Sustainability Fund Guidelines-proposals over $1000

All project proposals must effectively demonstrate how they will meet or exceed the following requirements.

• Projects must support the principles and goals of Western’s Environmental Charter and be consistent with the above stated purpose of the Sustainability Fund.
• Projects must show physical, measurable, or countable evidence that sustainability is being achieved.
• Project outcomes should affect a sizable portion of the student body.
• Project proposals will only be accepted from a member of the Associated Student Body and only with the support of a faculty or staff advisor.

Please provide, in order, the following information and email complete proposals as a single PDF document to Sara Phillips (sphillips@western.edu). Proposal length (excluding student resumes and faculty letter of support) should not exceed five pages.

• Cover Letter (Brief summary of project proposal and objectives)
• Description of Project Proposal
  • Provide a complete description of the proposed project, including a detailed description of the activities required to successfully implement the project
  • Provide a brief description of how the proposed project will meet all Sustainability Fund requirements and how project outcomes will be measured
  • Provide example(s), if available, of similar projects implemented at other locations (college & university campuses preferably) and describe the successes and challenges of these projects
  • Provide an estimated timeline for the proposed project and its required activities
• Description of Project Costs
  • Provide a detailed cost estimate of fully implementing the proposed project. Include in your estimate any potential on-going costs such as maintenance, any in-kind services required by the University to successfully implement the proposed project, and any current bid estimates for contractor services or supplies, if applicable.
  • If applicable, provide a list of other funding sources or in-kind services secured or being pursued for this project. If supplemental sources are being pursued but not yet secured, provide information on estimated notification timelines.
• A letter of support from at least one Western faculty or staff member.
• A one (1) page resume for each student.​​​

Proposals are due by Oct. 15 (fall semester) or Feb. 28 (spring semester). Incomplete proposals will not be considered for review.

After review of all proposals, students who submitted the most qualified proposals will present to the Committee, answer questions and provide clarifications of the proposed project. The Committee will consider all qualified proposals and make its decision on funding based on the Sustainability Fund purpose, criteria and cost of implementation.

Decisions made by the Committee on funding are final and not subject to appeal. If a project is not funded, the Committee will provide information to the student(s) on why the proposal was not funded. Allocation of funds will be subject to availability. Projects must be completed and a final report will be due to the committee within one year of funding.