The SEPA Grant-Writing Program: Regional Transformation through Engaged Service-Learning

This article describes the Social Entrepreneurship for Poverty Alleviation (SEPA) grant-writing program at Austin College. The SEPA program provides a service-learning experience in which students spend a summer writing grants with local nonprofit agencies. In the hope that others might choose to emulate our efforts, what follows is a detailed overview of SEPA's founding and operation. Also included is a three-part assessment of the program focused on student learning, grant-writing outcomes, and the role the program plays in building bridges between the college and its surrounding region.