KU Big Ideas Incubator for Community Impact
Turn big ideas into lasting community impact
This collaborative initiative between the KU Office of Community Impact (OCI), Jayhawk Extended Learning, and the Achievement & Assessment Institute (AAI) helps KU faculty, staff, departments, and centers turn promising community-engaged ideas into services, programs, and solutions that address real-world challenges and create meaningful societal impact. For the 2026-2027 cohort, the KU Big Ideas Incubator for Community Impact will prioritize ideas that support communities, with a particular focus on youth, schools, and families. Through a year of coaching, mentoring, professional learning, stakeholder engagement, and hands-on development, selected teams strengthen their ideas in partnership with intended beneficiaries and collaborators. Teams test and validate their concepts with potential users, enhance their potential for reach, sustainability, and community impact, and develop a practical plan for implementation, scaling, and bringing ideas to market.
2026 DATES AND DEADLINES
What to expect
Throughout the experience
• Receive feedback from community-based advisors and potential users
• Create a practical delivery and pricing model
• Develop a marketing and outreach plan
Teams leave with
• Clearly defined audience and value proposition
• Delivery and costing model
• Marketing plan and pitch
• $1,000 sponsorship to help bring their service or solution to market
Who should apply?
• Supports and positively impacts communities, with a particular focus on youth, schools, and families for the 2026-2027 cohort
• Builds on KU knowledge, expertise, or resources to support community-engaged learning, research, or services
• Has the potential to become a sustainable service, program, or solution that benefits the community
• Would benefit from coaching, feedback, and focused development time
What kind of ideas?
• Demonstrate potential for measurable community or public impact.
• Engage community partners in design, implementation, or dissemination.
• Address community priorities or emerging societal needs.
• Strengthen mutually beneficial community-university partnerships.
Your big idea needs space to grow
With personal coaching, mentorship, and hands-on support, you'll have a unique opportunity to shape your idea. This initiative helps turn KU ideas that support community impact into real action for communities.
Download the flyerWhy Community Impact Matters
The KU Big Ideas Incubator for Community Impact supports initiatives that:
- Address community-identified opportunities or challenges.
- Engage community partners, practitioners, and stakeholders in shaping solutions.
- Translate KU expertise into action that improves the well-being of communities, schools, families, and organizations.
- Have potential for sustainable impact beyond a single project or grant period.
- Strengthen connections between the university and the communities it serves.
Incubator supporters
Learn more about the partners behind this KU initiative.
Guided by an entrepreneurial approach, the Achievement & Assessment Institute (AAI) is a KU designated research center that transforms discovery into action for Kansas and the world.
AAI partners with schools, organizations, and communities to strengthen systems that support learning and well‑being.
Housed under Jayhawk Global, Jayhawk Extended Learning provides enrichment education, workforce training, and professional development across various industries.
As one of the university’s community-facing administrative offices, the Office of Community Impact (OCI) represents a bold step in aligning KU’s academic mission with the needs of communities across Kansas and the nation.
OCI connects KU’s knowledge, resources, and expertise with public and private partners to address real-world challenges and create meaningful opportunities.
Guided by an entrepreneurial approach, the Achievement & Assessment Institute (AAI) is a KU designated research center that transforms discovery into action for Kansas and the world.
AAI partners with schools, organizations, and communities to strengthen systems that support learning and well‑being.
Housed under Jayhawk Global, Jayhawk Extended Learning provides enrichment education, workforce training, and professional development across various industries.
As one of the university’s community-facing administrative offices, the Office of Community Impact (OCI) represents a bold step in aligning KU’s academic mission with the needs of communities across Kansas and the nation.
OCI connects KU’s knowledge, resources, and expertise with public and private partners to address real-world challenges and create meaningful opportunities.