PHILADELPHIA –- The University of Pennsylvania’s Green Fund will accept applications beginning Oct. 1 for a third round of grants to support green innovative ideas from students, faculty or staff designed to help Penn meet its sustainability goals.

Deadline for submission is Oct. 29, and the awards will be announced in mid-November. The maximum allocation for any one grant is $50,000.

Established in 2009 by Penn’s Green Campus Partnership with funding from the Division of Facilities and Real Estate Services and the Office of the Provost, the Green Fund successfully spurred the development of 18 sustainability projects within its first year.

Projects funded from previous applications ranged from innovative academic opportunities to energy-efficiency improvements and waste-reduction initiatives, including a sustainable local business-certification program, a 10-bed student-run vegetable garden, a worm-composting project at the Annenberg Public Policy Center and a pilot of temperature-occupancy sensors in College House rooms.

In an effort to replenish the fund and make future awards possible, prospective grant-seekers should note that projects that realize financial savings to the University are expected to repay the award.

Proposed projects must support goals and objectives outlined in Penn’s Climate Action Plan, a long-range strategy launched last fall to reduce the University’s carbon footprint and enhance its overall sustainability.

Additional information and application guidelines are available at www.upenn.edu/sustainability.