How to Craft a Compelling CUE Fellowship Equity Project Proposal

If you are considering applying for the CUE Fellowship but aren’t quite sure how to articulate your Equity Project, here are some ideas to help you prepare your proposal.

What is an Equity Project?

An Equity Project addresses systemic inequities and fosters change by reimagining programs, policies, processes, or practices through a racial equity lens. These projects focus not only on public policies (like ordinances) but also on addressing racial equity issues within programs, internal organizational processes, and/or institutional practices. Successful proposals clearly demonstrate the connection between the project and systemic change within decision-making and narrative-shaping institutions. For examples of previous successful projects, take a look at The Equity Playbook.

Project Details

Your application will require specific information about your project. Consider the following components:

Partnership

• Identify an Organization: Determine the organization (or institution) you will partner with. Strong applications leverage existing relationships and confirm collaboration with organizations where you are currently employed or have a long-term connection, such as being a board member, volunteer, or collaborator.

• Project Completion: Applicant's ability to move the project to completion, through their organizational/institutional partnership, position, influence, and expertise. 

Equity Challenge

• Core Challenge: Clearly describe the racial equity challenge your project aims to address. Detail how equity principles are integrated into the project’s goals.

• Embedded Initiatives: Your project does not need to be entirely new. Applicants tend to succeed when focusing on projects that are already a part of their daily responsibilities.

• Impacting Systems: Clearly state how your project will drive systemic change, shift power dynamics, and advance your sector.

Measurable Impact

• Building Power: Explain how your project will help build power and move Chicago toward justice. Define the tangible impact you seek and how it contributes to systems change.

• Reimagining Practices: How will you approach reimagining the specific policy, program, process, or practice?

• Community Engagement: Identify the key groups, individuals, or organizations essential to the success of your project.

• Replication Potential: Assess the possibility of replicating your project model in other contexts.

Application Considerations

When you prepare your application, keep these suggestions in mind:

• Describing the Challenge: Articulate the current reality and its effects on Chicago. Aim for depth and clarity—there’s no need for extensive research or data tables.

• Engage with Partners: It’s highly recommended to have preliminary discussions with your partner organization prior to applying.

• Project Plan Flexibility: While a complete project plan isn’t required, outline meaningful deliverables that advance your issue. Refer to the Equity Playbooks [LINK] for insights on potential project types.

• Support Throughout the Fellowship: You will work on your Equity Project throughout the Fellowship, receiving guidance from partners, CUE staff, and Peer Coaches to develop and adapt your project as needed.

• Showcase Requirement: At the end of the program, you will present your projects during the CUE Showcase, which typically takes place in May.

Evaluation & Selection

Applications will be evaluated based on:

Criteria	Description
Commitment to Racial Equity	The applicant demonstrated commitment to advancing racial equity through their work, activism, or leadership.
Impact Potential	The potential for the applicant’s participation in the Fellowship to lead to significant contributions to racial equity in their community or sector.
Leadership Skills	Evidence of leadership qualities, including the ability to inspire, collaborate, and drive change.
Project Feasibility	The viability and potential impact of the proposed project, including its alignment with the Fellowship’s objectives and the applicant’s capacity and positionality to implement it.
Diversity of Perspectives	Consideration of how the applicant’s unique background, experiences, and perspectives will contribute to the Fellowship cohort and the broader work of racial equity.

Applicants will also be assessed on their understanding of the core challenge and their ability to impact the project or sector.

Through the Fellowship, you’ll gain new skills and develop valuable relationships while implementing your project. The application serves as an opportunity to express your interests, identify collaborators, and outline your approach to addressing the systemic inequities facing our communities.

If you have additional questions, please join us at our next information session.

Ready to apply?