Campus Sustainability Fund (Mini Grants)

Campus Sustainability Fund (Mini Grants) is sponsored by Office of Sustainability, The University of Arizona. Funds small-scale but high-impact projects that focus on biodiversity, ecological health, energy, water usage, cultivating resilience, increasing social capital, carbon emissions, waste reduction, and other efforts that meaningfully advance environmental and social sustainabilit…

Mini Grants | Office of Sustainability Mini Grants are closed for 2025. Thank you for your wonderful applications! For questions, help with a proposal, or to set up a meeting with our Campus Sustainability Fund Coordinator, please email Emily Haworth at emilyhaworth@arizona.

edu . The CSF Committee members hold weekly Virtual Office Hours dedicated for drop-ins throughout the semester! Please utilize them for anything CSF-related.

No appointment necessary. Learn more on our webpage ! Mini Grants fund time-sensitive, off-cycle, small-scale projects in the fall semesters.

The minimum allocation for a single Mini Grant project is $500 and the maximum allocation is $10,000. Mini Grant funding will be transferred on a rolling basis and the project must be completed by the end of the fiscal year, June 30. Funding dispersal for approved projects is dependent on when the application is submitted and when all project team members have signed our Letter of Agreement.

To apply for a Mini Grant, applicants must submit both a Preliminary Application and a Final Application, which include written responses, project contacts, and a budget template that details funding requests and proposed project expenditures. The responses to the questions in the written application must be thorough, thoughtful, and accurate.

Only project applications that have made the effort to obtain all necessary preliminary information, research, and contacts will be considered. All budgets must be reviewed by your Fiscal Officer prior to submission. Please ensure you have reviewed our Grant Application Info page fully in addition to what is detailed below.

All proposals must include a project budget using our Mini Grant Budget Template . Please download this template as an Excel file and complete it in Excel. To begin your application, please head to our " Mini Grant Application Form " page or you can view application questions in a document to work offline.

The CSF believes their role on campus is to help kick-start projects, programs, and initiatives that otherwise do not have funding. In this way, awards from the CSF act as seed-funding, rather than long-term funding. For Mini Grants, Project Managers and partnering departments must wait one year after their third award to be eligible again.

In other words, if a project applies for three Mini Grants consecutively that have a similar goal and project plan, the team must wait one year to be eligible to apply again.

Fall 2025 Mini Grant Timeline Overview Preliminary Application: September 8 – October 5, 2025 Review and feedback: Rolling basis Final Application: October 6 – November 2, 2025 Review and funding decisions will be made in early to mid-November Projects should expect funding no sooner than mid to late November; Please plan accordingly All deadlines are 11:59 p. m. unless otherwise noted.

Mini Grant Process Overview Complete preliminary work and drafting Submit Preliminary Application Await feedback from the Committee Integrate feedback in Final Application Applicant will be notified if their application has been approved or not approved Additional detail on each step of this process is provided below. Please do not hesitate to contact Emily Haworth, CSF Coordinator, at emilyhaworth@arizona. edu with any questions.

The CSF Committee members hold Virtual Office Hours dedicated for drop-ins! Please utilize them for anything CSF-related. Drop into Virtual Office Hours on Zoom when you have questions on your proposal idea and whether or not it fits within the scope of the Fund, how to strengthen your proposal’s application or impact, and anything else!

The CSF Committee strongly encourages applicants to connect with a member of the CSF Committee through Virtual Office Hours as soon as possible to increase the likelihood that each team will be able to secure the approvals, letters, documentation, or quotes that might be necessary to procure prior to the submission of the Final Application. Preliminary Mini Grant Application The Preliminary Application period opens at 8:00 a. m.

on Monday, September 8, and closes at 11:59 p. m. on Sunday, October 5, 2025.

The Committee will provide feedback on Preliminary Applications on a rolling basis, meaning Project Managers can expect to hear back from the Committee on the Preliminary Application within two to three weeks. All Preliminary Applications will be reviewed, but not all Preliminary Applications will be provided the go-ahead to submit a Final Application should the project proposal fall outside of the scope of the Fund.

The Final Application period opens at 8:00 a. m. on Monday, October 6, 2025 and closes at 11:59 p.

m. on Sunday, November 2, 2025. Once applicants have received and integrated feedback on their Preliminary Application, applicants may submit their Final Application.

Following the Final Application submission, Project Managers can expect to receive a funding decision via email within two to three weeks.

Final Applications must include: A completed written application, submitted through the CSF’s form An official quote from any relevant party, including but not limited to University Facility Services and/or or other vendors/businesses Letters of commitment, partnership, or ongoing collaboration if any such relationship is noted in the proposal A complete and detailed budget sheet Please consider what application requirements and details need to be identified in advance.

Any project proposal that alters or makes modifications to campus requires University Facility Services consent and coordination as well as a quote through their online Estimate Request service portal. Please review our Estimate Request Guide for University Facility Services to get started. The timeline to receive authorization and a quote for the modification can take several weeks to several months from start to finish.

Applicants should plan accordingly. The process and management of the quote or service request is the responsibility of the applicant. Projects that require a quote must have one at the time of submitting the Final Application and must be attached as a Supporting Document.

Applications must be completed and submitted to the Campus Sustainability Fund by the designated dates above to be considered for funding. Once the window for completing applications closes, materials will not be accepted or considered.

Applicants should budget enough time to deal with any potential technological challenges that may arise as it will not be considered as a valid excuse if a proposal cannot be submitted before the deadline. Funds may never be used for reimbursement for items that have already been purchased, for projects that have already begun, or for projects that are already completed.

This includes requesting funding for items (including capital equipment) or for labor already purchased or completed. Funding also cannot be requested to pay for any expenses (labor or otherwise) that were going to be purchased regardless of the Committee’s funding decision. A realistic amount of lead time should be given in order for proposals to be eligible for review.

Tight timelines are potential grounds for disapproval, as the proposal could lack logistics and feasibility. Indigenous-Centered Mini Grants With the generous support of the Agnese Nelms Haury Program , the CSF has two Indigenous-Centered Mini Grant opportunities for the 2025 – 2026 school year.

Each Mini Grant is $5,000 or $10,000 and is reserved for funding Indigenous-focused projects that are oriented toward environmental and/or social sustainability.