Sustainability Mini-Grant Program

The Sustainability Committee solicits project ideas from the campus community through the mini-grant program. Launched in Fall 2012, all members of the Xavier community are encouraged to develop project ideas. Grants are awarded for $500-5,000 and projects must be completed in one year. Projects are sought that show potential for high impact, cross-university planning, scale, and that touch all three pillars of sustainability: equity, ecology, and economy.

Application Process (View Mini-Grant Application)

Next Submittal Date: Tuesday, October 1, 2013
Decisions on funded proposals will be announced by November 1st. All projects are for a maximum of one year (1/1/14-12/31/14). Projects cannot start before January 1st.
The number of minigrants awarded will depend on the number of proposals received and requested amounts.
Grant reports will be required for all projects, due within 90 days after the grant period ends.
Current grant recipients will be invited to a Pitch Night in September 2013 to share their proposal with the larger community, and to potentially increase their award amount.

Fall 2012 Grant Winners (View Announcement)

Increasing Community Engagement and Teaching Opportunities By Labeling Campus Plants.
Up to 100 plants will be tagged and catalogued in a web-based resource for community, student, and faculty use “to increase the visibility and usefulness of the incredible resource – the collection of plants maintained on campus – for community engagement and teaching.”
Submitted by Dr. Kathryn Barto, Biology Department
LAND Food and OUR Common Ground Retreats.
Two retreats will be developed, and offered to students in 2013, at Grailville in Loveland “to find the heart in sustainability, thus when put in practice it serves as more than an alternative lifestyle option, but as a responsibility to maintain a holistic and universal identity.”
Submitted by Edith Delgado, Environmental Science ’14

Spring 2013 Grant Winners (View Announcement)

Community Engagement through Public Transportation. This bus ridership pilot program will help to assess the effectiveness of a targeted incentive and the satisfaction of students and of three to five community partners with students’ riding Metro to service appointments. Entry by Dominique Brown, Service and Justice Coordinator, Dorothy Day Center for Faith and Justice.

Curricular and Co-curricular Collaboration for Sustainability. This project provides multiple pathways for faculty to creatively and thoughtfully construct syllabi for the fall 2013 semester in collaboration with one another and to design and implement co-curricular and extra-curricular activities. The goals are to enhance students’ learning and engage the broader community on sustainability concerns and questions. Entry by Gillian Ahlgren, Professor, Theology Dept.

Outreach Plan for Sanctity of Sanctuary: Paul Strauss and the Equinox Farm. This project elevates the public’s perception of Xavier University’s programs, with outreach for a specific product (a documentary film) to local, national, and international sustainability-related conferences and film festivals. Entry by Blis DeVault, Assistant Professor, Communication Arts.

Sustainability Gallery. This art installation will tell multi-layered stories of sustainability, showing the heroism of local leaders in images and words. Entry by Kathleen Smythe, Professor and Senior Administrative Fellow for Sustainability and Environmental Imagination, History Dept.