Kris Nelson Community-Based Research Program

CURA believes that communities have the skills and experience to conduct research that produces valuable knowledge grounded in lived experiences. We connect community leaders with University resources to expand community research capacity and explore innovative ideas for closing racial and economic disparities around the region.

Collaborative, Community-Guided Research in the Twin Cities Metro

The Kris Nelson Community-Based Research Program connects University of Minnesota graduate students with community-based organizations to carry out high-quality, community-guided research. Named in honor of founding director Kris Nelson, the program provides community-driven, applied research and technical assistance to organizations working to advance justice in the Twin Cities metro area. Our work is grounded in long-term partnership and supports projects that build community power and advance racial, economic, and environmental equity.

Access the new research support submission form

A More Flexible, Responsive Model

We’ve redesigned the program to better meet the evolving needs of our partners. Instead of applying for fixed, semester-long projects, community-based organizations can now submit research support requests at any time. Our team will follow up to learn more about your goals, and we will work collaboratively with you to scope the project and match it with members of our graduate student research cohort.

This model allows us to support a wide range of needs—from quick-turnaround requests like reviewing a survey or pulling data, to larger, in-depth research partnerships that span multiple phases.

What We Can Support

We support research, design, and creative projects that help partners deepen their impact, inform campaigns, tell their stories, or advocate for change. Our graduate research assistants bring experience in qualitative, quantitative, mixed-methods, and visual/participatory approaches.

Examples of what we can support include:

Data collection and analysis – Surveying residents on housing needs and barriers to homeownership; using American Community Survey (ACS) data to analyze cost burden, tenure, and racial disparities in housing stability across neighborhoods
Program evaluation and strategy development – Evaluating student achievement programs; analyzing the long-term impact of a community-based education model to inform future directions
Policy or landscape scans – Conducting scans of equitable development strategies in the Twin Cities; researching land access models for BIPOC farmers
Literature reviews – Reviewing academic and grey literature on restorative justice in schools or co-governance approaches in neighborhood planning
Mapping and spatial analysis – Mapping cultural assets for a youth-led neighborhood archive; identifying gaps in public access to green spaces
Data visualization, infographics, and accessible community-facing reports – Designing visual summaries of survey results; creating public-facing reports on community health disparities
Design and illustration – Creating creative design-build materials for rural artist-led spaces; illustrating campaign stories to support local advocacy
Participatory design processes – Co-designing engagement strategies with youth organizers; creating storytelling frameworks through collaborative workshops
Graphic recording and visual documentation – Capturing key takeaways from coalition meetings through visual notes; documenting campaigns using illustrated timelines and quotes
Reviewing or co-developing surveys, outreach materials, or evaluation tools – Providing feedback on evaluation tools for racial equity programs; adapting surveys to better reflect community voice and accessibility needs
Long-term collaborative research partnerships – Co-developing a heritage center business plan over multiple semesters; building a longitudinal neighborhood archive with arts-based research methods

What We Look For in Projects

We prioritize research partnerships that help communities access information, tools, and analysis to take action on the issues that matter most to them. While the type and scale of projects vary, strong partnerships often support one or more of the following goals:

People and Places – Research that helps communities identify challenges, opportunities, or priorities in a specific neighborhood or area.
Organizations – Research that strengthens the internal capacity of a community-based organization.
Collaborations – Projects that support relationship-building and shared learning across cultural or geographic groups.
Systems – Research that helps communities better understand or influence policies, practices, or resource flows.

How to Request Support

We accept requests on a rolling basis through form submission. After you submit the form, your request will be reviewed by our graduate research cohort during our weekly team meetings. We’ll consider your needs alongside our current capacity, interests, and skill sets to see where there’s a strong match.

If a member of the cohort is interested and available to support your request, they will reach out to set up a one-on-one conversation. That conversation is a chance to learn more about your goals, talk through timelines, and collaboratively define the scope of the project.

Whether you’re seeking a short-term data pull or exploring a longer-term collaboration, we look forward to learning more about your work and how we can support it!

Artwork by Onibaba Studio.