Eligibility: All currently enrolled University of Connecticut undergraduate and graduate students are eligible to apply. Students must be full-time during the time period of the grant. Applications can be submitted by an individual student or teams of students. Students can lead only one proposal each and can collaborate on up to three proposals (but can participate in no more than three proposals total).

Faculty/Staff Mentor Requirements: Each project must have at least one faculty or staff mentor who submits a support form with the application and will actively participate in the project. Mentors must be able to accept and manage grant funds on the students' behalf. This includes responsibility for any student hiring. The mentor is responsible for ensuring the project budget is executed according to UConn policies and procedures, adheres to the guidelines outlined in this application and is expended at least three weeks before the close of the fiscal year. Faculty/staff members can collaborate on no more than three student proposals each.

Funding: Limited funding is available for proposed projects with budgets up to $10,000. Proposals should provide strong justification for all budgetary items. Awards will be announced by December 2022. Funds will transfer early January 2023 and should be fully spent by June 30, 2023.

Deadlines: For full consideration, all proposal documents must be submitted by October 11 18, 2022 at 4:00pm  Letters of support from faculty or staff members may be submitted through the google form application or via email to sustainability@uconn.edu. Projects should not extend past the start of Fall '23.

How to Apply: There is a google form application which asks for contact information and a few short essay questions. You are also required to submit a project budget and faculty mentor support form. Download each form, complete, and then you can upload them into the google form application.

Application Questions

Part I

1. Project title:
2. Name of Student Principal Investigator: This is the main point of contact for any grant-related activities, and must be a UConn student during the time period of the grant.
3. Student PI email & cell number
4. Name of Faculty or Staff Mentor: This must be a UConn employee that will provide guidance and financial oversight for the project. They must have the ability to accept and manage funds on your behalf. They will also be responsible for student hiring if applicable to your project. The mentor is responsible for ensuring the project budget is executed according to UConn policies and procedures, adheres to the guidelines outlined in this application and is expended at least three weeks before the close of the fiscal year.
5. Mentor email & cell number

Part II

In these next questions, tell us about your idea - why is it an important activity to fund? What path will you take to accomplish it? What will the outcomes and final deliverables be? You may wish to use Word to copy/paste your answers to stay within character limits.

1. Context & Rational (1000 character limit)
2. Materials & Methods (1000 character limit)
3. Expected Outcomes & Deliverables (1000 character limit)
4. Who does your project impact and how are their needs known? Is anyone on your team part of your target community?(1500 character limit)
5. How does your project contribute specifically to sustainability outcomes? (1500 character limit) - Don't worry, we don't expect you to solve climate change! All scales of sustainability impact are considered.
6. Summary: (300 character limit) - Now that you've covered the details of your project, please give us a short summary - distill what you wrote into the essence of your project. Think about how you'd describe your project to a stranger if you only had a minute to talk to them. If you are awarded the grant, we may use this description in public announcements.
7. What other students, faculty, or staff are part of the project team? You are not required to have additional members, but please share if applicable. For each collaborator involved, share their NAME, EMAIL, and ROLE in conducting the project.
8. What is the timeline for your project's completion? (1500 character limit) Must be finished before the start of Fall semester '23. When do you expect to begin and accomplish major milestones of your project? Example: Apply for IRB Survey Study Approval - early February '23, Recruit participants - late February '23, Conduct Surveys - first week of March '23, etc.
9. Itemized Budget Request Upload. If funded, what would the money go toward? If this request is part of a larger project or you have already found partial funding, please include that in your budget. Appropriate expenses include student salary for completing the project (up to $3000 per student and $6000 maximum), materials and supplies, and travel. The salary of faculty or staff members cannot be included in requested funds. Here is a sample budget: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1EQb6VuGzPMgE2M2gbS1C-dXDbNXrLr6O/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=102659157238664148208&rtpof=true&sd=true
10. Faculty or Staff Support Letter(s) (can be submitted together or separately from the application): Please share the following Word document with your mentor to fill out and sign (~ 1 page). Please upload it, otherwise ask your mentor to email it to sustainability@uconn.edu. Document: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_-N_KdvWCE_AURc9s0clOniWrFjE4Kxj/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=102659157238664148208&rtpof=true&sd=true 

Background: The Office of Sustainability joined the Institute of the Environment when the Institute was formed in 2019. The mission of the Institute of the Environment is to catalyze environmental scholarship, education, and engagement across all facets of the University to address some of the most challenging issues facing society today. The Institute of the Environment comprises four administrative units (the Center for Environmental Sciences and Engineering, the Connecticut State Museum of Natural History, Natural Resources Conservation Academy, and the Office of Sustainability). Within the Institute, the Office of Sustainability works with senior administrators, students, faculty and staff to set and achieve strategic sustainability goals in the areas of climate action and resilience, energy and buildings, waste reduction and diversion, water resources, food and dining, grounds, purchasing, transportation, open space and natural resource stewardship. The Office develops outreach and engagement programs that feature experiential learning to raise awareness and improve performance around sustainable practices and behaviors.

Questions about this call for proposals should be directed to sustainability@uconn.edu or Betsy Mortensen (betsy.mortensen@uconn.edu).