Fellowships & Grants
We fund people with questions worth answering.
CMRU fellowships and grants exist to support people who are doing real work on real problems. We keep barriers low, selection transparent, and outcomes public. If you have a question worth pursuing, we want to help you pursue it.
Our Programs
Three programs for different kinds of work.
Flagship
Innovation Fellows
A six-month embedded fellowship for researchers, technologists, and practitioners working at the intersection of innovation, policy, and community. Fellows receive funding, workspace, mentorship, and a platform to publish their findings.
6 months, full engagement
Stipend provided
Based in Cleveland
Community
Community Project Grants
Small grants for resident-led projects that address real challenges in Cleveland neighborhoods. No advanced degree required. No institutional affiliation needed. Just a clear problem, a practical approach, and the drive to follow through.
$1,000 to $10,000
3 to 6 month projects
Open to all Cleveland residents
Research
Research Grants
Funding for independent research on topics aligned with CMRU's focus areas: civic technology, urban innovation, policy analysis, and community development. Open to individuals and small teams.
$5,000 to $25,000
6 to 12 month timeline
Open-access publication required
Our Funding Philosophy
How we think about supporting people and projects.
Low barriers
No institutional affiliation required. No advanced degree required. We care about the quality of the question and the seriousness of the approach, not the letters after your name.
Transparent selection
We publish our selection criteria, review process, and decision rationale. You will always know where your application stands and why we made the call we made.
Paid work
Fellowships and grants include real compensation. We do not ask people to do serious work for free. If your time and expertise have value, our funding should reflect that.
Public outcomes
Everything funded by CMRU produces public outputs. Research is published openly. Tools are open source. Knowledge belongs to everyone, not just the funder.
Application Timeline
What to expect from start to finish.
1
Applications Open
We announce application windows on our website, newsletter, and social channels. Applications are open for a minimum of 30 days.
2
Review Period
Applications are reviewed by CMRU staff and external advisors. We evaluate based on published criteria. This takes approximately 4 weeks.
3
Interviews
Shortlisted candidates have a conversation with the CMRU team. This is collaborative, not adversarial. We want to understand your vision.
4
Selection & Notification
All applicants receive a decision with feedback. Selected fellows and grantees are announced publicly.
5
Onboarding & Kickoff
Fellows and grantees are onboarded with clear expectations, milestones, and support structures. Then the real work begins.
Applications Opening Soon
Fellowship and grant applications will open as CMRU launches its inaugural programs. Subscribe to our newsletter to be notified when applications go live.
Have a question about our programs?
We are happy to talk through whether a CMRU fellowship or grant might be right for your work.