FFORC Projects

Working alongside our community partners, we support community garden projects as a means to increase access to fresh produce, opportunities for physical activity, and social connectedness. These projects often lead to improved health, stronger communities, and opportunities to reconnect with cultural traditions. To learn more, contact Brett Sheppard at brett_sheppard@unc.edu.

In partnership with Habitat for Humanity of Orange County, FFORC was awarded a Triangle Transportation Choices Equity and Inclusion grant, Promoting Transit Equity in Habitat for Humanity Communities, to study how to facilitate the adoption of active transportation modes (biking, walking, and public transportation) with residents of Habitat for Humanity communities throughout Orange County, NC. To learn more, contact Molly DeMarco at  molly_demarco@unc.edu or Judit Alvarado at jsa@email.unc.edu.

Design thinking is a people-centered approach to learning about a problem and developing a solution using methods and tools that are flexible and adaptable. It also helps organizations work collaboratively with communities and individuals who are most impacted by the identified problem. We offer this service to community partners, organizations, government entities, and other academic institutions to support their community-engaged activities. To learn more, please contact Gabby Statia at gabsta@email.unc.edu.

Starting in 2018, the Communities on the Move program facilitated the creation of social environments that promote youth civic engagement and physical activity among nearly 100 community members across three distinct, underfunded, and disenfranchised neighborhoods in Orange County, NC. To learn more, contact Judit Alvarado at jsa@email.unc.edu or Kevin Giff at giff@live.unc.edu.

After several years of planning, we launched our first round of Participatory Grant Making (PGM) community funding in 2024. PGM is a program that provides a democratic process that provides participants with decision-making power around the prioritization of projects funded, including the funding amounts, personalized opportunities for training and technical assistance, and the growth of peer learning and connection within the network of grantees. To learn more, contact Gabby Statia at gabsta@email.unc.edu or Brett Sheppard at brett_sheppard@unc.edu.

Since 2015, our team has had the opportunity to work on many different projects, many of which have ended. You can read more about them here.