Penn accepting Green Fund applications

Calling all staff, faculty, and students: Now is your chance to turn your ideas for sustainability into real-life projects with the help of Green Fund support.

Penn’s Green Campus Partnership is currently accepting applications for Green Fund grants, the seventh round of one-time monetary awards given to fund innovative green ideas generated by the campus community. The deadline is Wednesday, Oct. 31.

The proposed projects must be designed to help Penn meet its sustainability goals as outlined in the University’s Climate Action Plan, the long-range strategy to reduce Penn’s carbon footprint and enhance overall sustainability.

The Green Fund will provide seed grants up to $50,000 to successful applicants. The initiative has spurred the development of more than 40 projects since its inception.

“Since we began offering Green Fund grants back in 2009, staff have always been a great source of project ideas,” says Anne Papageorge, vice president of Facilities and Real Estate Services, which oversees the Green Fund program. “Staff spend so much time on campus in a wide variety of positions, they tend to see specific needs and develop ideas on how something can be done more sustainably.”

This past spring, three of the five Green Fund projects were staff-initiated, including the Green Team at the School of Engineering and Applied Science, which proposed a centralized recycling room, and the School of Arts and Sciences Facilities, Planning and Operations group, which applied for a Green Fund grant to purchase an electric van.

In an effort to replenish the Green Fund and make future awards possible, grant-seekers should note that projects that bring financial savings to the University are expected to replenish the Fund.

Papageorge says the Green Fund Review Committee looks forward to receiving applications from the Penn community, especially from locations not yet significantly impacted by sustainability efforts.

Applicants are encouraged to email sustainability@upenn.edu well in advance of the deadline to arrange a time to discuss the proposed project and resolve any questions about the process.

For additional information, such as application criteria, guidelines, and FAQs, visit the Green Campus Partnership website.

Green Fund