Welcome to Sustainable CU. Here you'll find history, guidelines, and proposals of the Sustainable CU Grant Program. In the spring of 2005, students voted to dedicate a portion of student fees to implement on-campus sustainability projects that reduce the University's impact on climate and the environment. The fees allocated for these efforts make up the Sustainable CU Fund, which can be used for projects involving renewable energy, energy efficiency, recycling and waste reduction, and other innovative sustainability solutions. The Environmental Center, which administers the Sustainable CU Fund, is looking in particular for projects created and led by students. 

Thank you for your commitment to improving sustainability on CU's campus! If you have questions, please email eboard@colorado.edu.

Featured Projects & Quotes from Recipients

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We very much appreciate Sustainable CU for the grant they awarded to us, which provided the museum with the funds needed to purchase these practical, useful, and professional grade waster receptacles. I realize trash bins are not typically something to get excited about, but the Max-R bins fit so nicely into the aesthetic of the museum, it is easy to heap praise on them!

This machine [the EBSCO closed loop filtration water jet system] has been a life saver with the student access restrictions we had to put in place due to Covid-19... It really saved the year for students in traditional project classes by allowing them to still design and build a real project in the middle of a pandemic.

Request for Proposals

The Environmental Center approves grants in two categories: small grant of $2,500 or less, and large grants of more than $2,500. There is one Sustainable CU Grant Application for both small and large grants. 

Sustainable CU Grant Application

Small grants are reviewed on a rolling basis throughout the academic school year (September through April), with the Environmental Board typically considering the grants within the following week of its submission.

Large grants are reviewed on a rolling basis in fall and spring semesters.  Fall submissions should be submitted no later than October 31.  Spring submissions should be submitted no later than April 1. 

When a grant is approved, applicants will enter into a grant funding agreement with the Environmental Center to confirm the length of the project, its measurable benefits, and appropriate times to report its progress.

Per CU Student Government bylaws, Sustainable CU funds are allocated for "capital investment, the purchase of infrastructure necessary for the initiatives, installation of capital projects, educational displays related to the capital projects, and any other non-staff operating costs associated with the initiative." Essentially, funds must be used exclusively for the physical supplies, promotion, and hired labor associated with the initiatives they are supporting. 

Therefore, Sustainable CU does not fund:

  • Applicant labor

  • Academic endeavors (e.g. honors theses, capstone projects)

  • Seed-funding for business development

  • Exclusive groups

  • Off-campus projects

  • Events

  • Recurring project costs

If you have any questions about whether your project qualifies, please e-mail eboard@colorado.edu.

The application is a Google Form. You will lose your progress if the page reloads, so develop your answers on a separate document and copy them into the application.

Sustainable CU Grant Application

View pending and past grant applications here

Small grants program (up to $2,500)

Small grants fund expenses such as infrastructure, contractor fees, consumables, and equipment rentals. Sustainable CU does not pay for applicants’ own labor. However, fees charged by third-party professionals, e.g., architects and electricians, are funded by the program.  Funded small projects must be fully executed within three months of the date of the award. An interim progress report must be submitted no later than six weeks after grant submitters have been notified that their project has been funded. Funding will be withdrawn if projects do not meet completion deadlines in the absence of a compelling written request for extension. A short final report is due once the project has been completed; 10% of funds will be withheld until the report is received. Guidelines for progress and final reports are available from the Environmental Center upon request.

Large grants program (over $2,500) 

Application guidelines and instructions for large grants, in a Microsoft Word document that can be used as a template, may be downloaded by clicking here.

The application guideline document contains eligibility, requirements, submission format, and evaluation criteria and timeline information.  If desired, this budget template can be used and submitted as an appendix to proposals (saved first as a PDF and attached with the completed application).  Large Grant application, budget and attachments are submitted by email before posted deadlines to ecenter@colorado.edu.

View pending and past large grant applications here.

Funded Projects