Oregon State University
IN-2: Innovation 2

SSI Grant Programs While many higher education institutions offer internal grants to advance sustainability on campus, the Student Sustainability Initiative (SSI) at Oregon State University (OSU) offers a variety, scale and scope that are innovative, as is the interrelationship between them. The SSI is run and operated by students and is entirely student fee funded. It administers four grant programs: Project Grants, Travel Grants, Wage Grants and Green Fee Grants. A Research Grant program is also in development. Project Grants have been a longstanding SSI component, and $21,600 was available to students each year during the past few years. Students can apply for up to $6,000 dollars to implement a project that promotes sustainability at OSU. Projects selected typically offer unique experiential learning opportunities for the students implementing them, as well as educational components that increase awareness of sustainability in the general student body. Some previously funded projects include upgrades for the OSU Solar Vehicle Team, a Sustainable Textiles Symposium, Spring Creek writing contest, OSU Hydrogen Trailer, and a community garden for on-campus family housing. Project Grants are intended for project costs like equipment rather than wages. So to support the demand for paid positions on campus, the Wage Grant was created several years ago and allows departments to apply for up to $6,000 a year to fund student worker positions. These are positions that focus on advancing sustainability at OSU, ranging from summer interns with the Organic Grower’s Club to students focused on energy projects, outreach and engagement in the OSU Sustainability Office. Several years ago the SSI also created a Travel Grant for which any student can apply for up to $500 towards a travel opportunity related to or focused on sustainability. These opportunities have includes activities like regional conferences, workshops teaching valuable skills, and often national and international conferences where students are presenting their research in sustainability to large audiences. For Travel Grants, $5,000 was the traditional budget allocation but due to the popularity and success of this particular grant, $7,500 will be available in future years. The renewable energy fee that started in 2007 is a large component of the SSI that has evolved in recent years. Originally funding renewable energy certificates, the money started being used for large grants in 2011 to fund renewable energy infrastructure on campus. While renewable energy is still a large focus of these grants (such as photovoltaic solar installations on recreational buildings and the new Student Experience Center), the Green Fee grant has begun to diversify the projects it funds (such as a new green roof on covered bike parking on campus). The SSI has approved up to $10,000 for next school year for a newly created Research Grant program. This will be available to undergraduate students only, providing money for sustainability oriented research that can often be difficult for undergraduate students to obtain. For all of the SSI grant programs, SSI stipulates students receiving funding attend an end of the year event and highlight work accomplished throughout the year. This serves as an excellent opportunity to show students at large SSI’s major areas of focus, and celebrate as a community the accomplishments of the year.