About the Sustainability Projects Fund

Application deadlines depend on the project stream you’re applying to. For projects requesting under $300 (Tiny Stream), applications are accepted on the 1st of every month. The Under $5,000 and Over $5,000 project applications are accepted on a rolling basis, while the Big Wave (Over $100,000) Stream accepts pre-applications on October 1, February 1, and June 1. 

For Under $300 applications, SPF Staff will get in touch with you within the two weeks following the application deadline. 

For Under $5,000 and Over $5,000 streams, SPF staff will be in touch within two weeks after you submit your application to provide feedback. The timeline for learning whether or not your application was successful depends on the Governance Council meeting schedule. 

The response time for Big Wave applications depends on how efficiently you complete Stage 2 of the Big Wave application process after receiving the Governance Council's initial feedback. 

Yes, you can get in touch with the spf.sustainability [at] mcgill.ca (SPF team) for feedback before you submit your application, but all project teams will receive feedback on their application before it is handed over to the Governance Council. 

The SPF funds projects of all sizes, from under $300 to a maximum of $400,000.

Projects supported by the SPF must be

• At McGill,
• Sustainability-Focused,
• In Need of Seed-Funding, and
• Action-Oriented.

The SPF cannot support all sustainability-related projects on campus. Some non-eligible projects include: 

• Research
• Projects requesting ongoing operating expenses
• Projects that solely benefit an individual and not the community, group, or project
• One off-events

Learn more about eligible projects on the How to Apply page.

Teams have 12 months to use the allocated funding. The start date will be determined once the application has been approved.

The SPF Governance Council is the group responsible for ultimately deciding which projects receive funding. It is composed of four staff members and four students to match the make-up of the fund itself.

The SPF Steward and SPF Administrator from the Office of Sustainability sit on the Governance Council as non-voting members and as such, have no say in which projects receive funding.

Once a project is approved, the funding will be held in a specific account and distributed to the team as needed.

We recommend following the McGill Office of Sustainability on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter for opportunities to get involved. You can also subscribe to our newsletter for upcoming events and volunteer opportunities. 

Some SPF projects welcome volunteers. We recommend exploring the SPF project archives and getting in touch with teams through the contact information provided.

No, funding is not eligible for expenses made prior to applying. 

Any current McGill students, staff and faculty can apply for funding. 

The SPF does not fund research projects. For sustainability-related research, get in touch with the McGill Sustainability Systems Initiative.  

The SPF’s mandate is to kick-start initiatives that will have a long-term impact on campus. For that reason, the SPF does not typically fund stand-alone events. However, the Tiny Stream and Under $5,000 Stream can provide support for small-scale, sustainability-related events.

The SPF can fund paid positions, such as internships or administrative staff, for no more than 12 months. Please get in touch with spf.sustainability [at] mcgill.ca (the SPF team) for more information about funding available for paid positions. 

No, the SPF will not fund conferences or conference attendance.