Turning knowledge into action

We support action-oriented and community-centered environmental and social justice research that helps to build a brighter future.

Our impact

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What is social transformation?

Social transformation is the process of uplifting communities and fundamentally reshaping societies to create a more just, sustainable, and democratic world.

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Impact areas

Our unique approach to research turns knowledge into action and ideas into meaningful change. We fund high-impact faculty research that generates powerful insights on urgent societal issues, and we provide staffing and operational support to ensure real-world results.

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Meet our current grantees & fellows

faculty member working with other researchers to identify birds

group of community and campus members in front of santa cruz art and history museum

Collaborative impact

We work alongside community partners to develop projects and resources that address their needs, tap their expertise, and support their leadership, across realms like policy, industry, and advocacy. Together, we’re leveraging the resources of academia for the benefit of all.

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Student changemakers

We build pathways for students. Our Building Belonging and Transforming Futures programs support students with impact-oriented research and internship experiences that directly contribute to the betterment of society — helping the next generation find their path as changemakers.

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building belonging mentor with two students

Institute updates

Institute intern Kameron Tessier attends democratic convening to advocate for change in California

On February 20-21, 2026, the Institute’s CUIP Programs and Outreach Intern, Kameron Tessier (politics, legal studies, ’26), had the honor of attending the California Democratic Party State Endorsing Convention. Throughout the weekend, Kameron and his colleagues from the UC Santa Cruz College Democrats met with elected officials, party leaders, and candidates running for office to…
Staff alumna Q&A: Gabriella Alvarez

During her three years at the Institute, Gabriella Alvarez served as the primary point person for all data collection, cleaning, organizing, and analysis. She provided analysis of both qualitative and quantitative data across a range of community-engaged scholarship projects, serving as a co-author with faculty and presenting and interpreting large-scale data for community-facing research reports.…
Partner Q&A: The James Irvine Foundation

Since the Institute’s founding, the Irvine Foundation has been a vital partner and funder, supporting our work in equitable economic development. The UC Santa Cruz news team sat down with Jessica Kaczmarek, Priority Communities Initiative Director at the foundation, to learn more about how and why her organization has chosen to fund the Institute for Social…