Funding & Scholarships

Koob Fund for Student Community Engagement- Students

The Robert and Yvonne Koob Fund for Student Community Engagement is an endowment supporting students who are completing internships in positions of service in Iowa. Awards up to $2,000 (undergraduate students) and up to $3,000 (graduate students) will be given and approximately $10,000 total is awarded annually.

To date, over 100 UNI students have received Koob funding for nonprofit internships in Iowa. Koob interns have partnered with many Cedar Valley organizations, such as the Waterloo Commission on Human Rights, the Grout Museum, Junior Achievement and several of the Cedar Valley’s schools and hospitals.

The impact of Koob internships extends across Iowa, stretching as far east as Scott County and as far west as Montgomery County.

Check out our:

To apply, visit Instructions/Application Process.

Veridian Community Engagement Fellowship- Faculty/Staff

2024/2025 Fellowships Sponsored by: Veridian Credit Union

The purpose of this fellowship is to encourage faculty to engage with community partners to better the community in a manner that also enhances their teaching and scholarship.

Community engagement is defined as the collaboration of the university with the public sector for the mutual benefit of all. This engagement is not simply service or membership, but it is the combination of meeting a community need through teaching and/or scholarship.

The proposed engagement work must take place within Veridian's field of membership and with a nonprofit organization to receive the fellowship.

Application cycles are as follows:

2025/2026 Fall application submission: TBD

2025 Spring/Summer application submission deadline: Deadline Extend to April 18th, 2025

For questions, please contact Julianne Gassman at gassman@uni.edu or 273-2204.

Check out our Veridian Fellowship Impact Report, an overview of Veridian fellowship recipients from 2006-2018!

24/25 Application

Fellowship Criteria

McElroy Youth Leadership Funds- Faculty/Staff

The endowed McElroy Youth Leadership Fund aims to support UNI faculty, staff and students that engage with the community to provide programs, resources, research, and services to youth in the Cedar Valley. Projects should address inclusion, equity, and diversity and advance social justice.

The McElroy Youth Leadership Fund is also designed to recruit students into careers as leaders of youth-serving organizations and nonprofit agencies. Exposing students to opportunities in providing programs, resources and services to youth in the community can peak their curiosity for career paths in the youth-serving/nonprofit sector.

Eligibility requirements:

Any UNI faculty, staff, students, or student organization can apply for the funds;
The program, resource, or service must serve youth and/or youth-serving organizations in the community;
Projects should address inclusion, equity, and diversity and advance social justice;
Recipients must agree to learn about the CNP (20 min presentation). Upon notification of funds, a presentation will be arranged.

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. To apply for funds that address the goals of the McElroy Youth Leadership Funds please see the application below:

McElroy Fund Application

Wilson College of Business Students Nonprofit Internship Fund- Students

The Wilson College of Business Scholarship for Social Engagement was created to remove the financial impediment of unpaid internships and encourage students to become socially engaged. The scholarship is available to UNIBusiness students who complete an internship with a non-profit organization. See below for full eligibility requirements; applications will be accepted on a continuing basis.

‌Wilson College of Business Students Nonprofit Internship Fund

Funds Distributed

Through Koob, Veridian, and McElroy Fund for Youth Development, the Office of Community Engagement has disbursed over $50,000 during the 23/24 academic year. These funds supported a variety of programs, projects, and students from across campus.

Fighting Summer Learning Loss

Camp Activ8 is a new summer learning program with a special focus on improving literacy through engaging activities like geocaching, science experiments, art projects, hip hop literacy and more. To read about this Veridian funded project click below.

Fighting summer learning loss with a literacy-focused camp at UNI