Our Mission
The Campus Sustainability Fund was established to provide funding support for large- and small-scale sustainability projects that build a more sustainable, equitable, and resilient future for the University of Arizona and the Tucson communities. At its core, the Fund supports multidisciplinary, sustainability-focused projects that are led by students and campus community members. The Fund acts as a catalyst for advancing the University's climate and sustainability goals while building our resilience to the impacts of climate change through innovation and collaboration. The Fund also provides a unique opportunity for students to have a direct impact on campus sustainability and obtain project management experience through envisioning, creating, and leading campus projects.
Student Engagement Fee
Projects are funded through the Student Engagement Fee, which houses the Sustainability Fee. The Sustainability Fee was proposed by students and supported by the Associated Students of the University of Arizona, the Graduate Professional Student Council, and University administration. The Arizona Board of Regents approved this fee in April 2021 and the CSF began allocating funds to project applicants in December 2021.
The Sustainability Fee is $10 per semester, fall and spring, for all undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in 7 or more units at the University of Arizona Main, Phoenix, and Sierra Vista campuses. The Fee is $5 per semester for students enrolled in fewer than 7 units.
In addition to supporting grants for campus sustainability projects through the CSF, the Sustainability Fee also supports the wages of the Student Committee, the salary of the CSF Coordinator, and the minimal operational costs of the Fund. Any unused funding from approved Mini and Annual Grants are swept back into the CSF to be allocated to future projects.
The Committee
Critical to advancing the overall mission of the Campus Sustainability Fund, the CSF Committee is responsible for evaluating and selecting project proposals for funding and facilitating approved projects. The Committee is comprised of student employees of the Office of Sustainability, the CSF Coordinator, and one or more staff/faculty Committee Advisors.
Each student Committee Member is hired as a student employee to ensure they receive adequate compensation for the work that they undertake on behalf of the University community, particularly their fellow students whom they represent when making funding decisions.
The CSF Coordinator and the Committee Advisors do not vote to approve which projects are funded but provide necessary insight for Committee Members on University policies, processes, and operations as well as give counsel on project selection and implementation.
To see who the current CSF Committee members are, please visit Meet Our Team.
Annual Summaries
Annual Summaries provide a snapshot of the previous year's accomplishments, funding decisions, allocation amounts, and committee members.
Bylaws of the Fund
Bylaws are the official guidance for the Campus Sustainability Fund regarding structure, management, procedures, and processes. To view them, please open the CSF Bylaws
The Bylaws are reviewed and updated by the CSF Committee at the beginning of each academic year or on an as-needed basis. The Bylaws were last updated and approved on September 15, 2023.
History of the CSF
The Campus Sustainability Fund (CSF) was founded in 2021 as the successor program to the University of Arizona Green Fund which operated from 2011 to 2021. Created, energized, and coordinated by students, the Green Fund supported hundreds of projects for over a decade on the University of Arizona campus and in the Tucson community. Over the course of its operation, the Green Fund received nearly 475 project proposals totaling approximately $9.07 million in budget requests. Of these requests, the Green Fund approved 311 proposals, amounting to approximately $4.64 million in allocated funds. The legacy of the Green Fund is an important one and highlights the significance and tremendous long-term impact of student-led sustainability initiatives on the University of Arizona’s campus.
Coinciding with the approval of the Sustainability Fee in 2021, the decision was made to sunset the Green Fund, which was previously housed within the Dean of Students Office, and to stand up the new Campus Sustainability Fund in its place within the Office of Sustainability. An Interim Working Group, consisting of University of Arizona students from the former Green Fund Committee, Students for Sustainability, and ASUA, was established to support the transition from the Green Fund to the CSF.
Supporting the Campus Sustainability Fund
Interested in supporting sustainability projects on campus Donate here or please contact Trevor Ledbetter, Director for the Office of Sustainability, at tledbetter@arizona.edu, or call 520-621-1760.