Annual Grant Application Form

Thank you for your interest in the Campus Sustainability Fund!

Make sure you have reviewed our Grant Application Information fully prior to beginning this application.

Application acceptance: 

  • Annual Grants
    • Preliminary Application: November 17, 2025 - January 25, 2026
    • Final Application: February 2 - March 1, 2026

All proposals must include a project budget using our Annual Grant budget sheet. Please download this template as an Excel file and complete it in Excel. Read all instructions before filling it out. Using it in any other format will break the formulas.

Please use these materials to develop your proposal: 

This application form will not time out and you may save your answers as a draft using the button at the bottom of this page. The links below that are embedded within the form are all set to open in a new window, so you won't lose your progress when clicking those links. However, please be mindful of saving your answers if you plan to leave the page. Once you submit your application, you will receive a confirmation email with a copy of your answers.

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Please indicate if this is a Preliminary or Final Application.
Please indicate the type of grant you are applying for.
Project Manager
The primary Project Manager is responsible for completing this application, answering questions posed by the Campus Sustainability Fund Committee, and completing all required reporting on project progress and outcomes. If the primary Project Manager is a student who graduates in May 2026, the second Project Manager must be a staff or faculty member OR a student who graduates after May 2026.
Project Manager Status
Enter the name of the primary Project Manager's home department.
Project Manager 2
The second Project Manager is the back-up for the first Project Manager if they are unable to complete any of the requirements of the Campus Sustainability Fund, particularly completing required reporting on project outcomes. Alternatively, the second Project Manager could be co-leading the project and sharing responsibilities.
Project Manager 2 Status
Enter the name of the second Project Manager's home department.
Will Project Manager 2 serve as the back-up Project Manager or co-lead the project?
Project Advisor
Projects where the Project Managers are both students require the involvement of a staff or faculty member within the project's Fiscal Officer's department. The Project Advisor contact must be a staff or faculty member within your department who is responsible for monitoring the project's budget, communicating with the Fiscal Officer, and reporting if both project managers are unavailable. Please ensure you have received consent from this individual to be the Project Advisor for your proposal and have informed them of your proposal's intent and budgetary needs. If this does not apply to you, type N/A for these responses.
Enter the name of the Project Advisor's home department.
Fiscal Officer

The Fiscal Officer is a staff member within your department who is responsible for financial transactions and who will support reporting by pulling requested expenses against awarded funding and ensuring that funding is spent within awarded categories. Please coordinate with your department to properly identify an individual who is a designated Fiscal Officer. If awarded, this will be the individual who will help you access your project's funding. Please ensure you have received consent from this individual to be the Fiscal Officer for your proposal and have informed them of your proposal's intent and budgetary needs.

All projects must consult with their Fiscal Officer before submitting the budget.

Enter the name of the Fiscal Officer's home department.
Budget Information

Please provide a completed project budget using our Budget Template:
Annual Grant budget template 

Save the template to your device as an Excel document and complete it using Microsoft Excel. Name your sheet as:
[project name]_2025-2026_annual_grant_application.xlsx

Read the "Instructions" sheet first.

Before determining your budget, connect with your department or college to see if tools or supplies might be available for loan before purchasing another. Please prioritize buying from local or small businesses when possible.

Remember to be thorough when developing the projected budget because once the project is approved, it is expected that you will complete it within the budget you proposed.

Upload requirements

Only enter this number after completing the budget sheet, as the budget template will round up your request. 

Annual Grants may request $10,000 up to $50,000.

 

$
Project Basic Information
Please choose a name that is specific yet concise, as it will appear on reports and our website. Creativity is encouraged! Names may only contain letters, numbers, spaces, hyphens (-), and underscores (_).
Tell Us About Your Project
Please review all prompts before beginning to help you create a strategy for your narrative and ensure that your responses are shared in the most appropriate section.

This section can be used to share information about the team and the context for the project, while the questions below provide space to go into detail about the proposal.

Your response should include:

  • Relevant background about your organization or team, including its mission and expertise.
  • An explanation of how the project is new, or how it complements, builds upon, or scales existing initiatives.

Please describe your project, explain how it supports the university’s sustainability goals, and identify the metrics you will use to demonstrate its impact. In a later section, you will have the opportunity to provide more narrative on environmental and social sustainability impacts.

The proposal must align with at least one goal from the university's draft Sustainability and Climate Action Plan. The proposal must also include output- and/or outcome-focused metrics, along with the Campus Sustainability Fund’s required standardized metrics, and context on how metrics will be tracked. Review standardized metrics, Action Plan goals, and output/outcome metrics to inform this response.

Your response must include:

  • A thorough, clear, and compelling project description.
  • Identification of one or more specific Action Plan goals to which the project is directly aligned.
  • Strong output- or outcome-focused metrics that demonstrate tangible impact, along with the Campus Sustainability Fund’s required standardized metrics.
  • An explanation of what will change as a result of the project.

Please provide a timeline that outlines the key steps of your project. The timeline may be provided in list or narrative format. Your response must include:

  • Anticipated timeframes for when major activities will begin and be completed.
  • Identification of critical deadlines or milestones that must be met.

Please describe the steps you have taken to ensure your project is feasible, including work completed to date, and any necessary approvals that have been obtained or partnerships that have been formalized.

If relevant partners have been coordinated with, please identify them in your response.  If you have received authorization to complete your project, such as from Facilities Management/ Parking and Transportation, please indicate those collaborators. If the proposed project will make modifications to campus, please address if you have written authorization or official quotes from Facilities Management to accurately identify the cost of labor and supplies.

Your response must include:

  • The steps that have been taken to ensure the proposal can be successfully completed.
  • Any necessary approvals, authorizations, or partnerships that have been secured.

Provide justification of the funds (personnel and operational) requested in your budget sheet and how they support your project’s goals. If requesting personnel funding, describe the position, responsibilities, and timeline. If your team has matching or supporting funds, identify the source, amount, and their purpose.

Your response must include:

  • A reasonable, clear budget that is aligned with project goals.
  • Sufficient justification for all requested expenses.
  • Identification of any matching or supporting funds, including their amount and purpose.

Please provide a narrative description as to how your project will advance environmental and social sustainability on campus. Environmental impact can take many forms, such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions, conserving water, improving energy efficiency, managing waste responsibly, or enhancing biodiversity and ecological health. Social sustainability can include strengthening food security, improving health and well-being, addressing disproportionate burdens on frontline communities, building community resilience, or fostering a sense of belonging. Please review how the CSF defines both environmental and social sustainability on its Guides and Tips webpage.

Your response must include:

  • Clear identification of environmental and social sustainability benefits.

Please describe how your project will demonstrate relevance to students and provide broad benefit to the student body. This benefit may come through direct involvement in project activities, indirect outcomes that improve the student experience, or opportunities for education and engagement. If students will participate in planning, implementation, or leadership, include details on their roles and responsibilities, as well as how you will recruit, solicit, or market these opportunities.

Your response must include:

  • An explanation of how the project will benefit or involve students.
  • A description of meaningful opportunities for student leadership or professional development, if applicable.

Please describe how your project will provide opportunities for the campus community to learn about sustainability. Explain how the project will educate or engage individuals, including those not currently involved in sustainability efforts, and how it will incorporate outreach or behavior change strategies. Include how you plan to communicate the project’s impacts to the wider campus community.

Your response must include:

  • How you will educate the campus community about sustainability.
  • An explanation of how you will communicate the project’s impacts to the wider campus community.
If your project requires quotes for equipment/ labor or any letters of support or commitment, upload them here. You may also include additional documents that strengthen your proposal, such as maps, product or equipment specifications, workshop content, speaker biographies, or other appropriate materials.
Upload requirements
Please detail where you would specifically like feedback or application support from the Committee members. While they will give general feedback in all project criteria areas (Feasibility & Logistics, Environmental Sustainability Impact, Social Sustainability Impact, Student Leadership & Involvement, and Education, Outreach, & Behavior Change), you may note here where additional feedback could be most useful to you.
Where did you hear about this funding opportunity?