Application Details

Students, faculty and staff of the UMass Lowell community are eligible to apply for the S.E.E.D. Fund to support projects that will advance the sustainability of the campus. Students submitting an application for a S.E.E.D. grant can do so on behalf of a student organization. To fund an individual project, a student applicant must have a faculty or staff advisor for their project.

• Project Title: Choose a creative and informative title for your project.
• Requested Amount: Up to $10,000.
• Project Summary: Provide a brief background, description of the project, objectives and outcomes. Include a description of all stakeholders involved in the project and respective roles.
• Project Benefits: Outline the potential benefits of the project and how it will contribute towards sustainability.
• Project Cost and Estimated Budget: Detail how the requested funds will be utilized and outline additional supporting funds that have been identified.
• Project Timeline: Outline of project implementation timeline.
• Additional Supporting Information: Provide any other relevant details.
• Primary Team Lead: Select a primary team lead and provide contact information (this will likely be yourself).
• Primary Advisor: If a student is the primary applicant, they must identify a staff or faculty advisor who can support their proposal.
• Additional Team Members: List additional team members and contact information. Applicants are encouraged to build diverse project teams to support ideas.
• Attachment: Applicants are required to attach a complete PDF file of their application and any additional background material in support of their application for funding (e.g. budget spreadsheets, photographs and diagrams, etc.). One PDF is encouraged, however, if additional files are needed, all files should be compressed prior to submission. If technical assistance is required, please reach out to the Office of Sustainability before submitting your final proposal.

When the application submission period closes, the S.E.E.D. Fund Committee reviews all applications throughout the month of March. Applicants are notified if their projects are awarded following the committee selection period, and S.E.E.D. Fund project winners are announced in April.

The S.E.E.D. Fund Selection Committee reviews project proposals based on the criteria and guiding questions outlined below. All criteria and guiding questions serve to support committee discussion of projects. High scoring projects are not guaranteed funding.

• Impact on Campus Sustainability Goals
  • Does project support the sustainability goals outlined in the 2020 Strategic Plan?
  • Is the project capable of reducing UMass Lowell’s greenhouse gas emissions?
  • Will the project increase UMass Lowell’s STARS score or assist to maintain the current score?
• Feasibility
  • Is the project feasible given the application and project team?
  • Have all necessary steps been taken to ensure the successful completion of the project?
  • Have all required departments been contacted regarding the project?
  • Does the project have a clear timeline with SMART goals identified within the proposal?
  • What are the long-term and short-term impacts on facilities and maintenance staff?
  • How much additional work is required for other university departments?
• Interdisciplinary or Cross-Departmental Interaction
  • Does the project focus on one narrow area or does it bring in a wide audience fostering cross-university collaboration?
• Project Visibility
  • Will the project be visible by the UMass Lowell campus community?
  • Will the greater community be impacted by the project?
  • If the project is not visible, does it have attractive paybacks or rebates attached to it?
• Longevity
  • Will the project have a long term impact on the campus and/or the community?
  • Is the project going to sustain itself after funding ends?
  • Would the project be likely to receive funding in the future in another reiteration?
  • Are there other partner organizations that will assist in the implementation of the project during and/or after funding?
  • Are there plans to secure additional grant funding from other sources in the future?