A sustainable project is a project that contributes to one or more of the following areas of consideration. 

Projects will be categorized into the following areas of work: 

• Air Quality 

• Built Environment & Communities 

• Energy 

• Food Systems 

• Recreation and Culture 

• Social Resilience and Access 

• Meeting the basic needs of current and future generations.  

• Climate Change 

• Ecological & Environmental Change 

• Water 

Projects will be evaluated on their ability to address one or more of the following areas of consideration: 

• Educational outreach, collaborative partnerships, and reputation building with surrounding communities 

• Sustainable leadership development within the University  

• Sustainability that is accessible to and achievable by all 

• Social resilience as it relates to comprehensive sustainability 

• Sustainability literacy and increased levels of participation in sustainability activities 

• Health and Wellness initiatives 

• Sustainable procurement practices 

• Operations improvements that decrease environmental impacts 

• Energy conservation 

• Greenhouse gas reductions 

• Pollution reduction, including but not limited to: 

• Hazardous waste 

• Solid waste 

• Liquid waste 

• Gaseous emissions 

• Sewage and storm water output reductions 

• Water conservation 

• Undergraduate students
• Graduate students
• Faculty
• Staff

SCIF projects must be either on campus or directly associated with campus. There have been off-campus projects with university partners in the past. For more information, see past annual reports.

There are all sorts of projects that utilize SCIF funding. For more information, read the selection criteria and past annual reports.

• Your grant size (small, medium, or large) should depend on your budget needs.
• Those working on projects for course credit are recommended to apply for small or medium grant awards.
• Those who have the flexibility to work on a project over multiple semesters are invited to apply for all three sizes of grants.
• Medium grant projects that require a high degree of campus approval or have a high degree of complexity may be asked to apply with large grants so applicants can have increased levels of support during the design and implementation processes.

Many project ideas require collaboration with other departments on campus. These cross-departmental collaborations can occur with a range of the departments, including:

• Facilities Management (including Energy Management, Landscape Maintenance, and Recycling)
• Dining Services
• Housing & Residential Education
• Academic Affairs
• Academic departments
• Athletics
• Student Services
• Undergraduate Research

• Yes, you are able to apply for additional grants as long as past grant contracts are fulfilled.
• Students who have been successful on previous projects have a higher likelihood for success on larger/more-complex projects

Any University faculty or staff member.

No, but some classes have SCIF projects built into their curriculum.

• Grants are evaluated by a seven-person committee, called the SCIF Allocations Committee, comprised of a cross section of campus that makes decisions for all grants over $1,000.
• For all projects less than $1,000, the decisions are made by the SCIF Small Grant Committee, which is comprised of the chief sustainability officer, a student representative, and the SCIF manager.

• Set up a meeting with the SCIF manager.
• Plan and design your project.
• Contact all relevant parties – SCIF manager can help.
• Submit rough draft of application and proposal to the SCIF manager for review.
• If you are planning on doing a project that will change the landscape or is permanent, please refer to the SCIF Landscape Structure Checklist.
• Once feedback is received, revise your application and submit final draft to SCIF manager.
• All final drafts will be sent to the Allocations Committee.
• The Allocations Committee will meet to discuss the project. During this time it is common for the committee to provide questions and feedback for the applicant.
• The applicant will have one week to draft responses that will then be submitted to the Allocations Committee for final decision.
• The Allocations Committee will vote on all submitted applications (this process can range between 1-2 weeks).
• The SCIF manager will inform all candidates about the decisions and then all approved projects will begin

• Make sure you gather and submit all of the following
  • A line-item budget and copies of all receipts/invoices
  • At least 5 photos of the project
  • A 100-200 word abstract summarizing the project
  • A project assessment, to be conducted before and after the project
• Fill out the final report form and submit it to the SCIF manager – found here.