The Center for Public Interest Communications helps organizations around the world discover how behavioral, cognitive and social science can unveil insights into how people think, make decisions and behave. Through the use of science, systems thinking and human-centered design, the Center helps organizations create and implement powerful communication strategies.
In support of evidence-based communication, the Center provides training and professional development to government agencies, universities, senior military officials, foundations, public interest communications agencies and nonprofits.
The Center develops workshops to share research with change leaders and scientists to help them develop better communication strategies. It organizes frank, an annual conference dedicated to public interest communications.
The Center is an educational business activity and auxiliary of the University of Florida. As such, all operating costs for the Center and its personnel are raised through partnerships, service agreements, grants and gifts.
We receive no general funding for Center operations from the University of Florida, our home college or the State of Florida, unless one of those parties engages us via a service agreement. Two Center-affiliated faculty members have a .25 FTE appointment teaching courses and providing service in fall and spring terms; for this the College covers approximately 5 percent of the salary/fringe costs of those positions.
The Center also pays overhead charges to the University: approximately 14 percent of the revenue raised through service agreements, 5 percent of all gifts, and any grantors’ maximum allowed indirect cost assessment (between 0 and 52.5 percent, based on grantor written policy).
How we select partners and projects
The Center team has developed a guide for the team’s discussions on new projects and service agreements. In addition to the evaluating feasibility of project scope within timelines, available resources and our areas of knowledge, we evaluate projects through the following prisms:
- Is the project working in the public’s interest? (Transcending the interests of or benefit to any one individual, political party, group, corporate body or organization.)
- Is the objective supported by science?
- Does the project fit into the mission of our land-grant institution? (“Championing ideas that drive the discovery and dissemination of new knowledge to solve the most vexing challenges of our country and region” and committed to ensuring the freedom for people to have “access to the education and opportunity necessary to shape their own destinies,” as outlined by the Association of Public Land Grant Universities.)
- Does the project align with one or more of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals adopted by all member nations in 2015?