Spark Change: Sustainability Seed Grants
The Bryn Mawr College Sustainability Office offers internal grants to support the campus community in advancing sustainability initiatives on campus. This opportunity is intended to provide small “seed” grants for faculty, staff, or student-led projects that move the College forward in our sustainability goals and/or inspire a greater culture shift in recognition of climate change and the need to engage in action.
Overview
Grants are provided for projects that may address a wide range of climate- and sustainability-related topics that impact our campus, such as better integrating sustainability in the academic curriculum, waste reduction and diversion, renewable energy and energy conservation, building standards, environmental justice, efficient technology, promotion of new sustainable practices, sustainable procurement, and sustainable food sourcing. For the first round of funding, preference will be given to projects that help improve our sustainability performance in one or more areas as measured by the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment, and Rating System (STARS).
Grant funding is currently available for Summer and Fall 2026. Any member of the campus community may apply for a grant. Employees must have permission from supervisors to allocate staff time towards a grant funded project.
Funding of $500 - $10,000 may be requested, but only expenses necessary for the project should be requested. A budget template can be found here. Allowable expenses include:
- Faculty or staff applications may request support for undergraduate students. Hourly pay for part-time students is $15/hour. Students must be enrolled through Spring 2026 to be eligible.
- If the applicant is a student or student organization, a staff or faculty mentor is strongly encouraged. A mentorship stipend of up to $1,000 can be requested for the mentor, but this must follow all applicable campus policies, and with permission from supervisors and Human Resources. Please contact the Office of Sponsored Research (OSR) or Human Resources with questions and confirm eligibility.
- Research or program-related travel
- Materials, supplies, and equipment
- Speaker honorarium and travel
- Food for campuswide or community events.
Don't miss opportunities to apply for grants to enhance strategic innovation and Bi-Co collaboration.
More Information
Grant Timelines
Learn more about:
- Application Deadline (3/15)
- Recipient Announcement (4/15)
Project Implementation
Learn more about:
- Project Design
- Project Execution
- Project Evaluation
- Results Dissemination
Questions & Answers
Learn more about:
- Grant Details & Specifics
- AASHE STARS
- Evaluation Criteria
- Project Design
- Sustainability Summit
Active Grants - Spring 2026
The Sustainability Office was fortunate to receive a dozen applications for Spring 2026 seed grants to accelerate sustainability on campus. Five projects have been chosen to receive funding for Spring 2026.
Science labs use lots of energy and generate waste that can be tricky to recycle—but the Biology department wanted to change that. As part of this project, students and faculty developed pilot solutions to cut energy use, reduce disposable plastics, and adopt eco-friendly materials while maintaining safety standards.
- The grant team surveyed 8 labs to assess strengths and weaknesses related to sustainability.
- A resource sharing initiative was developed for laboratory supplies, to ensure usable items are not gathering dust or ending up in landfills
- 21 kg of recyclable materials were sorted, collected, and weight to assess waste generation in labs. 13 zero-waste boxes were purchased to collect gloves and packaging materials that would otherwise be sent to landfills.
- New composting opportunities were explored for organic waste
- Additional signage in labs helps promote simple practices to reduce energy consumption and increase waste diversion.
- Reusable and eco-friendly supplies were purchased to reduce waste - such as a refurbished energy efficient bath for tissue culture, synfrogs to replace preserved specimens, paper weigh boats instead of plastics.
This revitalization of the Bryn Mawr Community Garden has seen an exciting flurry of activity this semester, both in the physical space as well as the engagement of our community members in this initiative. The existing beds were removed and replaced with 24 smaller beds in a more open setup; and two new picnic tables are now in place. Planting activities have been happening throughout spring semester – both indoors and outdoors. 27 different types of seeds have been planted directly in the new beds, and over 500 seeds were planted indoors. Though the seeds and plants are just taking root, we're already seeing the garden becoming a community gathering space for friendly dinners and group meetings.
Erdman Dining Hall is fighting food waste with Leanpath, a real time tracking system that weighs and analyzes discarded food. This data-driven approach has helped quantify and categorize over 17,000 lbs of pre-consumer food waste at Erdman Dining Hall. The data has been used to establish baseline waste data, and waste reduction goals for different product categories. For example, between March 11 - April 12
- Boneless chicken waste was reduced by 25%
- Prepared pasta waste was reduced by 15%
- Cooked eggs waste was reduced by 15%
The Erdman team is track to further reduce waste in additional categories, such as steamed vegetables, rice, and oatmeal.
For 28 years, the End-of-Year Sale has kept thousands of pounds of belongings out of landfills—and now, it’s getting an upgrade! This year's sale will will work with three student interns who will lead outreach, signage and donation tracking to boost sustainability education and expand community partnerships. The goal: more reuse, less waste, and a stronger culture of responsible consumption.
The Thorne School launched a hands-on sustainability initiative involving Bryn Mawr College staff and students, community partners, and ten kindergarteners to reduce waste and build environmental awareness. After a three-day waste audit revealed that all waste was going to the landfill, the school partnered with Haverford College’s Committee for Environmental Responsibility to begin composting and explored additional waste-reduction strategies through collaborations with two local, women-owned businesses - SHIFT Sustainable Goods, and Mother Compost. Kindergarteners deepened their learning through interactive workshops on composting and reuse, including creating “soilariums” and participating in a mini-refillery experience. As a result of these efforts, the office now diverts 64% of its trash from the landfill, increased strong understanding of composting among kindergarteners from 10% to 80%, built six community partnerships, reached ten families, and inspired parents to consider sustainable practices at home. The experience has been transformative for parents, with one quoting “This is SO cool! What an amazing opportunity and project! I've been thinking about starting compost for a while, maybe this will be the push to get us going at home too.”