UMD Sustainability Fund Grant

Students, faculty, and staff of the University of Maryland community can apply for funds to support projects that will advance the sustainability of the College Park campus. Students who apply for funds can do so on behalf of a student organization or to fund their own projects, however, a student applicant must have a faculty or staff advisor for his/her project. Follow the guidelines on this website to submit your application.

There are two deadlines for applying to the Sustainability Fund each academic year: October 15th (priority deadline) and January 15th (final deadline). To apply, please download the application below and complete all applicable questions. The ten questions for Part 4 of the application can be answered and submitted as a separate document. If you are requesting salaries or stipends for graduate assistants, faculty, or staff, you must also complete the Salaries and Stipends: Additional Information Request Form at the bottom of the application form. Please see the application form for additional details.

Project applications are reviewed by the Sustainability Fund Review Committee of the University of Maryland Sustainability Council. The Committee submits its recommendations to the full Sustainability Council, which makes final decisions on which projects to fund.

It is highly recommended that you contact the Office of Sustainability (sustainabilityfund@umd.edu) at least four weeks in advance of the proposal deadline to talk through your proposal before submission. Please note that the Sustainability Fund Administrator may not be able to accommodate meeting requests made less than four weeks before the proposal deadline. 

Criteria for Proposals

The Sustainability Fund Review Committee will evaluate proposals based on the following criteria.

REQUIRED

1. Campus Affiliation - Only UMD students, staff members, and/or faculty members can propose projects. Individual students or student organizations proposing a project must include the name and contact information for a faculty or staff sponsor/advisor who is committed to advising throughout the project implementation. All proposers must include the name and contact information for a business officer who will oversee the use of funds for the project.
2. Minimum Request - The proposer requests no less than $2,000 and no more than the total amount available in the Sustainability Fund. Proposers seeking less than $2,000 can request a Sustainability Mini Grant from the Student Government Association’s Sustainability Committee.
3. Itemized Budget and Schedule - The proposer must submit an itemized budget that details the full cost of implementing the project and specifies the budget items for which the proposer is seeking Sustainability Fund support. The proposer must also provide an appropriate schedule for completing the project.
4. Metrics and Reporting - The proposal includes a plan for tracking, recording, and reporting the project outcomes back to the Fund Coordinator within 12 months of receiving funding.

PREFERRED

5. Innovation - The project is innovative and does not include routine maintenance/equipment replacement or code-compliant activities. The Fund may provide money to cover the cost difference between conventional equipment and/or operations and sustainable alternatives.
6. Project Outcomes - Sustainability Fund projects typically meet at least one of the following criteria and ideally meet multiple criteria in this section, however, projects that do not meet these criteria may be considered. Please contact the Fund Administrator prior to applying if your project does not match with one of the following:
   1. The project improves the environmental performance of campus operations by decreasing greenhouse gas emissions, reducing energy and/or water use, enhancing stormwater management, increasing biodiversity, minimizing waste, etc.
   2. The project substantially improves or creates opportunities for UMD students to learn about and develop skills for sustainability or otherwise enhances the UMD student experience.
   3. The project involves research that would create substantial opportunities for student involvement and the outcomes of the research have practical implications for improving the environmental performance of campus operations.
7. Appropriate Expenses -The proposer requests Sustainability Fund money to cover the costs for materials and/or skilled labor to implement the project. Furthermore, Fund money should cover only one-time costs and not ongoing costs beyond the award end date. Proposers seeking salaries or stipends must complete and attach the “Salaries and Stipends: Additional Information Request Form” (below) to their application. This includes compensation for graduate assistants, faculty members, and full-time staff positions.  This does not apply to undergraduate intern hourly wages nor to contracted, skilled labor.
8. Feasibility and Institutional Support - The project is feasible and has the support/approval of appropriate campus individuals and units.
9. Cost/Benefit Analysis - The project proposal outlines the payback period (if applicable) and clearly-defined, measurable outcomes, backed by metrics. The benefits will be considered relative to costs and the availability of monies within the Fund.
10. Matching Funds - The sponsoring department or other entities beyond the Sustainability Fund offer matching financial or in-kind support for the project.

MULTI-YEAR PROJECTS

Projects may be proposed that require multi-year funding for up to 3 calendar years. Projects may include those that require more than 1-year to execute; and/or projects that are ongoing and considered key elements of the campus sustainability program by the Sustainability Fund Review Committee and the Sustainability Council. For multi-year projects, proposers may seek all required funding in one funding cycle or over each of the funding cycles during which the project will be conducted. In their application for the grant, proposers will identify whether they seek lump sum funding in one year or partial funding over each year of the project, as well as the rationale for their request. The committee will recommend funding levels to the University Sustainability Council for its review and approval. For projects approved to receive multi-year funding, the grantee shall annually notify the Office of Sustainability of the project status, and the need for continued funding on a form to be provided.

RESEARCH PROJECTS

The Fund may support research projects. The following criteria will be considered when reviewing research project proposals:

1. The proposed work should have a significant promise of having a direct impact on campus. Either the work or the fruits of the work can and will be implemented to make an impact on university sustainability goals (i.e., theoretical, or experimental work that may add to the science would not be considered since it would not be implemented on campus to meet the university's sustainability goals). Since climate change is a global phenomenon, research involving the advancement of climate science may be supported.
2. Applicants should write the grant application in terms of real-world applications and outcomes.
3. All work related to the grant should be performed on UMCP campus, one of its satellite facilities, and/or with extensive involvement of UMCP undergraduate students.
4. The proposer should identify other sources and amounts of funding for the project, including the entities providing the funding.
5. Verifiable letters of support should be provided from people with relevant expertise and not directly involved in the project.
6. The proposed project does not support a dissertation. 

The committee may determine additional requirements and preferences for each year’s funding cycle provided that these criteria are consistent with the overall mission of the University Sustainability Fund and consistent with the criteria and preferences outlined above. 

All proposals are first reviewed by the Sustainability Fund Review Committee (SFRC). The projects endorsed by the SFRC then move to the University Sustainability Council for final approval. Note: This process can take several months depending on the number of applications. 

If the Sustainability Council approves your proposal, you will receive an informal email notification. During this time, the Office of Sustainability will request a USource account be created in Workday unless other contingencies need to be met. Once the account is requested, the Business Manager you provided in your proposal will be named USource Manager of the project account and must approve the account creation. Once the account is approved, the Office of Sustainability will ask Business and Financial Services to fund the account, and you will then receive an official award letter from the Director of the Office of Sustainability, signed by the Chair of the Sustainability Council.

Multi-year funding became available in the 2024-2025 academic year. Applicants can now request up to three years of funding for projects that require more than one year to execute and/or projects that are ongoing and considered key elements of the campus sustainability program by the Sustainability Fund Review Committee and the Sustainability Council. Applicants must specify in their application whether they are requesting full funding upfront or annual installments, and their rationale for their request. 

For approved multi-year projects, the Office of Sustainability will request a mandatory annual update, and a final report will be due at the conclusion of the entire award timeline. 

• Ensure your USource Manager is aware of your proposal. The USource Manager will likely be the existing Business Manager in the sponsoring department and must be able to approve USource accounts in Workday, provide the project leader with account balance updates, and reallocate charges to the account.
• Please note that all funding for approved projects is provided through Workday. The proposal review process and account creation processes can take time, sometimes months. All project leaders should consider this when planning for project timelines.
• Be sure to include a timeline for your proposed project.
• A detailed budget is required for all proposal submissions. Including itemized lists can help project leaders avoid follow up questions and/or receiving partial funding. The more detail you can provide upfront the better.
• Ensure you have all necessary approvals before applying, and be sure to include documentation of the approvals (e.g. email exchanges, letter of support) with your application. Projects cannot be funded if they are not supported by essential stakeholders. For instance, you cannot propose to construct a green roof unless you have approval from the facilities group (Facilities Management, Residential Facilities, etc.) that manages that building.
• Review your proposal and budget for accuracy before submitting!