagement helps turn innovative ideas into meaningful action by investing directly in community-led solutions. The Division currently offers two funding opportunities: Together, these programs provide more than funding—they create partnerships […]

2025-2026 Excellence in Community Engagement Award Nominees At Virginia Commonwealth University, community engagement is a living practice, carried forward each day by faculty, students, staff, and partners who dedicate themselves to meaningful collaboration beyond the classroom and the laboratory. Each year, the Division of Community Engagement recognizes those who exemplify this commitment through the Excellence […]

Division of Community Engagement | Virginia Commonwealth University Community engagement at VCU is a sustained orientation toward the communities that surround and support this university — one that requires consistency, intentionality, and the willingness to keep showing up. April 2026 reflected that orientation across every program and partnership area within DCE. This report captures the […]

Division of Community Engagement | Virginia Commonwealth University Community Engagement is a practice that requires sustained presence, reciprocal relationships, and a willingness to let community-identified needs shape the work. March 2026 offered a vivid illustration of what practice looks like across Richmond.  Community Partnerships and Collaboration New collaborations took root across Richmond, including, but not […]

February 2026 marked a month of strong growth in community partnerships, student engagement, and cross-sector collaboration across the Division of Community Engagement (DCE). Through strategic partnerships, experiential learning opportunities, and community-based programming, DCE continued to advance VCU’s commitment to thriving communities. Community Partnerships and CollaborationDCE expanded its partnership network on Collaboratory to include 295 community […]

Girls For A Change and the VCU School of Social Work, in partnership with the Mary and Frances Youth Center in the VCU Division of Community Engagement, will host Girls, Unlimited Book Talk: 100 Books for 100 Girls, featuring award-winning author, scholar, and advocate Dr. Monique Couvson. The event will center on Couvson’s new book, […]