Timeline

Applications are open and project proposals will be accepted on a rolling basis until March 14, 2024 at 11:59 pm. Proposals should be prepared with the help of the ASUM Sustainability Coordinator (sustainability@umontana.edu) and relevant campus building managers to help guarantee completeness. These proposal drafts will be accepted, reviewed, and returned to students for revisions. Students then have the opportunity to submit a revised proposal to be reviewed by the committee for a second time. Final funding decisions for each semester will be made by the end of the term.

Small Grants & Loans

As you write your proposal, you may request grant or loan funding, or a combination of both. 70% of available funding goes to loans each year, and 30% goes to grants. Loan funding that is given must be used for projects that support energy conservation and efficiency. Project proposals must demonstrate student participation and can involve researching project ideas, loan payback, implementation costs, and environmental benefits. New construction and major remodeling projects are not eligible for loans at this time.

Loan paybacks are determined on a case-by-case basis, but usually are paid back annually in May. No loan payback terms may exceed 10 years. 

Large Projects - Loans

Over $300k is available in the large project fund for large loan projects. Projects must be loans and as such have measurable or quantifiable energy or resource savings. During an academic year (proposal cycle), multiple projects can be funded with the minimum amount granted to any one project being $20,000. The average payback of all projects funded in an academic year must be 15 years (projects can have a payback of over 15 years as long as the total payback time is 15 years across all projects. The proposal submitter must agree to annual updates on the project until the loan is paid off, either in person to the Kless Committee or in writing. Additionally, there must be student involvement either in the proposal or once the project is completed. The project must have visible Kless promotion either through signage, a logo on the project, or other means. The Kless promotion plan must be included in the proposal.

Available Funding for Spring 2024:

• Grant Funding: $6,500
• Small Loan Funding: $15,000
• Large Project Loan Funding: $300,000

Award Amounts

There is no minimum amount for funding projects. The amount of funds available varies each semester depending on funds raised through the student sustainability fee and the number of proposals received and approved by the committee.

Duration of Projects

For small grants and loans, if you are awarded funds for Spring 2024, you have a year from the award date to spend the funds. Extenuating circumstances may apply and are determined on a case-by-case basis. Unused funds will not be available for use after that date.

For the large project loan fund, it is understood that most projects cannot be completed in one year. An accurate timeline should be attached to your proposal. It is necessary to work with the Sustainability Coordinator and Facilities Services to provide updates and complete the project as promptly as possible.

Eligibility

All projects must originate from the student body or have the backing of a student or class to be considered for funding. Should there be times when no feasible student proposals exist or do not reserve all available funding, then proposals from faculty, administrators, Facilities Services or other University entities will receive consideration.

Project Categories

The project must fit into one of the following categories:

• Quantifiable Energy Savings through reduction of purchased electricity or natural gas or generation of renewable energy.
• Quantifiable Resource Conservation through projects that result in lowered consumption of fuel, water, paper, purchased materials, other utilities, etc.
• Plausible Energy Savings and/or Resource Conservation benefits through projects that aim to promote a specific behavior or use education, information or communications to positively impact campus sustainability.

Projects belonging to one of the latter two categories need not have quantifiable savings. However, the Kless Committee encourages projects that meet the loan criteria and will determine on a semester-by-semester basis the portion of the funds to be allocated as grants.

Selection Criteria

Proposal selection by the Kless Committee will be based on various criteria, including but not limited to the following:

• Completeness and quality of the application
• Demonstrated student involvement in proposal development and project implementation
• Documentation of energy savings and/or conservation of resources
• Documentation of environmental benefits and impacts;
• Documentation of cost-effectiveness and duration of loan pay-back period (projects with shorter payback periods or greater reductions for lower costs will receive higher ratings)
• Creativity and innovation
• Ability to improve energy efficiency or resource conservation awareness on campus
• Ability of the project to be successfully completed in one year