SPARC Collision Incubator

COVID-19 is an unprecedented global crisis and will require an unprecedented response. In response, many private funders have issued special calls for research, education and community engagement projects to help our country, state and university respond and recover from this emergency. The faculty at the University of Minnesota are well positioned to receive this funding, a critical step in our own recovery and long-term resilience. However, these calls are unusual and often issued on short timelines.

To help faculty navigate and pursue this changing landscape of funding, the University COVID Action Network (U-CAN) under the Strategic Partnerships and Research Collaborative (SPARC), and in partnership with the University of Minnesota's Corporate and Foundation Relations office, is hosting a Zoom Collision Incubator Event on Thursday, May 28 from 12-1:00 pm CT.

During the event, we will focus on work at the University of Minnesota convened around the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including corporate, foundation, and individual giving trends related to SDGs and private foundation opportunities addressing SDGs.

Specifically we will preview a report done by Charities Aid Foundation America that explores the SDG landscape and what has emerged based on its donors’ philanthropic giving since the goals entered into force on January 1st, 2016. The report looks at the SDGs that rose to the top based on the level of support received and provides a window into giving trends world-wide. In addition, we will highlight a few private foundations who are globally focused in their giving in support of various SDG goals.

(Private Foundations: Current Requests for COVID-19 Related Proposals)

SPARC supports UMN researchers to fund and manage large-scale, multidisciplinary, team-based work. Recently established under SPARC, the U-CAN is a grassroots coalition of volunteer faculty, staff, and students focused on helping the front-line heroes from the University, governments, and nonprofits respond and recover from the COVID-19 Pandemic.