2025 Community Engagement Impact Projects
Among the ways Stanford works to make a difference is through community engagement impact projects. It supports its community engagement hubs -- Stanford offices, centers and institutes that join with local non-profits and governmental organizations, to create projects to address a problem, attempt to answer a question and intend to benefit the community. The collaborations are often relationships built over time and are rely intrinsically on the trust that has developed.
The 2025 projects were chosen by a campus selection committee and focus on building healthy and resilient communities in the Bay Area. Additionally, two-year projects focused on deeper engagement commitments continue through 2025.
The 2025 Community Engagement Impact projects appear, alphabetically by project title, below:

Maria Morales (left), owner of JM Organics in Salinas, is one of nearly 50 farmers who the non-profit, Fresh Approach hopes will benefit from the collaboration with Stanford’s Food for Health Equity Lab. Image credit: Courtesy of Fresh Approach
Addressing Water Affordability for Hard-to-Reach Populations in Santa Cruz
Community Collaborator: City of Santa Cruz
Stanford Leadership: Khalid Osman and Sarah Fletcher, Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability, School of Engineering
This project will assess water affordability challenges faced by hard-to-reach and underserved populations in Santa Cruz. Water affordability is a barrier to water access for many low-income households, prompting the City of Santa Cruz Water Department to initiate a customer assistance program to reduce water bills for those in need. However, many renters in multi-family housing do not pay water bills directly, as their water costs are included in their rent. The project will inform the design of a customer assistance program for renters and low-income households by engaging up to 200 community members. The funding will help support research assistants to develop and implement surveys, conduct literature and policy review. Additionally, it will support outreach and incentives for participants to share billing information.

The Samaritan House clinic in San Mateo will air educational videos in Spanish about chronic health issues that affect the clientele. Image credit: Courtesy of Samaritan House
Bridging Communities: Arts, Technology, and Leadership Development in East Palo Alto
Community Collaborator: StreetCode Academy, East Palo Alto
Stanford Leadership: Adam Banks, Graduate School of Education; A-Lan Holt, Office of the Vice President for the Arts
Stanford’s Institute for Diversity in the Arts and StreetCode Academy are collaborating to address community-identified needs and deepen connections between art, technology, and community. IDA will host middle school students from StreetCode for classes on Design & Tech, Music & Tech, and Storytelling & Tech, taught by Professor Adam Banks and Stanford students at the Black Community Services Center and the Harmony House. In spring, the program will expand to develop a cohort of community impact leaders from East Palo Alto and Cleveland, alongside Stanford students passionate about community-centered teaching. The project contains three key programmatic initiatives: Faculty Community Courses, Student Instructor Development, and a Community Impact Fellowship, supporting participants in leading community-based initiatives, strengthening bonds between Stanford and local communities through co-inquiry, co-learning and co-creation.

The collaboration with clinics and the San Mateo County public health department aim to identify and design coordinated systems to improve care to at-risk populations across the county. Image credit: The Centers for Disease Control
Broadening Horizons - Engaging ESUHSD Students in STEM Careers
Community Collaborator: East Side Union High School District, San Jose
Stanford Leadership: Risa Wechsler, Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology (KIPAC), School of Humanities and Sciences, and Office of the Vice Provost and Dean of Research; Xinnan Du, KIPAC
Inspiration and career preparation are essential for high school students in STEM. However, students from disadvantaged backgrounds — particularly Latinx students – typically have limited exposure to STEM careers, such as astrophysics. The Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology (KIPAC) and East Side Union High School District (ESUHSD) will provide opportunities for the students and their families to interact face-to-face with scientists, including field trips, guest lectures, science fairs, and astrophysics-themed family engagement events in Spanish. The award supports transportation of ESUHSD students and KIPAC scientists to participate in these activities, and educational events offered in Spanish.

Community college students hear from Steve Lee, Stanford University Assistant Dean of Inclusion, Diversity and Equity during Day of Science 2024 at College of San Mateo (April 20, 2024). Image credit Rahul Vishwa
Empowering Unhoused Neighbors' Health: Medication Adherence and Expanded Outreach with WeHOPE
Community Collaborator: WeHOPE, East Palo Alto
Stanford Leadership: David Shi-Ann Chang and Hannah Lee, School of Medicine
For individuals experiencing homelessness, insecure environments and the lack of safe storage options often lead to loss of personal property and medications. Medication theft, in particular, undermines treatment adherence, exacerbating health conditions and hindering stability. In collaboration with WeHOPE and powered by the student-led Stanford Housing Equity Project this project introduces a possible solution: a flexible pill container paired with a wearable storage device, supported in tandem with bi-weekly pop-up clinics offering basic medical care, harm-reduction resources, and case management services. WeHOPE, a trusted community partner in East Palo Alto, highlighted the challenge of medication theft and is leveraging this collaboration to develop data-driven strategies to address this pressing issue.The award supports flexible pill containers, wearable devices, personal hygiene items and supplies for homeless outreach, food, drink and barber services for homeless clients.

Chrysanthemum flowers grown by Asian American farmers on Stanford lands and in the Bay Area were a popular corsages worn at past Big Games. Corsage-making at the Farm in November 2024 recreated that tradition. Image credit: Lisa Chung
Healthcare Careers Pathways
Community Collaborator: Mountain View Los Altos Union High School District
Stanford Leadership: Jill Helms, School of Medicine
The project, in partnership with Mountain View Los Altos Union High School District (MVLA), provides underrepresented students the opportunity to learn more about career pathways in the healthcare field. MVLA’s Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) and Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs will expand these opportunities to even more students, allow more class visits to Stanford and implement a “train the trainer” model to sustain and grow the program. The award supports supplies and offsets the costs associated with visits to Stanford, provides stipends for near-peer mentors, who are MVLA students and 2024 graduates of the summer internship at the Helms Lab, and pays biostatisticians who help improve pre-and post-surveys and questionnaires, and analyze resulting data.

Holly Tabor and Sydney Walls introduce an IDD@Stanford presentation at the 2024 fall quarter brunch, which serves to inform and build community. Image credit: Lisa Chung
'Ootchamin 'Ooyakma Youth Campout: Muwekma–Stanford Partnership for Land Stewardship
Community Collaborator: Muwekma Ohlone Tribe of the San Francisco Bay Area
Stanford Leadership: Tadashi Fukami, School of Humanities and Sciences and Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability, Katherine Glover, Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve
Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve ('Ootchamin 'Ooyakma) is collaborating with the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe to hold a summer campout for tribal youth, building on a successful pilot event in 2024 that the tribe proposed. The 2025 campout will bring together several Stanford entities with the tribe, solidifying the partnership by providing space to gather and practice cultural traditions, helping to reestablish connections to the ancestral homeland, working towards shared values for tribal sovereignty, and learning about opportunities available at Stanford. The campout provides opportunities for Stanford faculty, students, and staff to deepen their understanding of the tribe’s priorities and interests, paving the way for co-creation of environmental research, education, and stewardship programs. The award includes support for student interns, and allows tribal elder participation with lodging and honoraria for leading activities.

The voices of marginalized students will be used to shape policies that help improve student outcomes. Image credit: By Eliott Reyna via Unsplash
San Mateo County Community Data Integrity Project
Community Collaborator: San Mateo County Executive's Office, Redwood City
Stanford Leadership: Amy Gerstein, Kristin Geiser and Sebastian Castrechini, John W. Gardner Center for Youth and their Communities, Graduate School of Education
The John W. Gardner Center for Youth and their Communities and San Mateo County have launched a community data integrity project to assess the county's strengths, limitations, priorities, and capacity to collect and use community data for decision-making. County leaders have expressed a commitment to ensuring that decision-making practices are informed by the needs of the county’s diverse residents. But while the county employs a wide array of strategies for gathering community input, departmental silos contribute to redundancies, inconsistencies, and gaps in communication that stymie the county’s efforts to maximize the use of community data to inform policy and practice. The assessment will help the County create a more strategic, coordinated, and values-aligned set of data practices that advance equitable solutions to affordability, education, health, and sustainability challenges. The award supports the work of a research associate, a student research assistant, convenings, honoraria, and transcription services.

Students create a personalized avatar representing their skin tone and facial features, and then practice applying sunscreen, hats and sunglasses in the virtual world. Image credit: Avatar created using Midjourney
SOAR Professional Development Short Course
Community Collaborators: San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory, San Jose State University, Santa Clara University, University of California Santa Cruz, West Valley College
Stanford Leadership: Esther Adelsheim, Land, Buildings & Real Estate; Rodolfo Dirzo, Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability and School of Humanities and Sciences
To solve our pressing environmental challenges, including the decline of bird populations, requires a diverse and skilled workforce. The San Francisco Bay Research Coordination Network for Student Opportunities in Avian Research (SOAR) identified a critical need to help undergraduate students from diverse backgrounds become aware of the spectrum of jobs that exist in environmental fields and the skills required. SOAR’s professional development field course at the University of California’s Blue Oak Ranch Reserve in San Jose will offer students the opportunity to gain skills and confidence through exposure to field techniques and mentorship from environmental professionals. Students will receive support in honing their resumes and applying to summer jobs throughout the Bay Area. The award will pay for course transportation, food, lodging, supplies and stipends.

San Mateo County educators and school counselors explore youth engagement strategies for implementing evidenced-based programs, prevention and intervention approaches effectively. Providing educators ongoing professional development support ensures that schools can create a safe and supportive environment for students to make healthy choices. Image credit: Courtesy of San Mateo County Office of Education
Validating and Implementing the Measure of Immigration-Related Stress, Trauma and Strengths in Children (MIST-C)
Community Collaborator: Ayudando Latinos a Soñar (ALAS), Half Moon Bay
Stanford Leadership: Ryan Matlow and N. Ewen Wang, School of Medicine
The Early Life Stress and Resilience Program, through the Immigrant Child Health Initiative, and Ayudando Latinos a Soñar (ALAS) at the Colibrí Research Center will leverage this deeping collaboration to validate an instrument called the Measure of Immigration-Related Stress, Trauma, and Strengths in Children (MIST-C), assessing the mental well-being of immigrant, asylum-seeking, and refugee children aged 6 to 18. By piloting the MIST-C in clinical and social service settings, the project aims to fill a significant gap in existing research and provide a reliable tool for clinicians and researchers, ultimately enhancing our understanding and support of the mental health needs of immigrant youth. The award supports community convenings, stipends for community advisory board meetings and translation of materials.

An English Together volunteer and participant during a walk in Palo Alto. Image credit: By Nico Hend Photography