TABLE OF CONTENTS

SECTION 1: Small Grant Proposal Overview

PURPOSE OF THIS TOOLKIT

The purpose of this toolkit is to help guide you through the grant application process.

SECTION 1 includes an overview of the application process with information about the Sustainable Action Fund Grant Program, how to submit a successful proposal, and important dates and deadlines.

SECTION 2 is the ‘how to’ part of the toolkit. In this section you will find instructions on how to answer the application questions.

SECTION 3 includes the nitty-gritty details of the application process. This section explains exactly how the Sustainable Action Fund Grant Application process works.

Lastly there’s anAPPENDIX, where you can find a list of helpful resources and our Small Grant Funding Guidelines. The goal of this toolkit is to give you the information you need to write a good grant proposal. Good luck with your application and we hope to learn about your proposal soon.

WHERE TO BEGIN

IMPORTANT DATES FOR SMALL GRANT APPLICANTS

October 12th, 18th, 26th
November 1st, 16th, 29th / SAF Idea Lab Workshops
Time: 4-5pm
Location: Miller Hall 105
November 27th / Fall Quarter Small Grant Applications due

INTRODUCTION TO THE SUSTAINABLE ACTION FUND GRANT PROGRAM

The Sustainable Action Fund (SAF) Grant Program is a grant-making fund that is available to all students, staff and faculty at Western Washington University interested in implementing projects that aim to reduce the campus' environmental impact and to engage the campus community in environmental awareness. The program’s funding is provided by a mandatory student-initiated fee that is charged on a quarterly basis. Small grant project proposals are reviewed for selection by the SAF Grant Program Coordinator and the Campus Sustainability Manager.

MISSION STATEMENT

The Sustainable Action Fund (SAF) Program exists to promote experiential learning opportunities and sustainable practices at Western Washington University. This is done through the purchase of Renewable Energy Creditsto offset 100% of the electrical consumption of the university as well as the funding of innovative student-driven projects. Projects funded through the Sustainable Action Fund Program are evaluated based on their ability to:

•Increase Student Involvement and Education

•Reduce the University’s Environmental Impact

• Create an Aware & Engaged Campus Community

PROPOSAL PROCESS OVERVIEW

Applicant teams may request $500-$5,000 for SmallGrants. Any Western student, staff or faculty member may submit a proposal for consideration. Small Grants have a one-part application process where applicant teams complete the Small Grant Application and submit it to the SAF Grant Program Coordinator. Small grant project proposals are then reviewed for approvalby the SAF Grant Program Coordinator and the Campus Sustainability Manager. Funding is awarded upon approval, and project implementation may take place as soon as funding is received. Up to $40,000 in Small Grants will be awarded during the academic year.

The small grant application can be found on the apply section of the Sustainable Action Fund Grant Program website Forms, Documents & Guidelines.

Considering there may be technical considerations that become apparent later in the proposal development process, be prepared to be flexible, nimble and open to changes to your project.

Here is a quick step-by-step explanation of what to expect during your proposal process:

SUCCESSFUL PROJECTS

Successful Small Grant proposals will be reviewed based on the following guiding principles:

  • Preference will be given to proposals that increase student involvement and education, reduce the University’s environmental impact and create an aware and engaged campus community.
  • Projects shall have clear and measurable outcomes. You should be able to collect quantitative and/or qualitative sustainability metrics to measure the success of your project.
  • Projects shall have publicity, education, and outreach components.
  • Ifyour project team is partnering with other organizations, or departments, or needs permission to undertake a specific project, each stakeholder will need to sign the application.
  • If your project team is proposing a temporary or permanent facility or property modification, then a Project Owner Form* must be submitted with the application. Project Owner Forms are also strongly encouraged to show long-term financial support of projects after pilot funding expires.
  • The SAF Grant Program is limited in its funds and is more likely to support projects which have secured additional funding through matching sources such as utility rebates, state or federal funds, university departments, etc.

*Project Owner Form can be found on the SAF website:

REQUIREMENTS OF TEAMS THAT RECEIVE FUNDING

  • Read and understand the Small Grants Funding Guidelinesdocument (located in the Appendix).
  • Meet regularly with the SAF Grant Program Coordinator to ensure that projects stay on-track. A meeting schedule will be determined during the initial post-funding meeting.
  • Submit monthly Project Update Reports* to theSAF Grant Program Coordinator, for the benefit of the SAF Committee.
  • Submit a Project Poster*,team photo, team member biographies, and a short project description for SAF website.
  • Submit a Final Report* to theSAF Grant Program Coordinator.

*Templates and instructions for the Project Update, Project Poster, and Final Report can be found on the SAF website:

SECTION 2: SmallGrant Application Instructions

The following is a step by step guide that will walk you through the Small Grant Application. Use the following guidelines and instructions to complete the application. The numbers and letters delineated below correspond to the same number/letter in the application.

  1. PROJECT TITLE

These projects will be widely discussed across campus through publicity and educational outreach, so make your project stands out with a brief, descriptive, and memorable title.

  1. PROJECT TAGLINE

Describe your project in one sentence.

  1. TEAM INFORMATION

Students, staff, or faculty of Western Washington University may submit proposals in teams of two to four. Individuals or organizations outside of Western Washington University may not submit proposals.

The project lead is the primary point of contact, and is responsible for ensuring full communication within his/her team and with the SAF Grant Program Coordinator and the SAF Committee. If the project duration is longer than the project lead is attending Western Washington University, a plan of succession must be made. Indicate who the successor is in this section.

Project Advisor Information

Student proposals must include a staff or faculty advisor. The role of the advisor is to provide assistance and guidance to the proposal submitter during the project’s lifespan.

  1. PROJECT DETAILS

Aim to develop a concept that supports the SAF Program’s mission as much as possible. Please adhere to the following general requirements:

  • Proposals must address an issue concerning Western Washington University’s environmental impact, either on or off campus.
  • Proposals must have a visible educational benefit to Western’s student community.
  • Proposals must include student participation and involvement.
  • Recognize that the SAF shall onlyfund operational, maintenance, or ongoing costsfor one yearfollowing the project implementation date. Ifyou want your project to continue beyond one year, you will need to find a Project Owner willing to pay for the ongoing costs. Please note that projects may not be approved by the SAF Committee if there is no strategy for covering ongoing costs past one year.

Preference will be given to proposals that meet the following criteria, although they are not required for SAF funding. Preference shall be given to proposals that:

  • Increase student involvement and education, reduce the University’s environmental impact, and create an aware and engaged campus community.
  • Include grants or matching funding from multiple sources (for instance, utility rebates, state or federal funds, university departments, etc.).
  • Show potential to leverage future funds (for instance, scalable demonstration projects).

Section A: Proposal Description

Provide a brief description of your proposal. Aim to distill this statement down to one-sentence, but be sure to address both the technological and educational components of your proposal. “We propose to…”

Section B: Purpose of Proposal

This is the ‘why’ behind this project. What need does this project fill? Who has expressed this need? Answer should remain under 250 words.
Section C: Connection with Sustainability Goals or Initiatives
While the SAF is not intended to fund any proposals which are required by state or federal law, university policy, or contractual agreement, how does your proposal fit within the larger context of Western as an institution? In other words, does your proposal support existing campus sustainability goals or commitmentssuch as the Climate Action Plan or Zero Waste Western? Visit Western’s Sustainability website for more information: sustain.wwu.edu.Alternatively, does your proposal create opportunities for new sustainability goals for Western? Answer should remain under 150 words.
Section D: Chronological Timeline Listing Steps to Implement Project
Provide a chronological timeline listing the steps and tasks it will take to implement this project. Will your team need to be setting appointments, purchasing items, installing items, holding events, or other small tasks that you might not think are that important? We want to hear every small step that it will take to make your project happen, and who on your project team will be responsible for making it happen.
Section E: How will Success of Project be Measured?
One of the most important functions of this grant program is to keep track of efforts funded by the Sustainable Action Fund and report back to the student population. You need to think about your sustainability metrics whether you are proposing to replace light bulbs and save kilowatt hours, or informing 2,000 students about the value of shorter showers. Consider before and after measurements for your project.

Section F: Education, Publicity and Outreach Plan

As stated earlier, proposals must have a visible educational benefit to Western’s student community. This table provides you the opportunity to share how you will conduct your project’s education and outreach.

Example:

Education outreach, publicity effort / Who will make this happen? / How will this effort be implemented? / Who is the intended audience? / Frequency of implementation. One-time/daily/weekly?
Radio advertisement / Jane, team member / Jane will write the piece and then work with KUGS to get the advertisement on air / KUGS radio audience and Western Students / Once a week for four weeks
  1. PROJECTPARTNERS, AND STAKEHOLDERS

Section A: Student Involvement
As stated earlier, proposals must include substantial student participation and involvement. How will your project involve students? Will your project have an impact on a classroom, department, club, organization, dorm, a class of students, a group who eats at a certain dining hall, or a group who uses a certain building or field? How many students do you estimate will be involved or what percentage of the student body do you estimate this project will impact?

Example: A team applied to install a solar thermal system on the Wade King Recreation Center to heat the pool. The students that will be affected by this project include the swim team, lap swimmers, recreation swimmers, the Swimming Club, and the Water Polo Club.

Section B: Project Stakeholders
Who are the stakeholders for this proposal? i.e. Who will be impacted (both positively and negatively) if this proposal comes to fruition? Who has the say-so over whether your project can be implemented? Please list each stakeholder separately, and indicate how they will be impacted and whether their approval is required for the project to be implemented.

Example: A team applied to install a solar thermal system on the Wade King Recreation Center. The major stakeholder for this project was the Director of Campus Recreation Services.

It is important to identify those who will be impacted – both positively and negatively – by your project, and to determine how their needs and/or concerns will affect your project. As part of the review process, the SAF Grant Program Coordinator may contact any or all of these stakeholders to obtain their input on your project to assist the grant approval process. Furthermore, during the review process, additional stakeholders may be identified beyond those listed in this section of your application as more technical feedback is gathered from the identified stakeholders. These additional stakeholders may be contacted for feedback as well.

  1. BUDGET

Section A: Itemized Budget
Provide a detailed list of the budget items required for this project. Include Equipment and Construction Costs, Education Publicity and Outreach Costs, Personnel and Labor Costs, and any other costs.

  • Know what the item specs are (size, type, quantity needed)
  • Know which vendor you will choose
  • Know what the price is (including tax and shipping)
  • Ensure your team members and stakeholders are in agreement on the item(s) that you propose to purchase

For more detail read the Small Grants Funding Guidelines provided in the appendix of this toolkit.

Section B: Ongoing Costs

If the project is implemented, will there be any ongoing replacement, operational, maintenance or renewal costs? If yes, has a source of funds been identified to cover these costs in the long-term? These areimportant questions to consider as the SAF Grant Program only provides funding for your project for one year of implementation. If your project will need ongoing costs, you will need to establish a funding source from a supporting department, or campus organization.

Section C: Matching Funds

List pending, approved, and denied applications for funding from other sources. List amounts requested from those sources. Examples of matching funds might include utility rebates, state or federal funds, university departments, etc. Although matching funds are not required, preference is given to proposals that include grants or matching funding from multiple sources.

  1. PROPOSAL REVIEW- SUSTAINABLE ACTION FUND GRANT PROGRAM COORDINATOR

Applicants are responsible for setting up a meeting with the SAF Grant Program Coordinator. During this meeting, draft applications will be reviewed and strategic guidance and feedback will be provided on each proposal. Be prepared to make modifications to your draft proposal following this meeting. Once all recommendations and edits are made, the SAF Grant Program Coordinator will review your proposal with the Campus Sustainability Manager, who may suggest additional modifications to your proposal at this time.

SECTION 3: How the Small Grant Process Works

ASustainable Action FundSmall Grant project can be broken down into three stages: The Application Stage, the Project Implementation Stage, and the Report Stage.

APPLICATION STAGE

During the application stage, interested participants create and develop their project proposal in the Small Grant Application. After the proposal draft is developed, the applicants review the document with the Sustainable Action Fund Grant Program Coordinator. The Sustainable Action Fund Grant Program Coordinator will provide feedback to the project team in efforts to help the proposal fit the goals of the SAF program. When the Small GrantApplications are turned in, the Sustainable Action FundGrant Program Coordinator and the Campus Sustainability Manager will review the proposals for approval and funding.

In more detail:

  • Interested applicants attend anSAF Project Idea Lab. During this lab, attendees will meet the staff that comprise the SAF Team, connect with others interested in the program, and begin generating ideas for proposals. Attendees will learn how to complete the Small Grant Application.
  • If applicants are not able to attend anSAF Project Idea Lab, they must schedule a meeting with designated members of the SAF Team to go over what was covered in the workshop.
  • Proposals are expected to undergo a feasibility review as part of the proposal submission process in consultation with the SAF Grant Program Coordinator. The SAF Grant Program Coordinator may advise the applicants to make adjustments to the project proposal with the goal of increasing the likelihood that the proposal will be selected for funding.
  • Applicants must attend this one-on-one strategy meeting in order to submit a Small Grant Application.
  • Utilizing the feedback provided during the one-on-one strategy meeting, applicants complete and submit their Small Grant Application.
  • If all requirements are not met before the application deadline, the applicant team is contacted and provided guidance as to what is still needed.
  • The SAF Grant Program Coordinator and the Campus Sustainability Manager review applications.
  • The SAF Grant Program Coordinator and the Campus Sustainability Manager decide ifprojects areapproved to continue on to the Project Implementation Stage.
  • The SAF Grant Program Coordinator and the Campus Sustainability Manager may modify any element of a proposal, attach conditions, combine proposals, or make other modifications.
  • The SAF Grant Program Coordinator notifies applicant teams with approval andfunding decisions.

PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION STAGE