Courageous Conversations Fund (CCF)
Recognizing that students have ideas for programs or activities that would enhance HGSE's attention to engaging in difficult conversations, the Office of Student Affairs established the Courageous Conversations Fund (CCF) to support, with small grants, student-initiated ideas that invite students to engage in “courageous conversations.” Through this fund, we seek to broaden students’ exposure to more varied perspectives, experiences, and forums for exchange. This fund is available to HGSE students through a short proposal process.
Proposal Deadlines
- October 12, 2026, 11:59 p.m. ET
- November 9, 2026, 11:59 p.m. ET
- January 11, 2027, 11:59 p.m. ET
- February 8, 2027, 11:59 p.m. ET
- March 8, 2027, 11:59 p.m. ET
Application Process and Proposal Guidelines
Applications are completed online through the Courageous Conversations Proposal Submissions Form. Please allow up to three weeks to receive a response to a proposal. Accordingly, the scheduling of your event should take this timeline into consideration.
Complete and submit the CCF Proposal Submission Form.
- Activities must be student-initiated and have an educational component. Events that are primarily social in nature will not be funded.
- In the spirit of the Fund's key emphasis on innovative programming and activities, priority will be given in the funding of new initiatives.
- Events must not have scheduling conflicts with other school-wide HGSE-sponsored events.
- All funded activities must conclude no later than April 30th, 2027. Receipts for reimbursements and financial requests must also be turned into the Office of Student Affairs by this date, with accompanying paperwork.
Proposals should be no longer than three pages, and must include the following:
- HGSE Student(s) Name(s) and Email Address(es)
- Detailed description of proposed program/activity/event, including proposed date, time, location and expected attendance. Proposals must include a line-item budget.
- Statement of purpose describing how this activity will increase the capacity of students to engage in difficult conversations or invite HGSE students to engage in such conversations.
- Proposals should clearly address how the event will engage students across programs and interests. Events must be widely publicized and open to the entire HGSE community. If space for an event is limited, at least half of the seats must be available to members of the HGSE community.
- CCF grants may be used for speaker honoraria (payments made at the discretion of the University as a token of appreciation) for up to $300.
- CCF grants may not be used for groceries, catering, or other food expenses.
- CCF grants may not be used as payment for student organizers.
Are you curious about CCF?
If you are a HGSE student who is interested in applying, have an idea, or just have a question, you can reach out to Taylor Goyette-Frechette at Taylor_Goyette-Frechette@gse.harvard.edu.