$245K Awarded From Do Good Campus Fund

Projects to build a new playground at the Center for Young Children, expand computer science education for Latine communities in local libraries and create courses and field experiences to help bridge the urban-rural divide are among 18 that will split $245,000 from the University of Maryland’s Do Good Campus Fund. 

Now in its third year, the grant awards aim to spark innovative ideas that reimagine learning and strengthen efforts to serve humanity, offering students transformative experiences inside and beyond the classroom.

This spring, the Do Good Campus Strategic Leadership Council, in collaboration with Provost and Senior Vice President Jennifer King Rice and the Do Good Institute, awarded the grants to faculty, staff and student groups across nearly every school and college. Arts for All, the presidential campus-wide initiative, contributed $35,000 in arts-related grants, an amount matched by the Do Good Institute.

Over the fund's first two years, grantees have engaged more than 5,000 students in hands-on, experiential learning that connects classroom knowledge with real-world impact, and this year's cohort is poised to go even further.

“In today’s landscape, it’s more important than ever to support experiential education projects that invest in people and communities, partner to advance the public good, take on humanity’s grand challenges and, of course, reimagine learning,” said Do Good Campus Faculty Director James Stillwell. “From student leaders to faculty and staff, this year’s grantees make me prouder than ever to be a Terp. They are fearlessly meeting the moment and showing our campus, our community, and our world what it means to Do Good.” 

Grantees will use their award to scale their impact according to the Do Good learning principles: experiential, inclusive, innovative, social impact-oriented and in service of humanity. 

The projects awarded the biggest grants to expand their impact are: 

Our Maryland: Equipping Interconnected Leaders ($23,500)
Office of Undergraduate Studies 
This project creates an experiential learning course that connects students with leaders and key issues across Maryland, with a focus on rural regions. It aims to deepen students' understanding of the state's urban-rural divide and the diversity of its communities, providing a more comprehensive statewide perspective. Funding will support course development, field experiences across Maryland, expert speakers from around the state and travel for meetings with community leaders, officials and practitioners.

Communicating for the Public Good: Revising COMM107's Textbook ($23,410)
College of Arts and Humanities
This project revises the free textbook, "Communicating for the Public Good: Public Speaking as Advocacy & Civic Engagement," used in the course “Oral Communication: Principles and Practices” to incorporate current examples of students making a difference in and around campus, strengthening the connection between communication skills and civic engagement. Funding will support textbook development, outreach coordination, image and video collection, and permissions and attributions for open-access materials and video captioning.

Catalyzing Storytelling for Local Ethnic Communities ($21,500)
Philip Merrill College of Journalism
This project addresses the lack of in-depth news coverage on issues affecting diverse ethnic communities in the College Park area. Through hands-on roles as researchers, reporters and designers, students will gain experiential learning while helping bridge gaps between communities and local media. By fostering partnerships among students, journalists and community members, the project aims to expand representation, build trust and improve inclusive local reporting. Funding will support audience surveys and focus group interviews. 

Slavery, Law and Power: History Lab Class and Internships for high school students ($19,834)
College of Arts and Humanities
This project offers students at College Park Academy a research-based Summer 2026 course exploring slavery's formation and development, while producing educational materials available to teachers nationwide. Building on curriculum developed in the last funding cycle in consultation with College Park Academy social studies teachers, the Young Terps UMD class will be grounded in experiential, hands-on historical research. Students will build familiarity with the tools and methods of historians while strengthening their readiness for college-level coursework. Funding will support a field trip to the National Museum of African American History and Culture, stipends for high school teachers to continue curriculum development and an internship program for participating high school students and UMD undergraduates.

Co-Learn Code and Mind: Empowering Future Innovators through Youth Participatory Inquiry, Social and Emotional Learning, and Intergenerational Mentoring ($19,700)
College of Education
This yearlong after-school program, a partnership between UMD and Montgomery County Public Schools, uses robotics as a platform for hands-on learning and student-led exploration. The project now aims to expand into additional MCPS middle schools; funding will support pilot schools as they launch and transition to self-sufficiency. The program centers students’ voices through reflection and collaboration, helping participants build confidence, communication skills and a sense of belonging, while connecting UMD students, high school mentors and senior volunteers in a supportive, cross-generational learning community.

Stepping up for Sustainability: An AGNR and CYC Collaboration ($18,000)
College of Agriculture and Natural Resources
This project addresses severe erosion on UMD's Center for Young Children playground while providing hands-on learning for students in the course “Landscape Construction” (INAG251). Working in collaboration with the College of Education, students will survey, design and build a functional playground for young children, gaining practical skills in landscape construction, teamwork and project management. The project serves as a model for integrating real-world environmental solutions with workforce-focused education. Funding will support direct construction costs.

Tech Sin Fronteras: Latine Youth Tech Access and Family Empowerment at Prince George's County Public Libraries ($18,000)
College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences
This project expands access to computer science education for Latine communities in Prince George's County through bilingual, community-based programming. By adapting UMD's Computing Catalyst curriculum, it aims to increase representation in computing and create a culturally responsive pathway to higher education, supported by undergraduate student ambassadors. Funding will support training and coordination, curriculum development and family engagement activities.

See the full list of funded projects on the Do Good Institute’s website.