Grants

Sustainability Education Grants

The SPIKE Center for Sustainability Education (SPIKE Center) is proud to support faculty with training and resources to strengthen sustainability education across our campus and larger community.

Like a tree, the sustainability education grants aim to achieve new sustainability education heights—and to grow a sustainability forest. As we know, sustainability education is a vital component of students' engagement and education in today’s world and for our goal towards a more sustainable future. To see a tree's visible growth depends on a healthy, hidden foundation that can start with a viable seed. Trees are also interconnected, and at ñ, interdisciplinarity can lead togrowth of new intellectual and practical forests locally and globally. Therefore, the pilot sustainability education grants offered by The SPIKE Center in coordination with campus-wide efforts, aim to supportsustainability growthon our campus by supporting our faculty.

At SPIKE, we define 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 the fostering of socioeconomic, cultural, health, equity and justice impacts.

Launched in January 2026, the SPIKE Center for Sustainability Education (SPIKE Center) supports faculty with training and resources to strengthen sustainability education across campus, including developing curriculum. We are part of campuswide efforts to raise the visibility of, coordinate, and elevate sustainability.

To these ends, we are excited to pilot sustainability education grants at the ñ (ñ) in coordination with campus-wide efforts to prioritize sustainability as a pillar of our campus vision and curriculum. The application deadline is November 11, 2026, noon MT.

WHO IS QUALIFIED TO APPLY? These grants are primarily designed for ñ faculty who teach undergraduate students. Eligible faculty include tenured/tenure-track faculty, teaching faculty, and relevant research faculty (who provide evidence of an exceptionaltrack record of working with a notable number of students); Tier I also will accept applications from eligible PhD students, Graduate Part-Time Instructors (GPTIs) andTeaching Assistants who already hold a master's degree and are either the instructor ofrecord 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.

The SPIKE Center Sustainability Education Grants have four Tiers:

TIER I SEED GRANT supports a new sustainability teaching idea from ñ facultyand/or eligible doctoral students that seek minimal financial support to begin to grow. Fundsmay support but are not limited to: honoraria for developing a new class assignment ordegree based on existing research, logistics for a meeting to support consideration of future orongoing pedagogical collaborations, financing innovative in-class or experiential learningactivities (e.g. access to software; funding for fieldtrip), conference or professionaldevelopment training expenses (registration, hotel, travel), supplies to design a new publicexhibit to foster public engagement about solutions, or services to produce new storytelling topublicize one’s teaching impacts (e.g., paying students for podcast editing, video production,etc.).

Maximum amount: $2,000

TIER II TRUNK GRANT supports a sustainability education initiative already rooted in a CUBoulder faculty member’s research, lab, teaching, et cetera, which is ready to grow to newheights. Funds may support but are not limited to: teaching support to build lasting impactsfor undergraduate students relating to sustainability education or payment for a research teamto design an assessment plan for evidence of impact within and beyond the classroom.

Maximum amount: $6,000

TIER III BRANCHES GRANT supports an existing sustainability education initiative ready toreach out to a new group, organization, or community—across disciplines or borders—intolarger collaborations, audiences, and impacts. Funds may support but are not limited to: networking abroad at a conference to publicize your ñ sustainability educationinnovations and achievements, summer salary for faculty from different disciplines tocollaborate on a new interdisciplinary initiative for integration into first year orientation, or relational work needed to expand an existing experiential education connection betweencampus and a Colorado community in ways that benefit students

Maximum amount: $10,000

TIER IV TREE GRANT supports a new sustainability education program or development of acourse on campus that already has begun with evidence of impact and requires a substantialcommitment of funding to grow our diverse forest of sustainability education in notable waysthat has evidence of positively impacting the world off campus. Faculty can show evidence ofestablished roots of university/community partnerships for impact, pedagogical value,implications beyond one discipline, and articulate how it would be compelling to campus-wideefforts to establish an introductory or capstone course or training module. Funding may beused for a one year or multi-year proposal (funding will be distributed at one time).

Maximum amount: $50,000

Criteria

Decisions will be made by members of the leadership team of the SPIKE Center for Sustainability Education. Through these sustainability education grants, we seek to deepen existing strengths and reach into novel fields and units.

Priority for grant selection will be given to those that can articulate how the funding will support one or more of the following six criteria; please, note in the application when prompted.


The first four priority criteria are the Chancellor’s sustainability goals for campus:

  • Goal 1: Equip our students with the knowledge and skills to solve humanity’s most pressing sustainability challenges
  • Goal 2: Transform our cutting-edge sustainability research into action
  • Goal 3: Lead by example in our stewardship of sustainable campus operations and the campus as a living laboratory
  • Goal 4: Partner with communities locally and globally, including making Colorado “the most sustainable state in the U.S.”

As part of this ambitious and inspiring vision, we also underscore two key concepts for implementing meaningful and coordinated sustainability education on our campus:


Definition: Given campus feedback to provide more specificity, the Office of the Vice Chancellor of Sustainability (OVCS) and the SPIKE Center for Sustainability Education have provided the following definition of sustainability as a guide for our work, even as we acknowledge part of its popularity is its ambiguity: “We define 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 the fostering of socioeconomic, cultural, health, equity and justice impacts.” (For more on the expanding activities and impacts of the OVCS, see HERE).


Common Curriculum: Finally, this definition is shared in concert with ñ’s Common Curriculum, with the culminating focus of Sustainability and more Sustainable Futures, ensuring 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.

Applications

All accepted will be required to provide information we can post publicly and to fill out annual reports. Read financial & legal notes below before applying.

We do not expect applicants to use AI, since it has a large environmental and public health impact. Limited AI use will be allowed in the form of tools such as Grammarly. If AI is a part of the proposed project,fill out the information on the application form as requested to clarify how sustainability considerations will be considered.

Apply for the most appropriate tier for your proposal; applicants should only submit one proposal per year (individually and/or with others).

Deadline

November 11, 2026, noon MT. Decisions will be shared by December 1, 2026.

Financial and Legal Notes

  • Allowable expenses are those that directly benefit the project, are reasonable (what a prudent person would pay), and compliant with university and state policies as applicable. Official function costs are allowed; alcohol and entertainment costs are not allowed.
  • Support for course releases requires supervisor approval. The applicant and their Fiscal Manager are responsible for ensuring the allowability of all expenditures. Applicants should consult with their Fiscal Manager with questions regarding allowability. Costs exceeding the awarded amount are the responsibility of the applicant’s department.

  • Awards will be transferred in a single, one-time payment from the SPIKE Center to the grantee’s respective department. The Fiscal Manager of the SPIKE Center will coordinate with the grantee’s Fiscal Manager named in the application to complete the funds transfer. Access to the funds will depend on the grantee’s Fiscal Manager’s timely and responsive action to provide the SPIKE Center with a Fund 34 speedtype (account) or set up a new Fund 34 speedtype (account) for the award.

  • Project Duration and No-Cost Extensions: The project duration is from receipt until December 11, 2027. Unused funds at the end of the grant must be returned to SPIKE. No-cost extension (NCE) requests of six months must be approved by SPIKE before the grant termination date. NCE requests must include: 1) a justification for the extension; 2) a plan for using the funds during the extension; and 3) the length of extension. By November 11, 2027, these requests should be sent to spikecenter@colorado.edu
  • All recipients will need to submit an annual report form to remain in good standing for future funding and support, as well as recognition of funding when appropriate in publicity or related publications.
  • Activities, events, projects, and programs funded by the SPIKE Center should not discriminate based on race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, creed, religion, veteran status, marital status, political affiliation, political philosophy, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression in accordance with state, federal, and Regent law.
Key Dates

Sept 11, 2026, noon MT:Program Launch

October 15th, 2026, 9-10AM:Information Session - ,

November 11th, 2026, noon MT: Proposal Deadline

December 1st, 2026: Applicants Notified

January 2027: Funds Dispersed

December 11, 2027: Project Completion and Submission Deadline

Cu Boulder Prunus trees in spring flowering pink flowers

Flatirons surrounded by autumn leaves

Varsity Pond reflection of bridge over water

The primary applicant will need to sign the funding agreement (sent via DocuSign).

Acknowledge funding support by including the following statement in appropriate materials: “This project is supported by a ñ SPIKE Center Sustainability Education Grant.” Please include the SPIKE Center’s logo, which we can provide, on any posters, calendar events, advertisements, etc.

Learn more about therisk management policiesand receive pre-approval from theHuman Research and Institutional Review Board (IRB)for a research project that involves human subjects.


If your project involves an event, make sure to select “SPIKE” in the Event Type category on the CU Events Calendar to have your event promoted on the campus widewebsite and on SPIKE’s website.

Inform your department communications main point andJoanne Marras Tate, SPIKE Center’s Faculty Support & Engagement Program Manager, about any events or story ideas related to your project.

Tag @spikecenter and use hashtag #SPIKEGrantsGrowAForest on any social media posts related to your project.

Respond in a timely manner about project deadlines or publicity related to the project, which may be featured on internal and external SPIKE Center’s communications.

Submit a final report formupon completion of the project.

If a recipientfails tofulfill any of thefunding requirements and restrictions, The SPIKE Center reserves the right to suspend funds.

You can use the files below to support your grant application process:

(These materials are for reference only. Applications will only be accepted through )

To be updated soon!

Contactspikecenter@colorado.eduwith any questions or comments.