Project Pericles, a nonprofit organization focused on civic engagement, has announced that Marisa Charley, associate director of the Shepherd Program, director of the Bonner Programs and instructor of Poverty Studies at Washington and Lee University, has been awarded the spring 2026 Civic Engagement Mini-Grant.
The grant, funded by the Eugene M. Lang and Mellon Foundation, totals $1,000 and is awarded to educators who pursue an increased focus on undergraduate civic engagement within their curriculum. The grant seeks to encourage educators to develop innovative approaches centered around their students’ civic learning and active participation.
As a part of the poverty studies curriculum, Charley plans to use the funds from this grant to help her students develop civic health club programs in collaboration with a few businesses across the Rockbridge area: Lexington’s Pronto and Rockbridge Barbell, and Buena Vista’s Leaf and Lore. The money will specifically be used toward supporting childcare, providing refreshments and coordinating events that encourage civic connection.
“Receiving the grant from Project Pericles was really our first badge of legitimacy in this work,” said Charley. “Having the funds to create events that model the values and successful practices we hope to develop is of immeasurable value, and we truly see this year as a pilot opportunity — one that will lead to many future years of civic celebration and gathering in the Lexington and Rockbridge communities.”
Charley applied to the grant on behalf of W&L and was awarded the grant following a competitive selection process, with all applicants and their proposals being assessed on contribution to civic engagement, effectiveness, replicability and a creative teaching model. Applicants fulfilled these criteria through projects with topics ranging from narrative medicine to civil discourse.
Charley joined the W&L community as a part of the Shepherd Program staff in 2012. She earned a B.A. in communication arts from Allegheny College and an M.A. in critical and creative thinking from University of Massachusetts.
