Your Project Was Funded! Now What?
The CSF is far from a traditional grant program! Post-approval, the CSF Committee is here for you to ensure that your project is as successful as possible.
Project Facilitators
The Fund believes ongoing communication and collaboration between the CSF Committee and Project Managers can build connections, community, and successful projects.
Once a grant has been approved, the Project Managers will hear from a CSF Committee member who will be their designated Project Facilitator. While Project Managers are responsible for leading and completing their project, the Project Facilitator from the Committee is there to help you along the way.
Your primary point of contact for the duration of your project will be your Project Facilitator. It is the expectation that Project Managers meet with their Project Facilitator monthly or as needed. These meetings allow the CSF Committee member to stay updated with your project while also helping to enhance your project’s impact and reach when appropriate.
Project Facilitators can assist at workdays or tabling events, attend planning meetings, provide support to social media or communication efforts (like designing social media posts, writing up blog posts for newsletters, and so much more). In some cases, CSF Project Facilitators are less involved and can act more in more of a consultive role when appropriate.
Your Project Facilitator can also provide insight into how past projects have overcome obstacles, how to bolster areas of your project to make it more dynamic, and how to connect with specific contacts or departments. The Committee has extensive background in student and community outreach and can offer Project Managers with advice on outreach efforts, event planning, social media campaigns, and more.
This is your project, but the Project Facilitator is there to give an extra hand.
Tracking and Reporting - Work Plans and Progress Reports
Once a grant has been approved, the Project Manager(s) will be asked (depending on the complexity of the project) to complete the CSF Work Plan template to outline key goals, deadlines, and objectives to make a plan to keep the project on track. This document will outline project goals, a timeline, people involved, and any other relevant details to the project. As your project progresses, your Work Plan will be the baseline for comparison when evaluating project success against Progress Reports.
Approved projects are required to submit Progress Reports on a quarterly basis. Progress Reports will be completed by the Project Manager(s) in March, May, August, and December unless funding is awarded after one of these deadlines or the project ends prior to a deadline (most likely in the case of Mini Grants). These Progress Reports allow the Committee to track the progression of approved projects and to ensure they are meeting agreed-upon milestones. Specific metrics to be tracked throughout the course of the project will be identified and agreed upon during the first meeting between the CSF and Project Manager(s). These metrics will be reported on within each Progress Report.
The Quarterly Progress Report submitted in August will be considered the Final Progress Report and will provide a final record of total expenditures, unused funds, and more detailed, comprehensive qualitative and quantitative measures of project accomplishments.
Accessing Funding
The Coordinator of the CSF transfers funding over to the department of the Fiscal Officer identified in the application. Accessing Funds can look different across departments, particularly if you are a student or staff member. To access funding, some Fiscal Officers will provide a "purchase card" or a way to buy things yourself. Others might route all purchases through them or using a form. Connecting with your Fiscal Officer after receiving word you've been funded will be critical to ensuring you have timely access to your funds!
It is your responsibility as an awardee to communicate with your Fiscal Officer and ensure your purchases are aligned with your approved budget. Fiscal Officers are responsible for assisting Project Managers with accessing the funds as well as the budgeting and financial reporting elements of this project as well as accessing the funds for purchases.
Recognition of the Campus Sustainability Fund in the Communication of Your Project
Recognition of the Campus Sustainability Fund and its support is required. Each Project Manager will receive Campus Sustainability Fund logos and information on how they can and cannot be used. The CSF must be recognized in all project marketing, communications, and signage materials by its full name. The CSF logo must be included whenever the department’s logo is used in advertising events or other outreach for the project. Each use of the CSF logo must be approved by the CSF prior to publication.
The CSF will amplify each funded project’s public-facing upcoming events, presentations, and other outreach opportunities if received at least two weeks in advance via its own and the Office of Sustainability’s platforms.
If you are interested in collaborating with the Office of Sustainability's Instagram account and wish to have your post featured on their feed, please communicate this with your Project Facilitator(s).
Please note that the CSF assumes all photos and videos shared by project team members may be used by the Office of Sustainability in project communications, including social media and on our webpages, unless otherwise specified.
Additionally, a webpage will be created for your project on our Funded Project webpage that will share your application, budget, Progress Reports, photos, and project team names.
In the event that the project establishes a permanent facility, the CSF requires a permanent commitment through the display of a sign acknowledging the support of the Campus Sustainability Fund in founding the initiative.