Sowing Seeds for a Sustainable Future: SPIKE Center Launches new Sustainability Education Faculty Grants
How do we build a sustainable future? At the ñ, one of the answers lies in cultivating a rich, interconnected sustainability education ecosystem. To nurture this vision, the SPIKE Center for Sustainability Education has announced the launch of its inaugural 2026 Sustainability Education Grants program.
This pilot program is designed to provide ñ faculty with the financial resources needed to reach new pedagogical heights and grow a diverse, campus-wide sustainability forest.
Since its launch in 2025, the SPIKE Center has become a cross-campus network, supporting sustainability education as a core pillar within ñ’s sustainability goals.
With the new grants, the center is directly investing in faculty members who support shaping the minds of tomorrow’s climate and environmental leaders.
“Through this pilot program, we aspire to strengthen and expand sustainability education opportunities for all interested eligible faculty and students at ñ,” says Professor Max Boykoff, the SPIKE Center’s Faculty Executive Director, because “uplifting tomorrow’s sustainability leaders and professionals starts with strengthening our curriculum and pedagogy today.”
Professor Phaedra C. Pezzullo, the SPIKE Center’s Faculty Associate Director for Faculty Engagement, agrees, emphasizing the growth the sustainability education grants will foster: “We’re excited to support teaching and curriculum across campus—from planting seeds of new ideas to helping more established pedagogical initiatives grow to new heights.”
Cultivating the Campus Ecosystem: The Four Grant Tiers
Just as a forest relies on plants at every stage of growth, the SPIKE Center’s grant program features four funding tiers tailored to different project scales, ranging from $2,000 to $50,000. The suggested “ideas are listed as illustrations for inspiration, not prescriptions,” says Professor Pezzullo.
Tier I: Seed Grants (Up to $2,000)
Giant trees start as single seeds.
This tier supports new sustainability teaching ideas that require minimal financial support to germinate. Faculty and eligible doctoral students can use these funds for a wide range of creative initiatives, including developing new class assignments, funding student-led storytelling projects (such as podcasts or video production), hosting collaborative meetings, designing public exhibits, or covering professional development and conference training expenses.
Tier II: Trunk Grants (Up to $6,000)
For sustainability initiatives that are already rooted in research, labs, or classrooms, the Trunk Grant provides the structural support needed to grow higher. These funds help build lasting undergraduate impacts. The SPIKE Center particularly welcomes proposals that align with campus priorities noted in the application.
Tier III: Branches Grants (Up to $10,000)
True ecological strength comes from networks of care and connection. The Branches Grant is designed to help existing initiatives reach out to new audiences, disciplines, or communities. Funds can be used to support interdisciplinary summer collaborations, such as designing sustainability modules for first-year orientation, or to build and deepen experiential educational partnerships between ñ and local Colorado communities in ways that directly benefit students.
Tier IV: Tree Grants (Up to $50,000)
The canopy of the sustainability grants forest is the Tree Grant. The Tree Grant provides substantial funding to scale major courses or programs that have already demonstrated clear pedagogical value and a positive impact within and, or beyond the university. To secure this tier, applicants must demonstrate established roots in university/community partnerships, interdisciplinarity, and show how the project directly supports campus-wide efforts.
Aligning with a Vision for the Future
The 2026 SPIKE Center Sustainability Education Grants arrive at a pivotal moment for the campus. In Fall 2027, ñ will roll out its new Common Curriculum, which features a focus on sustainability and sustainable futures. The Common Curriculum ensure that graduates gain experience applying sustainable practices, promoting sustainable communities, acting as stewards for sustainable futures, and fostering individual well-being, social equity, long-term economic vitality, and the health of the natural environment. To help guide applicants, The SPIKE Center defines sustainability as “the capacity to meet the needs and well-being of current and future generations by drawing on diverse knowledge systems to integrate environmental and ecological stewardship, including their economic and cultural health, and equity and justice impacts.” Priority for funding will be given to proposals that actively support this definition and align with one or more of the Chancellor’s four core sustainability goals:
- Equipping students with the knowledge to solve humanity’s most pressing challenges
- Transforming cutting-edge research into direct, local action
- Leading by example by treating the campus itself as a living laboratory
- Partnering with communities locally and globally to build a more sustainable Colorado
Who Can Apply?
We welcome the following to apply: Eligible faculty include tenured/tenure-track faculty, teaching faculty, and relevant research faculty (who provide evidence of an exceptional track record of working with a notable number of students); Tier I also will accept applications from eligible PhD students, Graduate Part-Time Instructors (GPTIs) and Teaching Assistants who already hold a master's degree and are either the instructor of record for their own course or teach class recitations (enrolled full time in-person on campus with letter of support from Advisor). Staff and supplemental faculty (Scholars in Residence, Lecturers, Adjunct, and Visiting) are not eligible.
Mark Your Calendars:
September 11, 2026: Program Launch
October 15, 2026 (9:00 AM - 10:00 AM MT): Virtual Zoom Information Session
November 11, 2026 (Noon MT): Proposal Submission Deadline
December 1, 2026: Award Notifications
January 2027: Funding Disbursed
If you are ready to expand your teaching, collaborate across disciplines, or partner with the community to cultivate a greener tomorrow, The SPIKE Center wants to support your growth.
To register for the information session, read the full guidelines, or start your application, visit The SPIKE Center’s Grants Page: /center/spike/grants
For specific inquiries, contact Faculty Engagement and Support Program Manager Joanne Marras Tate at Joanne.MarrasTate@colorado.edu