Student Grants

In October 2011, President Higdon announced the creation of the Student Sustainability Grants Program to support student projects related to sustainability on campus. The ultimate goal of the program is to promote sustainability at Connecticut College by fast-tracking the most promising of student initiatives and allowing the student body to see the full implementation of the projects quickly.  The Student Sustainability Grants Program was established by a $500,000 endowment for sustainability that President Higdon was able to put together with donations from multiple sources.

Students applying for a Student Sustainability Grant will need to craft a well-developed proposal, in consultation with and support of a faculty member and the Sustainability Coordinator. Proposals should be sent to Dean Roger Brooks, Chair of the Sustainability Steering Committee (SSC), and will be reviewed by a subcommittee of the SSC after the four following application deadlines: October 15th, December 1st, February 15th and April 1st.

If viewed as promising, the student(s) will be asked to present their proposal to a subcommittee of the SSC. If the SSC subcommittee finds the presentation acceptable, the student will be invited to present their proposal to President Higdon, who will make the final decisions as to the allocation of the Student Sustainability Grant awards. 

The criteria used to select proposals for funding are that each project should:

• Relate to sustainability. Specifically, the goal must support environmental stewardship, while also supporting social equity and/or financial savings for the College. Priority will be given to proposals that support all three components of sustainability.
• Articulate what the overall cost of the project would be through a detailed budget and compare it to how will help advance all aspects of sustainability at the College
• Demonstrate how the proposed project could be implemented quickly or serve as a pilot project for broad-scale implementation across campus if successful
• Include a timeline for completion

For more information about the Student Sustainability Grants Program, please contact our Manager of Sustainability, Josh Stoffel.