ůůֱ��

As global challenges intensify—from biodiversity loss to rising temperatures—our campus must be a proactive force in shaping a sustainable future. The time to act is now, and this funding is a catalyst for that action. We invite every member of our campus community to become change makers. Whether through bold ideas, collaborative projects, or grassroots initiatives, your creativity and commitment can drive meaningful changes on campus and beyond.

The “seed” funding aims to leverage innovation and imagination at all levels of our community; this funding aims to kick-start projects that will eventually accelerate sustainability efforts across disciplines and departments. Beyond solving problems, this grant provides an opportunity to reimagine possibilities and build a culture of sustainability that grows and lasts.

The funding is being provided by the President’s Office. Grants are disbursed through the Sustainability Office.

The Bi-Co RFP offers ůůֱ�� faculty the opportunity to explore new fields and collaborations or extend existing collaborations with Haverford College. The funding available for Strategic Innovation Grants is available to current faculty, staff, and students to design and pilot projects that advance one or more of the emerging strategic plan’s four core areas.

The number of awardees will depend on how many compelling applications are received. It is difficult to determine at this time.

You are encouraged to do any of the following:

• Attend an information session; the first 30 minutes will be focused on providing information about the grant funding opportunity, and the remaining time will be for ideating and brainstorming.
• Reach out to Neha Sood ad nsood@brynmawr.edu and set up a time to discuss your idea either individually or during a team meeting.
• Connect with other faculty, staff, or students to ideate and submit a joint proposal.

Examples of projects include, but are not limited to:

• Utilizing the campus as a “living laboratory” for sustainability. This could include working in cross-functional teams of faculty, staff, and students to utilize campus infrastructure as a testing ground for sustainable practices.
• Piloting solutions that help integrate sustainability practices into your workplace, office, and/or team operations, with a goal of eventually scaling them to the entire campus community. This could include waste reduction and diversion, energy efficiency, behavior change campaigns, etc.
• Creating and supporting engagement with a new idea or innovation in sustainability. This could include professional development workshops or speaking events, hands-on experiential learning opportunities for students, sustainability literacy assessments for the campus community etc. to help individuals integrate sustainability into everyday actions.
• Innovating ways to include sustainability in course(s) or pedagogy. This could include redesigning existing courses or proposing new courses for future years, or other ways to advance the implementation of sustainability across the curriculum.

The (STARS) is a framework for higher education institutions across the world to measure sustainability performance. The categories of sustainability performance are broad: . Total points in these categories are:

• Academics and Research
  • Curriculum – 41 points
  • Research – 23 points
• Engagement
  • Campus Engagement – 25 points
  • Public Engagement – 25 points
• Operations
  • Buildings and Grounds – 19 points
  • Energy and Climate – 26 points
  • Food and Dining – 10 points
  • Procurement and Waste – 19 points
  • Transportation – 10 points
• Planning and Administration
  • Coordination and Planning – 11 points
  • Investment – 7 points
  • Representation and Access – 14 points
  • Wellbeing and Work – 11 points

Additionally, 10 bonus “innovation and learning” credits may be earned by institutions going above and beyond in select categories. Five of these I&L credits are open-ended. There is a high probability that your projects will help improve ůůֱ��’s performance as identified on this platform.

The most compelling applications will help increase our STARS ranking. STARS is a global standard created by and for higher education institutions to compare sustainability performance. It offers institutions to create a baseline for continuous improvement, integrate sustainability into all aspects of the institution, measure progress towards sustainability, and help gain international recognition for sustainability efforts. Additionally, this is a transparent process, and the information is widely accessible. It is used by organizations such as Princeton Review to evaluate “Green Schools” rankings.

During the last round of STARS reporting, ůůֱ�� College earned a silver ranking. We can do better! The goal is to achieve gold ranking during the next submission cycle, and platinum in the longer term. Many peer institutions and other local colleges have earned gold status already.

Yes, The STARS technical manual can be overwhelming – don’t panic! Please reach out to Neha at nsood@brynmawr.com to evaluate projects on a case-by-case basis. Remember, four “innovation” half-credits can be obtained for innovative ideas that do not fit into an existing category.

Please consider the following:

• Attending one of the information sessions where we will have dedicated time for brainstorming,
• Reviewing the STARS technical manual, or searching for sustainability initiatives at peer institutions to get ideas, or
• Reach out to Neha at nsood@brynmawr.edu to identify ways to contribute.

Please apply through this . Include the following information:

• Project Title
• Project Lead – Name, Title, Department, Email
• Project Collaborators – Names, Titles, Departments, Emails

• Project Abstract: A brief description of the project goals, in no more than 500 words. Please include
  • Problem statement, or area of opportunity
  • The proposed intervention or pilot program, and
  • The intended outcomes.
• Relevant References
• Budget estimate and justification – please use this .

Proposals will be evaluated by an ad hoc review committee of faculty, staff and students appointed by the President’s Office. The review process will be overseen and moderated by the Director of Sustainability and Environmental Action.

The internal criteria upon which the application will be selected:

• Does the project help improve our sustainability performance in one or more areas as measured by the AASHE ?
  • Does the project address a sustainability gap in campus processes, infrastructures or knowledge?         
• Significance and/or innovation of project
  • Does the project address an important problem or to sustainability on campus?
  • Does the project employ novel or creative approaches or methods?
• Feasibility of project design and timeline
  • Are the concepts, design, methods, and analyses adequate and appropriate?
  • Can the project be completed in one semester? Is all the necessary personnel and/or expertise represented?
  • Defined outcome and/or impact
  • Does the project include a plan for measuring engagement or impact?
• Clarity of the application
  • Well-defined goals, approach, and expected outcomes
• Reasonable and justified budget

While we encourage people to apply as part of cross-functional teams, it is not a requirement of this grant. Independent projects will be considered.

Please reach out to Neha at nsood@brynmawr.com to discuss this on a case-by-case basis.

A Sustainability Summit will be hosted at the end of Spring 2026 (date TBA). At this event, grant recipients will be recognized for their work and have an opportunity to share it with the campus community. While a traditional presentation is acceptable, participants are encouraged to think out of the box and share their work in other compelling (and fun!) ways. Additionally, participants will have the opportunity to share their work through campus communication channels such as the website, social media, newsletters, etc.

The goal of the summit is to recognize and celebrate sustainability efforts, and to share results from various projects. This gathering will include an award ceremony to recognize individuals and teams who have gone above and beyond to advance campus sustainability.

This grant funding is intended for small-scale, timebound, and actionable pilot projects that can be completed or yield shareable results within the short timeframe of a semester or summer term. However, additional opportunities may be available for larger projects that offer a compelling case for implementation. Please reach out to Neha at nsood@brynmawr.edu to discuss your idea.

Yes! Grant awardees will have the option to meet monthly with each other to discuss progress, address challenges, and share information and knowledge. This will be convened by the Sustainability Office.

Additional questions are welcome! Please reach out to Neha at nsood@brynmawr.edu