OUP administers the Community Development Work Study Program (CDWSP) to help academic institutions attract more minority and economically disadvantaged students to participate in planning and community development work study programs. Universities throughout the United States utilize this program to offer financial aid and work experience to students enrolled in full-time graduate community development work study programs. CDWSP allows institutions to select between three to five students to participate in their program. As a result of this program, students are provided grants and a variety of work placements with local community development agencies.

Eligible Applicants. Organizations are eligible if they are an accredited institution of higher education recognized by the U.S. Department of Education that offers a graduate degree in a community development academic program; an areawide planning organization (APO) applying on behalf of two or more eligible accredited institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education that offer a graduate degree in a community development academic program; or a state applying on behalf of two or more eligible accredited institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education that offer a graduate degree in a community development academic program located in that state.

Eligible community building and academic programs include, but are not limited to, accredited graduate degree programs in community and economic development, community planning, community management, public administration, public policy, urban economics, urban management, and urban planning. The program does not accept applications from academic units in social and humanistic fields such as law, economics (except urban economics), education, sociology, business administration, and history. Joint degree programs cannot apply unless both joint degree fields focus on educating students in community building. Two-year academic institutions are not eligible for these grants.

Program Contact

Madlyn Wohlman-Rodriguez
Grant Specialist
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Office of University Partnerships
Room 8226
451 Seventh Street, SW
Washington, DC 20410
Telephone: (202) 402–5939
Fax: (202) 708–0309
Email: madlyn.wohlmanrodriguez@hud.gov