Community Engagement and Leadership Education (CELE) Center

What Community Engagement and Leadership Education (CELE) Center does

The Community Engagement and Leadership Education (CELE) Center is an academic unit within the University of Washington's Undergraduate Academic Affairs (UAA), formed in fall 2018 by consolidating community engagement and leadership education programs previously housed under the Carlson Leadership & Public Service Center. Its origins trace to 1999 with the Pipeline Project (renamed Riverways Education Partnerships in 2019). CELE serves three primary stakeholder groups: UW undergraduate students seeking experiential civic learning and leadership development; K-12 students across Washington State, particularly in underserved, rural, and tribal communities; and community organizations, schools, and tribes that host interns and partner on programming. The portfolio spans community-engaged courses, paid internships (UCBI, Dream Project CCRA), scholarships and fellowships (Presidential Scholarship, Ellis Civic Fellowship, CELE Fellowships), leadership credentials (Leadership Minor, Husky Leadership Certificate), and place-based initiatives (Riverways, Othello-UW Commons, Democracy Dawgs, Work-Study Tutors/America Reads, NextGen Civic Leader Corps).

The center's principal technology asset is Community Connect UW (CCUW), an online platform launched in 2025 for tracking and managing community engagement across the Seattle campus with access extended to all three UW campuses as part of the tri-campus capacity-building project. Programs are delivered through direct UW student recruitment (orientation, advising, Handshake), K-12 school district partnerships (six core Dream Project districts plus ten rural and tribal Riverways sites), and a 2,200-square-foot physical community space, the Othello-UW Commons, in Southeast Seattle.

CELE is not a commercial entity. It is funded through University of Washington budget allocations, supplemented by federal work-study for some student positions and the Carlson Family Foundation for named fellowships. Programs are free to UW students; paid opportunities are funded via stipends (UCBI: $5,100 total; CCRA: $21.30/hr), and the Presidential Scholarship awards $10,000 annually for up to four years. The center does not generate external revenue, has no investors, and operates as a public state university department under the State of Washington. In 2026, UW received a Carnegie Foundation Community Engagement reclassification, with CELE explicitly recognized as central to the achievement.

Name

Community Engagement and Leadership Education (CELE) Center

Legal name

Community Engagement and Leadership Education (CELE) Center

Website

https://cele.uw.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The CELE Center is a University of Washington academic unit coordinating community-engaged learning, paid internships, scholarships, leadership credentials, and K-12 tutoring programs across Washington State. It serves UW undergraduates, K-12 students in rural/tribal/underserved communities, and partner schools and organizations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. University of Washington Funding: CELE Center operates as a unit within Undergraduate Academic Affairs (UAA) at UW, funded through university budget allocations
2. Federal Work-Study: Some student positions are compensated through federal work-study programs
3. Presidential Scholarship: Merit-based scholarship providing $10,000 annually for up to four years to selected Washington state students demonstrating leadership capacity and community commitment

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The CELE Center delivers community-engaged learning programs, leadership education pathways, paid internships, scholarships, and fellowships for University of Washington undergraduate students. Its programs connect students with K-12 schools, nonprofits, rural communities, and tribal nations across Washington State through service-learning courses, college access mentoring, STEM engagement, and civic leadership development. The Center also operates the Othello-UW Commons community space and the Community Connect UW online platform to support community engagement infrastructure.

Product overview

The CELE Center is an educational programs center at the University of Washington (not a traditional software product company). It offers a portfolio of community engagement, leadership education, and educational equity programs organized around four pillars: community engaged learning, leadership education, preK-12 student success, and place-based initiatives. The core offerings include: Community Engaged Courses combining service with academic reflection; Undergraduate Community Based Internships (UCBI); Dream Project for college access mentorship; CELE K-12 Tutor and Mentor program; Ellis Civic Fellowship and Presidential Scholarship for student support; Leadership Minor and Husky Leadership Certificate for leadership development; Riverways Education Partnerships for rural and tribal school engagement; Democracy Dawgs for civic engagement; Othello-UW Commons as a physical community space; and Community Connect UW as an online engagement platform. These programs work together to provide students with opportunities to develop knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed to contribute to thriving communities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Riverways Education Partnerships: Program connecting UW students with rural and Tribal schools across Washington State for STEM engagement, mentorship, and college access programming.
• Othello-UW Commons
• Dream Project

Products and services

• Community Engaged Courses Courses that combine service in the community with structured preparation and reflection opportunities, addressing concerns identified by community partners, for UW undergraduate students.
• Undergraduate Community Based Internships (UCBI) A paid internship program that places UW undergraduates in nonprofit and public sector organizations for community engagement and career exploration. UCBI provides a $5,100 stipend ($2,550 per quarter) for 10 hours/week of work with a host organization.
• Dream Project College Access Internships (CCRA) A paid internship program where UW students serve as College and Career Readiness Assistants at local middle and high schools, supporting traditionally underserved students with postsecondary planning, career exploration, financial aid support, and near-peer mentorship. CCRAs are paid at $21.30/hr through federal work-study or stipend for 10 hours/week at school placement site plus 2 hours/week cohort meetings.
• CELE K-12 Tutor and Mentor A program where UW students tutor and mentor K-12 students in Seattle public schools, supporting academic tutoring and post-secondary planning through EDUC 260 and EDUC 401 courses.
• Ellis Civic Fellowship A four-year scholarship and fellowship program for incoming UW students based on financial need and dedication to service, with public service commitments and civic leadership development.
• Presidential Scholarship A merit-based scholarship providing $10,000 annually for up to four years to exceptional Washington state students with demonstrated leadership capacity and commitment to community.
• Leadership Minor A formalized academic minor for UW students to study and develop competencies for leadership in professional and public lives.
• Husky Leadership Certificate A program designed to facilitate student reflection on their leadership learning and development through mentorship and creation of a leadership e-portfolio.
• Riverways Education Partnerships A program connecting University of Washington students with rural and Tribal schools and communities across Washington State through mentorship, STEM education, and college access programming. Includes 10 partner sites in 2025 including Curlew School, Brewster Middle School, Toppenish Middle School, Yakama Nation Tribal School, Quileute Tribal School, Neah Bay schools, Forks Elementary, and Campbell Farm Afterschool Program.
• Riverways Rural & Tribal Programs Programs including STEM Alternative Spring Break and Culture And Science Exchange (CASE) that engage UW students with rural and tribal K-12 schools through hands-on STEM activities and mentorship. In 2025, 40 UW undergraduate mentors worked with 10 partner sites.
• Democracy Dawgs A coalition of students, staff, faculty, community members, and civic leaders working to increase student voting rates and build civic engagement at the University of Washington.
• Internship GEN ST 350 Course A 1-6 credit online, asynchronous course for UW students engaged in internships, jobs or volunteer work allowing them to earn academic credit for real-world experience.
• Othello-UW Commons A 2,200-square-foot learning and collaboration space for faculty, staff, students and community partners in Southeast Seattle (4200 S. Othello St., Suite 117), prioritizing sustained partnerships and community-informed work. Accessible via Link light rail across from Othello Station.
• NextGen Civic Leader Corps A program from the Evans School and CELE Center aiming to inspire a new generation into public service by connecting students with seasoned leaders and local opportunities.
• Work-Study Tutors (America Reads) A program engaging UW students as tutors in Seattle elementary schools to help address inequities in public education in Washington State.
• Community Connect UW (CCUW) An online platform providing the UW community new ways to engage, accessible to UW community members and partner organizations across all three UW campuses as part of the tri-campus building capacity for community engagement project.

Quantifiable outcome

• 40 UW undergraduate mentors worked with 10 partner sites in 2025 STEM programs
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Auburn School DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Dream Project College Access Internships partner. CCRAs placed at Auburn High School, Auburn Mountainview High School, and Auburn Riverside High School to support college and career readiness.
• Federal Way Public SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Dream Project partner district with CCRAs at Federal Way High School, Thomas Jefferson High School, Decatur High School, and Todd Beamer High School.
• Highline Public SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Dream Project partner with CCRAs at Mount Rainier High School, Tyee High School, Highline High School, Evergreen High School, and Big Picture High School.
• Seattle Public SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Key partner district with CCRAs at Rainier Beach High School, Denny International Middle School, Franklin High School, and Chief Sealth High School.
• Kent School DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Dream Project partner with CCRA at Kent-Meridian High School.
• Tukwila School DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Dream Project partner with CCRA at Foster High School.
• Community Connect UW (CCUW)coreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2025Online platform for community engagement tracking and management accessible to UW community members and partner organizations across all three UW campuses as part of tri-campus building capacity for community engagement.
• Rural and Tribal SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Riverways Education Partnerships connects UW students with tribal and rural schools across Washington State including Curlew School, Brewster Middle School, Toppenish Middle School, Yakama Nation Tribal School, Quileute Tribal School, Neah Bay schools, Forks Elementary, and Campbell Farm Afterschool Program.
• UW College Partners (Othello-UW Commons)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Multiple UW colleges partner through Othello-UW Commons including College of Arts & Sciences, College of Built Environments, College of Education, Evans School of Public Policy & Governance, Foster School of Business, School of Nursing, School of Public Health, School of Social Work, and others.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Center for Civic Engagement (Northwestern University): Northwestern's Center for Civic Engagement offers community-engaged courses, fellowships, and student-led service initiatives structurally similar to CELE. Both centers sit within undergraduate academic affairs and bridge campus life with local community partners.
• Office of Community Engagement (Cornell University): Cornell's Center for Community Engagement runs extension and outreach programs, including K-12 partnerships and rural engagement, that overlap with CELE's Riverways rural and tribal school programs and Dream Project tutoring work.
• Center for Social Impact Learning (Arizona State University): ASU's center coordinates community-engaged learning, internships, and leadership development for undergraduates, serving as a public-university peer to CELE's portfolio model within a large state-university undergraduate academic affairs structure.
• Center for Civic Engagement (Princeton University / Bonner Center): Princeton's Bonner Center for Civic Engagement runs community-engaged learning, service stipends, and partner-school programs comparable to CELE's UCBI and Dream Project. Both centers organize civic engagement centrally within undergraduate academic affairs and partner with K-12 and community organizations.
• Haas Center for Public Service (Stanford University): Stanford's Haas Center runs a comprehensive suite of public service and community-engaged learning programs analogous to CELE, including fellowships, internships, tutoring, and scholarships. It is a leading national model that CELE's portfolio structure closely mirrors.
• Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life (Tufts University): Tisch College is a university-based civic engagement and leadership education center, the most architecturally similar peer to CELE. Both embed community-engaged learning, civic leadership development, and university-wide programming, and Tisch's national visibility sets the benchmark CELE is positioning toward via the Carnegie reclassification.
• Ginsberg Center for Community Service Learning (University of Michigan): Michigan's Ginsberg Center coordinates community-engaged coursework, service-learning, and K-12 partnerships in Detroit-area schools, mirroring CELE's structure of integrating community engagement, leadership development, and preK-12 student success within a single university center.
• Netter Center for Community Partnerships (University of Pennsylvania): UPenn's Netter Center anchors university-community partnerships with K-12 schools in West Philadelphia, directly analogous to CELE's Dream Project and Riverways work with Seattle and Washington-state school districts. Both centers emphasize sustained, reciprocal community partnerships and academically based community service.

Emerging players

• Center for Public Service (Vanderbilt University): Vanderbilt's Center for Public Service provides community-engaged learning, civic fellowships, and partner-school programming. It is a smaller-scale peer with overlapping programs to CELE, though with less institutional scale than Tisch or Haas.

Others

• American Democracy Project (AASCU): AASCU's American Democracy Project is a multi-campus civic engagement network supporting civic learning and democratic engagement across public universities. It connects CELE's Democracy Dawgs work to a broader national civic-engagement ecosystem and represents a peer in the umbrella civic-education space.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/uwcelecenter
• Instagraminstagram.com/uwcelecenter
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cele-center

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Community Engagement and Leadership Education (CELE) Center