OUP - About COPC

FY12 Update

The Community Outreach Partnership Centers program will not be funded during the FY12 grant cycle and has not been funded since FY05.

Since 1994, OUP's Community Outreach Partnership Centers (COPC) program has awarded grants to help colleges and universities establish and operate COPCs to carry out outreach and applied research activities that will address problems in urban areas. The program also seeks to encourage structural changes, both within an institution and in the way the institution relates to its neighborhood.

Two kinds of grants are awarded under this program: New Grants and New Directions grants. New Grants are awarded to applicants who have never received a COPC grant, to address three or more distinct urban problems. New Directions grants are awarded to applicants who have previously received a COPC grant. New Directions applicants must demonstrate that they will implement new eligible activities in a current COPC neighborhood or the same or new activities in a new neighborhood.

Eligible Applicants. Accredited public or private nonprofit institutions of higher education that grant 2- or 4-year degrees may apply for COPC funding. Consortia of eligible institutions may also apply, as long as one institution is designated as the lead applicant.

Eligible Activities. COPC programs may combine outreach and research activities to address comprehensive, multifaceted community problems. Examples of successful COPC initiatives include but are not limited, to activities such as:

Job training and counseling to reduce unemployment.
Local initiatives to combat housing discrimination and homelessness, encourage the development of affordable housing, and help consumers navigate the process of buying and maintaining that housing.
Mentoring and educational programs for neighborhood youth.
Financial and technical assistance for new businesses.
Training or technical assistance that builds the capacity of community groups and increases the leadership skills of neighborhood residents.
Planning activities that help local residents develop a vision for their community and a plan for implementing that vision.
Projects to fight disease, crime, and environmental degradation.
Activities that increase a community's access to information and applied research.
University coursework that encourages students to engage in activities relating to the community.

Program Contact

Kinnard D. Wright
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) 402–7495
Fax: (202) 708–0309
Email: kinnard.d.wright@hud.gov