Why collaborate with CRS?

As a faith-based international non-governmental organization with a presence in more than 100 countries, CRS offers many opportunities for universities to contribute to poverty alleviation. Our staff members have extensive expertise in agriculture, health, emergency response, water and sanitation, microfinance, peacebuilding and education. And we are one of the most efficient non-profit organizations in the world. In fiscal year 2015, 93 percent of the money we spent went directly to our relief and development programs. In addition to our private resources, we receive grants from the U.S. and other governments, foundations and corporate partners who recognize our ability to deliver results.

Engaging with CRS Overseas

Research and Evaluation

Partnering with CRS on research projects helps graduate students and faculty to validate concepts and theories in the real world of low resource settings. Such partnerships are mutually beneficial: CRS documents evidence of success and learns how to improve our programs, while academics gain access to field sites and data to test research hypotheses. These partnerships can also increase a university’s access to funding opportunities and networks of partners, while providing opportunities for joint scholarship, including publications, presentations and course materials. Academics help CRS to carry out baseline, midterm and final evaluations of our programs, contributing to the wider evidence base about what works.

Training

Universities help CRS to design training modules and lead training workshops for our field staff, local partner staff, and civil servants from government ministries in the countries where we work. Universities provide CRS and partner staff with access to distance learning opportunities. Our staff members also serve universities as adjunct faculty and guest speakers, sharing field experiences and practitioner knowledge with faculty and students.

Innovation

Universities can help us innovate in our work to deliver better services with greater efficiency in a more sustainable fashion. We seek to partner with universities to test game-changing new approaches that can be scaled up to bring about transformation in the lives of the poor. CRS is a cornerstone partner in USAID's Innovation, Technology, and Research Hub which seeks to eradicate extreme poverty through breakthrough innovations developed in partnerships between non-governmental organizations, academia and the private sector. 

Student Engagement

CRS University Chapters support the work of CRS around the world by advocating for global justice and fundraising to support CRS' programming. Campus chapters are comprised of student leaders and a staff or faculty advisor. They are trained by CRS to mobilize their community to bring to life the mission of global solidarity on campus. University members are part of a national network of adult chapters and high school clubs that are working together to transform our world.

Students, faculty and staff can also participate in the work of CRS by signing up for CRS' Campaigns that focus on pressing issues like hunger and climate change. When they sign up to participate, students, faculty and staff will receive regular communication about ways to take action to tackle poverty.
 

To learn more about our university partnerships, contact [email protected].