Green Fund

The Green Fund is a grant program launched by the University of Chicago's Campus and Student Life in collaboration with the student-led UChicago Environmental Alliance (UCEA) and Undergraduate Student Government (USG). Up to $50,000 in grants are available annually to support student-led research and projects aimed at improving campus sustainability and reducing the University's environmental impact. The fund provides students with the opportunity to devise projects that can have practical and tangible implications for campus functions and UChicago's overall sustainability goals. Successful proposals seek to examine and reduce the environmental impacts of University operations through either original scholarly research or stand-alone projects. The program prioritizes projects with tangible impacts on campus life, such as establishing composting in campus cafés, creating community gardens or greenhouses, or implementing zero-waste initiatives for major student organization events. While the fund previously focused on seed projects, it now offers funding for both short-term and long-term projects and renews funding for pre-existing successful projects. Grant awardees are required to submit either a Midterm Poster or Report detailing project progress one quarter after receiving funding, and are expected to present their findings at the Green Fund End of Year Symposium in the spring. The program encourages applicants to connect with relevant campus partners, create supporting materials to demonstrate campus need, seek advisors or mentors, and develop accurate and feasible budgets.