Funding innovative approaches to belonging

A sample stock image from the Disability Representation at Harvard University project.

Photo by Jacob Friedman

Laurie Rodriguez

Harvard Correspondent

February 10, 2026 5 min read

Supported by grants from the Culture Lab, four projects aim to strengthen belonging through listening, discussion, art, and representation

Four projects led by faculty, staff, students, and fellows from across the University have received funding from the Harvard Culture Lab Innovation Fund (HCLIF) for the 2025–2026 academic year. Three of them are new, with the fourth an expansion of a 2024-2025 project.

Administered by Community and Campus Life, HCLIF provides grants to support innovative projects that foster belonging and a culture of mutual respect at the University. The awards range from $5,000 to $15,000. Applications for 2026-2027 proposals are being accepted.

“True belonging is an ongoing pursuit, not something that happens on its own. Realizing it asks us to build bridges where none existed before,” said Sherri Ann Charleston, chief Community and Campus Life officer. “For more than seven years, the Culture Lab Innovation Fund has offered a unique platform for students, faculty, staff, and researchers to cross disciplines and engage in this essential work together. Whether by visualizing the lived experience of disability on campus, fostering brave spaces for interfaith dialogue, or teaching the art of deep listening, this year’s recipients are doing more than breaking down silos at Harvard. They are strengthening our collective capacity to see one another more clearly.

“We are proud to support these promising ideas as they develop into sustainable solutions with lasting institutional impact,” she added.

2025-26 recipients

The Deep Listening Workshop Series. Led by Harvard Divinity School students Lia Pikus and Paula Ortiz and open to the entire University community, this series explores listening as a pedagogical and relational practice. Through six workshops, the goal is to develop habits and skills focused on attention, curiosity, and openness so participants can engage with differences more compassionately and creatively.

A Deep Listening workshop.

Photo by Alex Bayer

“We believe that developing these relational skills on campus will strengthen our ability to tolerate disorientation, discomfort, and conflict, which is essential in building more inclusive and resilient communities,” said Pikus and Ortiz in an interview. “In doing so, deep listening becomes a practice of fostering inclusivity, breaking through loneliness, facilitating meaning-making, and expanding how we connect with ourselves, each other, and our environment.”

Faith & Community Seminar gathering, 2025.

Faith & Community Seminars. Typically held monthly, these invite the Harvard community to engage in conversations about their faith, particularly how their beliefs help shape their academic pursuits, career paths, and advocacy work. Recently, the seminar facilitated respectful dialogues within the community with a focus on engaging with the root causes of antisemitism and anti-Muslim bias on campus. This project is a second-year HCLIF awardee; it was awarded a scaling grant, with the intention of moving past the pilot phase to become a more permanent initiative.

“For many affiliates, faith is part of everyday life on campus, shaping their studies, work, teaching, and research,” said Kevin Weaver, postdoctoral fellow and instructor for the Harvard Community Seminar. “This year, the seminar will build upon last year’s efforts by continuing book talks and conversations centered on personal faith journeys on campus.”

Increasing the visibility and inclusion of people with disabilities.

Photo by Jacob Friedman

Disability Representation at Harvard University. Led by Grace Friedman, associate dean of the Disability Access Office in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, and with broad support from partners across the University, the project aims to increase the visibility and inclusion of people with disabilities and their experiences as valued members of Harvard’s community by:

Creating a new set of stock photos featuring disabled students, staff, and faculty available for use by Harvard affiliates on websites and in promotional materials.

Producing a series of welcome videos highlighting accessible resources throughout Harvard College.

Organizing a virtual art show centering on the disability experience.

“The project brings disability identity into Harvard’s images, stories, and culture,” said Friedman. “By increasing authentic disability visibility and representation in campus materials and events, the project will reduce stigma, help community members feel seen and welcomed, and strengthen a sense of connection for disabled people at Harvard.”

Home and Away: Mapping Belonging at Harvard. This interactive art exhibit in Harvard Yard seeks to cultivate a sense of belonging for international and immigrant-background students by transforming the Yard into an interactive space to share reflections on belonging and identity and encouraging dialogue on the different ways community members experience belonging at Harvard. The project utilizes multilingual questionnaires, a public response wall, and a video installation that highlights the experiences of cultural adaptation and barriers to inclusion.

“I do this project to make visible the often-unspoken experiences of international and immigrant-background students who navigate belonging, exclusion, and identity at Harvard,” said project lead Aminata Ndow, a Ph.D. candidate in African and African American Studies at the Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. “By transforming public campus spaces into living archives of student voices, Home and Away invites collective reflection and dialogue. Its impact lies in fostering a culture where belonging is actively built.”

Applications for the 2026-2027 funding term of Harvard Culture Lab Innovation Fund grants are now open to Harvard students, faculty, staff, postdoctoral researchers, and academic personnel. An open house on Feb. 25 will offer tips on strengthening applications.