Engagement of students, staff and faculty is critical to the advancement of sustainability at the University of Windsor. The Environmental Advocate wishes to support creative solutions to make the University of Windsor a more environmentally responsible place for work, study, teaching, and research. To this end, funds are available for students, staff and faculty to pursue sustainability-related projects.
Purpose
The purpose of the Lancer Green Fund (LGF) is to pilot projects that increase sustainability on campus with an emphasis on projects that reduce environmental impact of the campus. These projects could include trials, educational events, start-ups or exhibitions, but do not include course development, entertainment for the applicants, conference expenses, research assistantships, etc.
Grants
The funding for each project will normally be restricted to $1500. Individuals or groups may apply for funding. Successful applicants will have one calendar year after the application is successful to complete the project and show its impact.
Applications
Applications will be accepted at any time. An applicant can be an individual student, staff or a group of students or staff. If a single student applies, s/he must have a GPA of 8 or more. An individual or group should have the capacity to complete every aspect of the project and the application also requires a sign-off by a staff member in the area affected. Projects must include metric(s) to show impact.
Please use the LGF Application template provided (.docx)
Submit the application to: Tanya Basok | Environmental Advocate, University of Windsor | sustainability@uwindsor.ca
Basis for selection
The approval process will take a maximum of three working weeks, and all the applications will be reviewed by the EA who may make inquiries or ask others to assist in the review process. Projects will be assessed based on their:
- Physical impact on the campus environment (type of impact and estimated quantity)
- Affected number of campus community members
- Visible impact on the campus
- Having the required people with the correct skills to execute the project
- Novelty
- Plan to continue the initiative if successful (capacity to sustain)
Additional criteria that are not necessary but will make your project more likely to be approved include:
- Matching funds or in-kind contributions
- Payback (if this is a money saving project) – identify who receives savings
Payment
Expenses will be normally be reimbursed at the end of the project. In some cases, invoices for purchased items will be paid during the grant period. Labour will not normally be reimbursed with grant funds.
Final Report
If you receive a grant you are required to submit a final report. The main purpose of the final report is to provide a record of how the project was executed. The report should include the names of all participants, detailed procedures, and impacts produced by the project. It is essential that all the invoices and receipts be submitted to receive full funding. It is suggested that all fund recipients keep a record of all their work throughout the course of the project either through means of a journal, photos, or video to allow references for writing the final report. The final report may be posted on the sustainability website. Fund recipients may also be asked to provide a testimonial to promote the Lancer Green Fund. The Environmental Advocate has the right to review all project records and receipts.
FAQs
1. How many applications can be submitted by a single individual?
Technically, there is no limitation, but one individual conducting multiple projects brings up the question of capacity. Can s/he complete and sustain all of these initiatives? All things being equal, it would be better to fund two separate projects by two individuals rather than two projects by one individual. Don't forget, there will also be LGF competitions in the spring and summer terms. Having a completed project demonstrates capacity, so you may want to stagger your applications to build on your success.
2. How formal must the application be? Are concrete numbers required or do estimates suffice?
The application should be written in complete sentences - sometimes point form does not convey intentions properly. Numbers are required in items 6, 7 and 10 of the application template. Known values are better, but estimates must sometimes be used (e.g. the number of people affected), but it's good to state the basis of your estimates.