Status: Substantially Completed, Ongoing

• A Community-Engaged Research Partnership Specialist role was established to support people in developing proposals for the Equitable Climate Future working groups and postdocs, including community partners. 
  Sponsoring units include the Institute at Brown for Environment and Society, the Swearer Center, the Office of the Provost, and more.
• The Annenberg Institute and the Rhode Island School Superintendents Association coordinate annual convenings, in part to identify research priorities for district partners.
• The School of Public Health (SPH) launched the Promising Practices Speaker series to highlight partners, faculty and staff and their approaches to research or education.
• Community engagement staff across units (Swearer Center, SPH, Advance-CTR) continue to convene and advise researchers and partners in response to inquiries, as they emerge.

Status: Substantially Completed, Ongoing

• The Annenberg Institute partnered with the Rhode Island Department of Education and the Providence Public School District to study and strengthen Rhode Island’s teacher pipeline, from recruitment and preparation to retention and long-term career pathways. 
• Through the Community Engaged Data and Evaluation Collaborative (CEDEC), 205 community-identified projects were recorded, with 187 already completed. 
  Sponsoring units: Annenberg Institute, Brown University Library, Center for Computation and Visualization, Data Science Institute, Department of Africana Studies, School of Professional Studies, School of Public Health, Watson School of International and Public Affairs.
• The Annenberg Institute worked in partnership with the Rhode Island Foundation to convene and provide research support to a statewide commission that brought together education leaders, policymakers and community stakeholders to review and recommend updates to Rhode Island’s school funding formula.

Status: Substantially Completed, Ongoing

• The Community Engagement Network, consisting of 48 members and its Interest Groups, regularly convenes to strategize, share best practices and engage in professional development sessions, representing 27 departments/units.

Status: Significant Progress

• A two-part workshop, Braiding Knowledges: Understanding Indigenous Research Methods and Tribal Engagement at Brown (Native American and Indigenous Studies Initiative), introduced faculty, staff and postdoctoral fellows to key concepts of decolonial and indigenous methodologies in the Northeast. 
• The university committed to strategies and actions to deepen understanding and strengthen relationships with tribal and Indigenous peoples of this region. A Status Report and inventory were published in May 2026.

Status: Significant Progress

• The Community Engagement Network: Through regular collaboration and information sharing, 48 campus-based members help surface existing partnerships, programs and relationships across departments, creating a clearer understanding of the University’s engagement. This coordinated approach allows the Network not only to document where engagement is occurring but also to ask intentional questions about how Brown can contribute most effectively. 
• Updated Tribal Engagement inventory process: Ongoing consultation with tribally and Indigenous community engaged faculty, staff and students across divisions via 1:1 meetings and semesterly facilitated tribal engagement convenings. Data collected includes projects/initiatives, department(s) involved, associated faculty and staff, partner tribal nations and Indigenous communities, collaborating tribal citizens and Indigenous community members and timeframe. 
• Expand CRM (Salesforce) use, including how to access and contribute data. Brown currently has 20 licensed Salesforce users across seven campus units that use Salesforce for community engagement coordination and data: the Swearer Center, Annenberg Institute, Office of Government Relations, Office of Community Engagement, University Library, School of Public Health and Advance Rhode Island Clinical and Translational Research.
• As of May 2026, Brown has documented engagement with 434 Rhode Island-based community organizations. These partnerships span a wide range of sectors, including education, workforce development, healthcare, arts and culture, housing, youth development, economic mobility, civic engagement, environmental sustainability and social services. 

Status: Significant Progress

• Watson School of International and Public Affairs has launched the Workforce Development Policy Lab and is developing a model for an emerging state-and-local policy hub.
• Community-Engaged Data and Evaluation Collaborative projects are developed in partnership with community organizations to address community-identified data and evaluation needs. 
• Members of the School of Public Health’s People, Place and Health Collective have written four grant applications for two local nonprofit organizations seeking research capacity to complete projects that require academic partners. For example, several faculty and staff at SPH worked with RIDOH and local health equity zones to draft and submit two grant proposals to support community-led public health initiatives (fall and spring FY26).
• The Brown Arts Institute launched innovative community-based arts learning and creative engagement opportunities through programs such as the BAI Teaching Arts Studio and the BAI Director’s Forum. These initiatives created collaborative spaces for experienced and aspiring artists, educators, and community members to build connections, strengthen their artistic practice, and explore teaching artistry and performance rooted in Rhode Island’s arts and cultural landscape. In partnership with organizations such as the Wilbury Theatre Group, participants engaged in interactive workshops, discussions, and experiential learning opportunities that blended theoretical study with hands-on creative exploration.
• The Office of Community Engagement, in partnership with the Simmons Center, co-coordinated a conference commemorating the 160th Anniversary of the 13th Amendment. Hosted by the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island and featuring three Rhode Island Supreme Court justices, the event brought together judges, attorneys, legal scholars, law students, and community members for a day of discussions led by nationally recognized constitutional scholars, legal historians and judicial leaders. 

Status: Significant Progress

• A Compensation Guide on best practices for recognizing the labor and contributions of community partners was created and disseminated to the Community Engagement Network (over 48 staff members across campus). Consultations have been provided to multiple campus departments and units. 
• More Community Advisory Boards (CABs) are now providing compensation to community members for their time, expertise and participation than they were two years ago (including those connected to the School of Public Health, the People, Place & Health Collective, Advance Rhode Island Clinical and Translational Research, and the Swearer Center). 

Status: Significant Progress

• The CEDEC has responded to 205 community-identified projects as of July 2026. 
  Sponsoring units: Annenberg Institute, Brown University Library, Center for Computation and Visualization, Data Science Institute, Department of Africana Studies, School of Professional Studies, School of Public Health, Watson School of International and Public Affairs.
• Through Salesforce, 886 community initiatives, including research questions and priorities, have been catalyzed, with 574 completed matches connecting community partners with campus resources and support.

Status: Significant Progress

• Expanded BrownEngage to include board and committee service opportunities, enabling faculty and staff to connect with local nonprofit organizations. Through the platform's matchmaking process, the Swearer Center regularly facilitates introductions that support nonprofit governance and strengthen community partnerships.
• The Office of Community Engagement disseminated a Board Engagement Toolkit. Outreach efforts were designed to increase awareness of board service opportunities and encourage greater participation from faculty and staff with diverse professional backgrounds, lived experiences, and community connections.
• The Office of Community Engagement and the Swearer Center hosted the first-ever Staff Development Day Board Fair Virtual Session, inviting local organizations to share more about their work and meet staff members at Brown, who could be potential board members for their organizations.

Status: Significant Progress

• Beginning in 2024, the Office of the Dean of the Faculty has incorporated a focus on community engagement into New Faculty Orientation.
• BrownEngage serves as a central resource for community engagement information, tools, and opportunities, which we share with campus partners and incorporate into presentations and outreach across the University.

Status: Significant Progress

• Brown faculty and staff continue to participate in community-based coalitions and networks, such as the Health Equity Zones, Department of Health, Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS),  the Rhode Island School Superintendents Association, the Grantmakers Council of Rhode Island, the Thayer and Jewelry District merchant associations, the Chamber of Commerce and Partnership for Rhode Island.
• Faculty and staff also serve on state and municipal planning initiatives and committees.

Status: Significant Progress

• Multiple units at Brown leverage community members to inform their research, teaching and learning. A network of standing Community Advisory Boards (CABs) has been identified to help ensure community perspectives inform research, programming and institutional engagement efforts. These advisory bodies, include the Advance Rhode Island Clinical and Translational Research Community Advisory Action Board, the People, Place and Health Collective, advisory group connected to the Brown University School of Public Health and the Swearer Center. They have provided guidance to strengthen accountability and deepen reciprocal partnerships with communities. Additional advisory boards are being identified as Brown continues to expand structures for meaningful community voice and shared decision-making across its engagement ecosystem

Status: Emerging Progress

• The Community Advisory Board convenings in 2024 and 2025 created an initial structure for CAB members from multiple boards to provide feedback and insights during and after each session. 

Status: Emerging Progress

• A Compensation Guide was created and shared with more than 48 staff members in the Community Engagement Network.

Status: Emerging Progress

• Walking tours engage and compensate community experts.
• Speaker honoraria to workshop co-facilitators at the School of Public Health. 

Status: Emerging Progress

• The Brown School of Public Health’s Dean’s Awards recognize outstanding contributions by faculty, staff, and community partners to teaching, mentoring, research collaboration, community engagement, and leadership. The awards include a dedicated Dean’s Award for Excellence in Community Engagement, recognizing faculty whose community-engaged research, public health practice, or community service creates meaningful change, as well as a Dean’s Community Partner Award recognizing organizations that have developed strong, reciprocal, and sustainable relationships with the School of Public Health.
• The Swearer Center Social Innovation Fellowship provides Brown students with a two-year, community-centered experience combining internships with Rhode Island community organizations, mentorship, workshops, and hands-on development of social innovation projects. Fellows receive an annual stipend and build skills to advance social impact within community organizations or through new ventures.
• The CSREA Practitioner Fellowship supports external artists, writers, and media makers whose work explores race, ethnicity, and/or indigeneity, providing funding, access to Brown resources, and opportunities for intellectual exchange and community engagement to develop and share creative work.
• The Swearer Center Community Advisory Board (CAB) Awards present annual awards to Rhode Island community-based agencies that demonstrate innovative approaches and meaningful impact in serving local communities.
• The Swearer Engaged Faculty Awards also recognize designated community-based collaborators and include a financial award in recognition of their contributions. 

Status: Emerging Progress

• The Department of Epidemiology is utilizing a Community Leadership Council, bringing people with lived experience to provide input and decision-making.