Neighborhood Assistance Center

Grassroots, non-profit, and community-based organizations, as well as local municipal agencies are invited to request a community project. If you are unsure whether you are eligible to request a project, contact us to discuss your idea before submitting a request. If your project is not eligible, we may be able to refer you to another source of help.

Faculty and students are encouraged to work with their community partners to submit a project request. Requests should come from the community partner. Community partners can include grassroots, non-profit and community-based organizations, community coalitions and task forces, and local municipal agencies.

Yes. We welcome the opportunity to talk through your ideas before submitting a formal request.

Assistance is free to community organizations if the project can be completed with existing resources. Larger projects may need additional funding. However, we do have several stipulations for organizations and agencies whose projects are selected, including active participation; collaboration; a commitment to sharing data and results with the community at large; and your feedback on our process and outcomes. Our memorandum of understanding outlines our expectations of project partners.

You will be expected to sign a memorandum of understanding acknowledging that you agree to: 1) actively participate in the project; 2) collaborate with others who might be able to contribute to or benefit from the project; and 3) be transparent and share the datasets and results of the project with the community at large (except in instances where confidentiality must be protected); and 4) participate in an evaluation of the project’s process and outcomes. In instances when the data must be kept confidential, a confidentiality agreement between the community geographer and partnering group(s) will be established.

Simply complete and submit the project request form. If you are unsure how community research or mapping can benefit your organization or project, complete as much of the form as you can. We will contact you by phone to further discuss your ideas and to explore the possibilities.

Neighborhood Assistance Center staff will review the proposal and contact you to discuss the details of the proposed project.

Neighborhood Assistance Center staff will work with you to determine a mutually acceptable timeframe to begin the project.

Most projects result in a collaboratively produced final report. Other tangible products include digital and print maps and digital datasets. Digital maps are provided in .pdf and .jpeg file formats for ease of use in documents and presentations. In addition, we make maps and data available to the community at large on our website. In the event that a project’s analysis may disclose confidential information, the maps that are made publicly available will not include personal identifying information and the digital data will not be publicly shared.