The application period has ended for 2025 CWP Social Impact Awards.
Purpose
The CWP Social Impact Awards support faculty and researchers from across Columbia University who seek to address pressing societal challenges with innovative solutions, with the potential to transform thinking and inform actions to address these challenges. The awards support projects that put forward bold ideas for tackling key challenges, as well as interventions representing unexplored avenues of thought and action that are currently underserved by existing funding sources.
Project Criteria
While the theme for the Social Impact Awards changes annually, all projects must meet the following criteria:
- Collaboration — Inclusion of at least two faculty or researchers from distinct Columbia units as part of the project leadership
- Partnership — Evidence of partnership and equitable collaborations with partners outside Columbia University (e.g., government agencies, bilateral agencies, civil society organizations, private sector partners, and academic institutions)
- Interdisciplinarity — In project design, development and implementation
- Advancement of Scholarship and Evidence — Articulation of how the project will advance scholarship and derive evidence for solutions
- Measurement and Impact — Demonstration of clear and measurable outputs and outcomes
- Student involvement — Engagement of Columbia University undergraduate students, graduate students or postdocs in the project
- Social Justice — Commitment to advancing gender equity and racial justice