A total of $58,000 was awarded to five local nonprofits from Notre Dame students in the Philanthropy and the Common Good class. The award ceremony, hosted on Dec. 9, was led by Jonathan Hannah, term assistant teaching professor of Political Science and assistant director for operations of the de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture.

Philanthropy and the Common Good is an experiential learning course in collaboration between the Department of Political Science, the Hesburgh Program in Public Service, and the Constitutional Studies Minor. The primary sponsor, The Philanthropy Lab, helps fund similar courses around the country.

"Teaching this course and having this experience with our students is truly an honor and a privilege,” says Hannah. “They exemplify everything it means to be Notre Dame students, and I know they will go on to impact their communities and the world by working with and for nonprofit organizations.”

Students engage and learn from local nonprofit organizations in the South Bend region by conducting site visits and requesting funding proposals. Students spend time analyzing the proposals and work as a board of directors to award real grants.

At the award ceremony, students presented checks to the nonprofit recipients, followed by remarks from Notre Dame President Rev. Robert A. Dowd, C.S.C.

“This event is a culmination of everything that we have been working towards this semester,” says Maya Tuviera, a Notre Dame sophomore who was assigned to Our Lady of the Road.

“At Notre Dame, we shouldn't just be striving towards giving people the opportunity to survive. Here, it’s about human flourishing and how we can best achieve that and work as a community to do that. I am proud of everything that has happened and I am happy to see these funds go to great causes in this community,” she adds.

The students awarded grants to the following nonprofits that are making significant strides in addressing critical community needs:

• Center for the Homeless – $5,000

• Christ Child Society – $6,375

• Dustin’s Place – $13,625

• Our Lady of the Road – $15,000

• Dismas House – $18,000

“It's such a great gift to participate in this project,” says Jonathan Schommer, Executive Director of Our Lady of the Road.

Schommer, who worked directly with Tuviera and other students during the duration of the class, says the funds will go towards staff members who are working with the homeless to ensure they have survival supplies and other critical resources needed during the winter months. He also praised the class for its ability to foster stronger connections between Notre Dame and the South Bend region.

“This class is a really great example of the connection between Notre Dame and the community,” says Schommer. “It’s a tangible way for our nonprofits to partner with the University to work towards the common good in our community.”

Since its inception in 2019, the Philanthropy and the Common Good course has awarded more than $400,000 in grants to local nonprofits. At the ceremony, Hannah announced that the course will be offered again in the fall of 2025 for its seventh iteration.

The course was supported by several University offices, including the Office of Public Affairs, de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture, Center for Citizenship and Constitutional Government, Department of Political Science, Sheedy Family Program in Economy, Enterprise and Society and Brian Hegarty ‘76.

Originally published by Colleen Wilcox, Office of Public Affairs at publicaffairs.nd.edu on December 15, 2024.