SUNY Chancellor King Announces Applications Open for Building Bridges Student Grant Competition
September 22, 2026
Program Provides Grants to SUNY Student Groups Leading Projects that Promote Civic Engagement, Community Connections, and Collaboration
Student Groups Can Apply for Funding Here Through November 6
Albany, NY — State University of New York Chancellor John B. King Jr. today announced the opening of applications for SUNY's Building Bridges Student Grant Competition. The initiative, now in its second year, provides grant funding to SUNY student groups leading projects that promote civic engagement, community connections, and collaboration on their respective campuses.
"Promoting civil discourse and civic engagement are vital roles of public higher education," said SUNY Chancellor King. "The Building Bridges Grant Competition has empowered our students to engage with all members of their campus communities, and the expansion of this program means that more of our students will have the resources they need to promote constructive conversation on their campuses. I look forward to seeing how our students use these grants to continue to foster a welcoming environment for everyone on their campuses."
The SUNY Board of Trustees said, "SUNY is proud of our efforts to support our students as they work to expand civil discourse and civic engagement on their campuses. We are grateful to Governor Hochul and the State Legislature for their continued support and investment in SUNY, and our students."
The Building Bridges Student Grant Competition provides grant funding to student projects that work to build bridges across differences on their respective campuses in areas such as civil discourse, anti-hate and bias, and fostering constructive dialogue for students. Following the high demand for the program during its first year, the program was expanded to provide up to 25 campus groups with grants of $5,000 to lead student designed projects that strengthen their communities and build connections across lines of difference.
The expansion of the program was included in SUNY's 2026 State of the University Policy Agenda. Interested student groups are encouraged to apply for the Building Bridges Student Grant Competition here: https://workflow.suny.edu/view.php?id=508797 through November 6.
In 2025, during the inaugural year of the program, five SUNY student groups received grants through the Building Bridges program. The student groups who were awarded funding included:
- State University of New York at Binghamton's Student Association's project, Leading Constructive Conversations, conducted an in-depth three-hour workshop with the goal to empower student leaders to lead constructive conversations. Conversations were facilitated by the Center for Community Engagement's Civil Dialogue Project.
- State University of New York at Buffalo's Chapter of the Friends Committee on National Legislation convened student groups and local elected officials to participate in a day of service and purposeful reflection. Service projects focused on migration justice and benefit organizations that support immigrant communities in the region.
- Empire State University's Peer Mediation Student Organization's project, Bridging Perspectives: A Peer-to-Peer Cohort-Based Initiative for Culturally Aware Conflict Resolution, convened representatives from a range of student groups to create a semester-long community of practice. The goal of the project was to foster intergroup connections, reduce bullying and discrimination, and support constructive dialogue, while using diversity, equity, and inclusion as a framework for discussions.
- SUNY Oneonta's Student Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council's project, Dialogue for Dinner, hosted monthly dinners to engage student groups across campus in dialogue, covering topics of interest to the campus community. Conversations were supported by advisors from the Institute for Civil Society and Democracy, the Center for Racial Justice and Inclusive Excellence, and the Gender and Sexuality Resource Center.
- Rockland Community College's Model UN Club's project, Bridges and Binders: Affinity Group Dialogue Series, convened cultural groups on campus to participate in ongoing conversations with the goal of creating three campus policy resolutions and a "Model UN Campus Dialogue Playbook" designed to promote pathways for civil discourse, negotiation, and conflict resolution to improve culture in the domains of academic, professional, and civic life.
State University of New York at Binghamton Center for Community Engagement Director Alison Twang said, "We were grateful to partner with the Student Association to facilitate a Leading Constructive Conversations workshop designed to support student leaders in navigating difficult discussions. Students were highly engaged in the program, and reported that the workshop helped them feel more prepared to engage respectfully with someone they disagree with and feel more ready to navigate conflict. These are essential skills that will benefit students in their professional, academic, civic, and personal lives."
SUNY Oneonta Student Molly Eldridge said, "This project was important to me for a few reasons. As an Anthropology major, there is a large philosophy surrounding community being the emphasis of the human experience. I wanted to apply what I study and care about, and bring that into my other world, which is DEI work and advocacy. I want to empower students and build community, and this project perfectly marries ideals that I hold close. As someone who was a transfer and has, for over three years on this campus, worked as an advocate in DEI spaces, it was important to me for Oneonta students and the SUNY community to recognize and see all the work that SUNY Oneonta has been doing to make our campus more inclusive and create belonging. Part of this effort has been through supporting students, such as myself, and the work that they're doing."
Rockland Community College Professor and Program Director of the Legal Studies Department Patricia Szobonya, Esq. said, "The SUNY Building Bridges Grant transformed civil discourse from something students study into something they actively practice. Through Chancellor King's initiative, RCC Model UN students applied skills in dialogue, negotiation and collaboration at the National Model United Nations in New York City. They brought that experience back to campus through student-led workshops and conversations on challenging issues. I witnessed their growth in leadership, confidence and cultural awareness. Building Bridges empowers students to foster thoughtful, inclusive and constructive dialogue in their communities."
The Building Bridges Grant Competition builds on SUNY's commitment to expanding civic engagement efforts throughout the SUNY System. Beginning this fall, the general education requirements for all students includes a core competency in civil discourse to ensure students develop strong lifelong skills. Recently, SUNY announced the "I Voted at SUNY" sticker design opportunity for SUNY students, which gives students the opportunity to submit a sticker design that will be available at all polling sites on SUNY campuses throughout New York State during the November midterm election. In June, Governor Hochul announced the expansion of the Empire State Service Corps, including 1,000 available spots and new program areas to meet New York's most pressing needs. In September 2025, SUNY announced the second cohort of the Civil Discourse and Civic Education and Engagement Fellowship Program to promote civil discourse among students, faculty, and staff throughout campus communities and to advance SUNY's commitment to civic engagement as an essential outcome of higher education. In 2024, SUNY announced efforts to support nonpartisan student voter registration and civic engagement, including campus participation in the national ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge.
The Building Bridges Student Grant Competition also builds on SUNY's efforts to invest in outstanding students, faculty, and staff and support initiatives throughout the SUNY System. SUNY has awarded funding through the Mental Health First Aid Grant Program to strengthen campus-wide approaches to student mental health and well-being, launched the Outdoors for All program to provide campuses with grants to facilitate year-round outdoor opportunities, and allocated more than $125,000 in grants in 2024 to furnish or enhance interfaith prayer and reflection spaces at 22 SUNY campuses to help promote inclusivity and a welcoming environment for all students.
About the State University of New York
The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive system of higher education in the United States, and more than 95 percent of all New Yorkers live within 30 miles of any one of SUNY’s 64 colleges and universities. Across the system, SUNY has four academic health centers, five hospitals, four medical schools, two dental schools, a law school, the country’s oldest school of maritime, the state's only college of optometry, 12 Educational Opportunity Centers, over 30 ATTAIN digital literacy labs, and manages one US Department of Energy National Laboratory. In total, SUNY serves about 1.7 million students across its portfolio of credit- and non-credit-bearing courses and programs, continuing education, and community outreach programs. SUNY oversees nearly a quarter of academic research in New York. Research expenditures system-wide are nearly $1.5 billion in fiscal year 2025, including significant contributions from students and faculty. There are more than three million SUNY alumni worldwide, and annually one in three New Yorkers who earn a college degree is a SUNY alum. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunities, visit suny.edu.
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