TGIF is no longer acccepting proposals for the Fall '24 Grant Cycle – Keep an eye out for our next grant cycle in Winter Quarter!   How to apply

Apply

Submit a Project Proposal

Writing a proposal may land you a grant for a great projects, sustainable research, or event, all of which can leave a lasting impact at UC Davis!

The committee hopes you will build on our already excellent programs, innovations, and long term planning. We cannot wait to see all your brilliant ideas!

Who Can Write A Proposal?

Any UC Davis student, staff, or faculty member can submit a project proposal to the TGIF Committee. The proposal needs to improve sustainability and benefit undergraduates. The Committee hopes to award $100,000-$200,000 each year to projects and research.

The proposal review panel is the TGIF Committee, which is currently comprised of eight undergraduates, one graduate student as an alternate, and one staff member. For more information about the Committee, see About TGIF.

Interested in applying for a TGIF Grant? Read on!

 

Begin the Proposal Process 

Explore the Developing Your Proposal sub-page for in-depth information and a full breakdown of the grant application form. 

Take the following steps:

  • STEP 1: Develop Your Idea.
  • Review the TGIF mission and application criteria to assist your idea development. If you weren't able to attend one of our Grant Application Workshops, you can review our workshop slide deck to learn more about how to apply for a TGIF Grant.
  • STEP 2: Decide Type of Grant and When to Apply.
  • Decide if your project is a Mini Grant or Regular Grant. Mini Grants are under $1,000 and must be completed by June 1st in the academic year applied. Main Grants are $200 to $20,000 and have more reporting requirements. Learn more about the differences between the grants below.

    Is your idea a project, event, or undergraduate research? If your applying for a Main Grant, is your idea better suited for a fall, winter or spring application cycle? 
  • STEP 3: Begin Your Application Process.
  • Download and complete the appropriate application form and the budget spreadsheet. The Main Grant Application Form can be found here. Mini Grant Application Form can be found here. Contact the TGIF Grant Manager (tgif@ucdavis.edu) with any questions about your application, or attend our Grant Advising Office Hours. 
  • STEP 4: Review Your Application.
  • Did you fill out all the required proposal components of the application form? Did you follow all of the application directions?
  • STEP 5: Submit Your Application.
  • Send in your completed application to the TGIF Grant Manager (tgif@ucdavis.edu) with subject line “TGIF Grant Application [quarter] [year]” or “TGIF Grant Application Mini Grant [Academic year]”. Mini Grant Application Forms coming soon.
Corrected Mini vs Main Grant

Application Criteria

What are the requirements for a TGIF grant application?

Eligibility 

  1. All UC Davis students, staff, and faculty are eligible to submit project proposals, as long as they are under the umbrella of a campus department or center. Individuals and organizations outside the University are not eligible to submit project proposals.

  2. All projects must have student involvement, and must benefit undergraduate students.

  3. Projects must directly address any of the UN Sustainable Development Goals on the UC Davis campus, or in the capacity that on-campus activities positively influence sustainability off campus.

  4. Applicants must submit a proposal application and budget spreadsheet and follow the directions for submitting application materials.

  5. Proposed projects must have a clearly defined, measurable outcome. (Consult the UC Sustainable Practices Policy and the Office of Sustainability for more information).

  6. TGIF funding will not support projects that are already mandated by law or UC Davis policy/directive, other than the UC Sustainable Practices Policy. TGIF will only fund projects that are not currently paid for by the University or through existing rebate programs.

Budget

  1. Main Grant Project funding requests must be between $200-$20,000. The TGIF Committee encourages projects with additional funding such as other grants, donations, or allocated budget funds to apply.

  2. Mini Grant Project funding requests up to $1000.

  3. Any requests for stipend/wage funding must meet the following requirements:

    1. Up to 20 percent maximum of total stipends/wages needed for a project may be requested in the budget proposal;

    2. Of that 20 percent, 50 percent must go to undergraduate student wages. Exceptions can be made on a case-by-case basis.

    3. TGIF does not fund faculty salaries or stipends

Reporting 

  1.  Projects must have clearly defined data and/or measurements in the midpoint and final reports. Examples: (1) Number of attendees at an event or social media engagement, (2) quantity of nitrate absorption in the arboretum waterway, (3) survey response results, etc.

  2. All awarded proposals must submit an intermediary progress report at the half-way point of their project timeline and a final report, detailing the results of the project. The final report must include a final budget that clearly identifies all spent funds, any unspent funds, and all other sources of funding for the project. Any unspent funds from TGIF grants must be returned once the project is completed.

  3. Projects must have publicity, education, and outreach components to further connect students with the projects they are funding. Projects must clearly identify The Green Initiative Fund (TGIF) at UC Davis as a funding source on any semi-permanent or permanent campus infrastructure purchased with TGIF funds, and all awarded proposals must acknowledge The Green Initiative Fund (TGIF) at UC Davis as a funding source on all literature, posters, or publicity related to the project, event, or research.

  4. Project organizers/leaders must prepare a final poster, video, or audio presentation to the campus community, and in a format that can be shared on the TGIF website.

Campus Approval  

  1. Your proposal must document consultation of all relevant departments to ensure they are aware of and support your concept. Feel free to add additional stakeholder signature boxes in your proposal, if needed. If you are not sure if this applies to your project, contact the TGIF Grant Manager or attend our Grant Advising Office Hours. Please note the following:

    1. The signatures demonstrate that those stakeholders are aware of any commitments expected of them as part of undertaking the project you are proposing.

    2. If there could be any expectations of financial support, contributions of labor or material resources, physical building or planting planned as part of the project, or environmental or sustainability impacts, it is critical that the grant proposal provides the explicit agreement of the stakeholders to agree to and/or fulfill those expectations.

    3. For projects that impact campus facilities, final approval will be given by the Committee, the TGIF Grant Manager, and relevant campus stakeholders.

    4. If you wish to submit written endorsements or support statements of your project, please include those letters of reference or endorsements as separate from these consultation signatures on your proposal.

Ready to begin? Review the Developing Your Proposal sub-page for in-depth information and a full breakdown of the grant application form.