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SSC Grants

SSC offers two different grant options in support of student-driven sustainability projects, the Planet Blue Student Innovation Fund (PBSIF) and the Social and Environmental grant (SES). Read more about each option below, and please do not hesitate to reach out if you are unsure about which grant is the right fit for your idea/project or with any other questions.

Grant Office Hours: come chat with us about your grant and strengthen your application before you apply!

Thinking about applying? Check out our Grant Application Guide for everything you’ll need to know!

Email sustainability.coalition.core@umich.edu or click here for a list of additional on-campus sources of funding for student projects.

Planet Blue Student Innovation Fund

Apply for up to $50,000 this semester through the Planet Blue Student Innovation Fund (PBSIF) if you or your student organization is working on a project with  long-lasting impact that addresses a campus sustainability challenge and enhances campus-wide student engagement with sustainability. Project and application must be student-generated and student-driven. Staff and faculty are also welcome to submit grant applications as long as they clearly specify what the student involvement and learning outcomes will be from the project.

Fall 2024

Letter of intent (required for entry) deadline: Friday, October 11th, 2024 (extended)

Application deadline: Tuesday, November 26, 2024

Winter 2025

Letter of intent (required for entry) deadline: Sunday, February 16th at 5p

Application deadline: Tuesday, April 1st at 11:59p

Past PBSIF projects

Learn more about PBSIF

Social and Environmental Sustainability Grant

Apply for up to $2,500 through the Social and Environmental Sustainability (SES) grant if you or your student organization is working on a small-scale project, event, or initiative that addresses campus sustainability or social sustainability. Projects awarded funding through the SES grant are not required to have an equal focus on environmental and social criteria. Projects pertaining to either social or environmental sustainability are eligible, however the co-consideration of both topics in any project is encouraged by the SSC team.

Winter 2025

Winter Application: The SES grant does not have a specific application deadline. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis until the funds are exhausted.

Past SES projects

Learn more about SES

Frequently Asked Questions

We don’t have a department/unit/faculty sponsor, should we still apply?

  • Yes! SSC is here to help applicants meet the requirements of each grant. While final grant approval requires a department/unit/registered student group to transfer funds, you don’t have to find one by yourself! Please reach out via email or drop by during our grant office hours, and we will be happy to assist you!

We want to do this project in Detroit/Ypsilanti/Ann Arbor. Can you make an exception?

  • No. SSC does not fund any off-campus projects in an attempt to focus our limited resources on our AA campus community. If you would like help finding more sources for your project, feel free to reach out via email or drop by one of our office hours!

We want to pay people to do some of the work in our project. Can we?

  • Generally, we do not fund applicants' time spent working on projects. However, we may consider funding honorariums as part of the request, provided we understand how it ties into the project.

We are a group staff/faculty. Can we apply?

  • Staff and Faculty are welcome to apply for the PBSIF grant. However, the SES grant does not support staff/faculty projects.

We’re not a student org, but a few individual students. Can we apply?

  • Yes! However, for us to transfer funding, your project must be sponsored by a unit/department/student group. Funding cannot be transferred to individual students.

What Happens after I get the funding?

  • If you receive PBSIF funding, your team will have required regular check-ins with the SSC team to foster a partnership between SSC and the project. For SES funding, the SSC team will do their best to support the project through participation throughout its duration. The details of these commitments are outlined further in the applicant agreement.

Are we required to promote SSC as a condition of receiving funding?

  • Yes, projects are required to acknowledge/promote SSC as a sponsor to help advance our mission of raising awareness about SSC resources across campus. Detailed guidelines on this will be provided during your post-award grant check-in meeting.

If my project doesn’t match SSC’s grant criteria, where else can I find funding?