Green Grant
The SGA Green Grant is a $5,000 competitive grant managed by the Sustainability Commission in collaboration with the Sustainability Office to support students in pursuing sustainable initiatives on campus to improve student life and the environment. The Green Grant is funded by the SGA and was first approved for the 2023-2024 academic year ($10,000 fund in the inaugural year). The projects must be based on Skidmore’s Campus Sustainability Plan while addressing intersecting spheres within sustainability such as social equity, economic viability, and environmental stewardship. All students are eligible to apply for the Green Grant. The Green Grant Review Committee will review project applications and determine project awards.
2023-2024 Awards
- Reusable Hotel Pan Lids for Dining Services - $3,650 - Kimberly Rivera '24
- Wildflower & Pollinator Meadow - $950 - Tess Malloy '26 & Rachel Scholl '26
- Chapel Native Garden - $4,640 - Stefan Tzaprev '26 & Colson Warren '26
- Microgreen Tent - $760 - Emilios Christodoulou'24
The Green Grant Review Committee
The Green Grant Review Committee (GGRC) is comprised of faculty, staff, and student representation. The committee members were chosen to embody Skidmore College’s interdisciplinary sustainability approach and efforts.
2024-2025 Membership
- Co-Chair: Madeline Bace, SGA Sustainability Commission Chair
- Co-Chair: Tarah Rowse, Director of Sustainability Programs and Assessment
- ESS Faculty Representative: Karen Kellogg, Associate Professor of Environmental Science and Studies
- Facilities Services Representative: Bruce Murray, Director of Facilities
- Leadership Activities Department Representative: Emily Poole, Associate Director of Leadership Activities
- Appointed Student Representative: Grace Coale, Class of ‘25
Application
All applicants will be required to fill out the Green Grant application and submit it to the green grant email. Only one application will need to be turned in per group or individual.
The projects selected for funding must use their own time overseen by the designated advisor to complete the project. Advisors must meet with their sponsored applicant(s) at the start of the project and as needed after to keep their sponsored applicant(s) on track with their approved timelines. Advisors are expected to provide guidance and oversight of the project throughout the entirety of its execution. Lastly, advisors are to be informed on the Student Government Association Bylaws Title VIII: Financial Policies and Procedures Section 9.13, the Green Grant, and Resolution 33-36: The Green Grant Act.
Additionally, once the project is completed, participant(s) must present their project to the SGA Senate at the following SGA Senate meeting on the impacts and results of the project. Throughout the entirety of the implementation of the project, the participant(s) must report to the Green Grant Review Committee Co-Chairs at least once a month for updates and feedback.
Resources
The SGA Sustainability Commission and Sustainability Office are committed to being a consistent resource to students throughout the application and implementation process. The SGA Sustainability Commission will hold an annual Green Grant workshop event in the fall semester to answer questions students may have about the Green Grant and serve as a networking opportunity to bring students together who may have similar sustainable interests and initiatives. The Green Grant Review Committee members will also be encouraged to attend.
Timeline (2024-2025)
- October: Green Grant Outreach Begins
- October 25, 2024: Green Grant Application Workshop
- December 20, 2024: Application Deadline
- Spring Semester: Funded Projects to be Announced
Additional Key Resources
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- University of Idaho’s Sustainable Initiatives Fund Project
- Pollinator Garden Revival
- Amount: $1,600
- The awarded team revived the existing pollinator garden on campus to attract native pollinators.
- Hartung Grasses
- Amount: $2,728
- The awarded student replaced a 12,500 square feet section of lawn grass on-campus with drought-tolerant grass. New grass requires less mowing and watering and reduces campus water use and carbon footprint.
- Hydroponics Green Wall
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- Amount: $2,177
- The awarded team built a hydroponics green wall where they grow fresh herbs and greens to sell to students on campus.
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- Pollinator Garden Revival
- The University of Texas at Austin’s Green Fund
- Texas Union Planter
- Amount: $1,580
- Awarded to the Texas Union for the construction of a vertical garden.
- Texas Union Planter
- University Nebraska-Lincoln’s Green Fund
- Alumin8
- Amount: $8,936.54
- The awarded team collects aluminum cans and re-purposes them into permanent items to be donated to homeless shelters and other services around Lincoln. The Green Fund Grant allows the project to be campus-wide and offers an easy understanding for individuals on how the lifespan of items can be increased.
- Bugeater Farms
- Amount: $4,265
- The awarded student revitalized the farming production on unproductive farmland on campus and spent the funding reestablishing seed collection and investing in new tools.
- Alumin8
- The Green Grant is based on developing the interdisciplinary aspect of sustainability at Skidmore College. Therefore, the Green Grant is open to all students no matter their desired/chosen major of interest. What will determine the chosen projects will be its alignment with Skidmore’s Sustainability Plan and the development of sustainability at Skidmore College.
- Graduating seniors are more than welcome to participate in applying for Green Grant! It is important to consider the timeline of your project as the Green Grant does not cover additional housing fees or wages that may be required if the project is designed to extend into the summer or the following academic school year. However, Skidmore College has some resources available for graduating seniors that fund summer housing.
- In addition to the Fall Semester Green Grant Workshop, you can send any questions or concerns to the email greengrant@skidmore.edu and one of the Green Grant Review Committee Co-Chairs will respond to your inquiry.
- In the fall semester, SuCo will host a Green Grant Application Workshop which will consist of an opportunity where students can connect and meet with other interested participants to form groups for an application.
- The Green Grant was first piloted program in 2023-2024 and then reapproved for 2024-2025. Currently, the SGA evaluates on an annual basis its continued support of the program based on student interest and project outcomes.
- Yes! The $5,000 budget does not have to cover the entirety of the project. Projects would need to have identified and secured the additional funding to be approved for Green Grant funds and must follow all SGA and Green Grant policies.
