Community-Based Learning Initiative

Your junior paper or senior thesis research can provide useful information to nonprofits and the communities they serve. 

Are you interested in Urban Development?  Education Reform?  Health Policy?  Immigration?  Homelessness? 

Our nonprofit partners work on these issues--and many others--every day.  You can ground your scholarship in practice by learning from community-based practitioners. 

CBLI can help you make a connection to an organization whose work is related to your interests, and vice-versa.  Email us at cbli@princeton.edu about your interests or make an appointment to talk in person.

See topics of interest listed under Research Questions on the left sidebar menu.

Through the Barfield Fund for Community-Based Independent Work, CBLI awards grants to facilitate independent research for a senior thesis or junior paper (where appropriate) conducted in partnership with communities and nonprofit organizations.  

Recognizing that research collaborations with community-based organizations often result in unanticipated expenses, these grants supplement Departmental and Office of the Dean of the College funding.  Barfield grants may be used to cover costs such as travel for interviews and other research at community sites, supplies, transcription fees, making copies of the thesis for community organizations, and other similar expenses. 

Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis from students working toward their junior papers or senior theses. 

Apply through the SAFE (Student Activities Funding Engine) website: http://www.princeton.edu/studentfunding/  (search for "CBLI" under "funding office").