Grants

Launched in January 2026, the SPIKE Center for Sustainability Education (SPIKE Center) supports faculty with training and resources to strengthen sustainability education across campus, including developing curriculum. We are part of campuswide efforts to raise the visibility of, coordinate, and elevate sustainability. 

To these ends, we are excited to pilot sustainability education grants at the University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder) in coordination with campus-wide efforts to prioritize sustainability as a pillar of our campus vision and curriculum. The application deadline is November 11, 2026, noon MT.  

Decisions will be made by members of the leadership team of the SPIKE Center for Sustainability Education. Through these sustainability education grants, we seek to deepen existing strengths and reach into novel fields and units.  
 
Priority for grant selection will be given to those that can articulate how the funding will support one or more of the following six criteria; please, note in the application when prompted. 

  
The first four priority criteria are the Chancellor’s sustainability goals for campus: 

• Goal 1: Equip our students with the knowledge and skills to solve humanity’s most pressing sustainability challenges   

• Goal 2: Transform our cutting-edge sustainability research into action   

• Goal 3: Lead by example in our stewardship of sustainable campus operations and the campus as a living laboratory 

• Goal 4: Partner with communities locally and globally, including making Colorado “the most sustainable state in the U.S.” 
   

As part of this ambitious and inspiring vision, we also underscore two key concepts for implementing meaningful and coordinated sustainability education on our campus: 

 
Definition: Given campus feedback to provide more specificity, the Office of the Vice Chancellor of Sustainability (OVCS) and the SPIKE Center for Sustainability Education have provided the following definition of sustainability as a guide for our work, even as we acknowledge part of its popularity is its ambiguity: “We define sustainability as the capacity to meet the needs and well-being of current and future generations by drawing on diverse knowledge systems to integrate environmental and ecological stewardship, including the fostering of socioeconomic, cultural, health, equity and justice impacts.” (For more on the expanding activities and impacts of the OVCS, see HERE).

 
Common Curriculum: Finally, this definition is shared in concert with CU Boulder’s Common Curriculum, with the culminating focus of Sustainability and more Sustainable Futures, ensuring that graduates gain experience applying sustainable practices, promoting sustainable communities, acting as stewards for sustainable futures, and fostering individual well-being, social equity, long-term economic vitality, and the health of the natural environment.  
 

Applications

All accepted will be required to provide information we can post publicly and to fill out annual reports. Read financial & legal notes below before applying. 

We do not expect applicants to use AI, since it has a large environmental and public health impact. Limited AI use will be allowed in the form of tools such as Grammarly. If AI is a part of the proposed project, fill out the information on the application form as requested to clarify how sustainability considerations will be considered. 
 
Apply for the most appropriate tier for your proposal; applicants should only submit one proposal per year (individually and/or with others).

Deadline

November 11, 2026, noon MT. Decisions will be shared by December 1, 2026. 
 

Financial and Legal Notes

• Allowable expenses are those that directly benefit the project, are reasonable (what a prudent person would pay), and compliant with university and state policies as applicable. Official function costs are allowed; alcohol and entertainment costs are not allowed. 
• Support for course releases requires supervisor approval. The applicant and their Fiscal Manager are responsible for ensuring the allowability of all expenditures. Applicants should consult with their Fiscal Manager with questions regarding allowability. Costs exceeding the awarded amount are the responsibility of the applicant’s department. 

• Awards will be transferred in a single, one-time payment from the SPIKE Center to the grantee’s respective department. The Fiscal Manager of the SPIKE Center will coordinate with the grantee’s Fiscal Manager named in the application to complete the funds transfer. Access to the funds will depend on the grantee’s Fiscal Manager’s timely and responsive action to provide the SPIKE Center with a Fund 34 speedtype (account) or set up a new Fund 34 speedtype (account) for the award. 

• Project Duration and No-Cost Extensions: The project duration is from receipt until December 11, 2027. Unused funds at the end of the grant must be returned to SPIKE. No-cost extension (NCE) requests of six months must be approved by SPIKE before the grant termination date. NCE requests must include: 1) a justification for the extension; 2) a plan for using the funds during the extension; and 3) the length of extension. By November 11, 2027, these requests should be sent to spikecenter@colorado.edu   

• All recipients will need to submit an annual report form to remain in good standing for future funding and support, as well as recognition of funding when appropriate in publicity or related publications. 

• Activities, events, projects, and programs funded by the SPIKE Center should not discriminate based on race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, creed, religion, veteran status, marital status, political affiliation, political philosophy, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression in accordance with state, federal, and Regent law.