Sustainable Initiatives Fund
Vandals are known for our vision, innovation and willingness to give back to our community. The Sustainable Initiatives Fund gives students an opportunity to strengthen their diverse skill sets and improve our campuses in creative and positive ways.
Every year, the Student Sustainability Cooperative awards $10,000 to fund student-led projects that advance campus sustainability or use campus as a living laboratory.
Applications for the 2024-25 will open on November 6, 2024 at the completion of the Sustainable Initiatives Fund Info Forum
- All students must attend the Info Forum, held from 4-5 p.m. on November 6 in the ISUB Panorama room, order to be eligible for funding. Please contact the SSC Programs Coordinator to discuss any questions you may have at ssc@uidaho.edu.
- RSVP for the Sustainable Initiatives Fund Info Forum here!
How to Apply
To be eligible for funding through the Sustainable Initiatives Fund Students must:
- Be a full-time University of Idaho undergraduate students enrolled at the university during the entire duration of the project
- Be in good academic standing
- Attend the Sustainable Initiatives Fund Info Forum on November 6
Projects must either: Contribute directly to campus sustainability or use campus as a living laboratory.
Group submissions and partnerships are encouraged, including those with non-students (staff, faculty, community partners, etc.); however, students must play the central role in project design, execution and reporting.
All project applications require a student project lead and a U of I-affiliated advisor that can help guide the applicants for the duration of the project. This can be a faculty or staff member on your local campus.
If you want to make a difference in campus sustainability, but don’t know where to start, you can reach out to the Sustainability Coordinator at ssc@uidaho.edu or visit our office in the Department of Student Involvement to work with others to bring your big ideas to life!
Once you have your idea, your team and your advisor, you can start the application process. The Funding Application requires:
- Project Title
- Project lead(s), group members and advisor(s)
- Project description (two to five sentences)
- Desired outcomes
- Amount of funding requested
- Detailed project budget to support requested funding*
- General project timeline
- Advisor’s Statement of Support
* Limitations on funding include: No purchasing of alcoholic beverages or meals, cash advances, paying of salaries or wages, fuel for personal vehicles, travel reimbursement, taxable hospitality expenses and no monetary awards, prizes or gift cards.
Applications for the 2024-2025 Sustainable Initiatives Fund are due at 11:59 p.m. on Friday, December 13.
The Funding Board will evaluate the applications and announce partial or total funding awarded to applicants on Wednesday, January 15, 2025.
Applicants may be asked for clarification or revision based on feedback from the Funding Board.
Once funding has been awarded, project leads can start to work with group members, advisors and the Campus Projects Lead to finalize budgets, timelines and action plans.