About the UVM / Burlington
Community Outreach Partnership Center (COPC)
About COPC | Partners | History | Project Staff
The “COPC” started as a three year, $400,000 grant from the Office of University Partnerships, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. In addition to this grant, The University of Vermont and numerous community organizations provide $1 million in matching funds.
The grant was awarded to the University of Vermont in September 1999 to establish community outreach and development partnerships among UVM, the City of Burlington, and community residents and organizations. In September, 2002, the UVM/Burlington COPC was granted a one-year no-cost extension until September, 2003 in order to continue its three projects.
The UVM/Burlington COPC activities concentrate on building effective and sustainable community partnerships with the city of Burlington and community residents and organizations. These partnerships:
- build the capacity and effectiveness of citizen organizations
- develop strategies to ensure that university decisions have a positive economic impact on the city
- open up Burlington’s suburbs to housing for low-income people.
The Community Outreach Partnership Center Program is one of several initiatives administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Office of University Partnerships (OUP). Established in 1994, OUP is a catalyst for joining colleges and universities with their communities in a shared search for answers to pressing urban problems.
For more information about OUP, contact:
The Federal Office of University Partnerships
451 7th Street, SW, Room 8106
Washington, DC 20410
http://www.oup.org
This COPC was in the making for 15 months prior to funding and involved over 60 individuals, 25 city and community organizations, the Old North End Enterprise Community Steering Committee, and 5 UVM schools/colleges/centers and 8 departments/programs.
Resources for UVM/Burlington activities total approximately $1.4 million. UVM is matching the $400,000 HUD award with nearly $500,000 from foregone overhead expenses and faculty and staff contributions of time. The City of Burlington's Community and Economic Development Office (CEDO), and Police Department, and nine other community organizations, are contributing more than $500,000 in staff and volunteer time, space, and office services towards the project.
The Community Organizations providing matching resources are: The Community Justice Center, the Public Safety Project, Champlain Valley Office of Economic Development, Workforce Investment Board of Lake Champlain Regional Chamber of Commerce, Youthbuild, Women's Small Business Program, Lake Champlain Housing Development Corporation, The McClure Multigenerational Center, and the Committee on Temporary Shelter (COTS). See Partners for more information.
