Applications are now open for 2025 grants and opportunities that support the Hoosier environmental and sustainability community, including student research and faculty teaching opportunities.
Student research grants
Sustainability Development Research Grants
Grants for student research in sustainability are available up to $3,000 for undergraduates or up to $10,000 for graduate students. Proposals may come from any discipline (including the arts and humanities) and must address multiple dimensions of sustainability (e.g., economic, environmental, social).
This represents an outgrowth of a broad-based initiative supported by the Environment, Sustainability and Society Institute (ESSI) and Sustain IU. Applications are open until 11:59 p.m. on Friday, March 28.
Research and Teaching Preserve (RTP) grants
Grants are available for undergraduate and graduate student research in the environmental sciences based at IU RTP properties. This includes ecology, geology, atmospheric science, and human-environment interactions. Applications are open until 11:59 p.m. on Friday, March 28.
Faculty opportunities
Sustainability Course Development Fellowships (SCDFs)
These summer fellowships, on average each about $5,000, support faculty to develop either a new sustainability-focused course or to significantly alter an existing course to include a more substantial sustainability focus. ESSI and Sustain IU sponsor this important work to promote sustainability and environmental literacy on the IU Bloomington campus; deepen sustainability curriculum; and foster a community of faculty engaged in its instruction.
Applications for SCDF are open until 11:59 p.m. on Friday, April 4.
Teach at the RTP
For a semester or an afternoon, take your class outside to conduct experiments, collect data, learn about land management, get on the water, understand history, or make art. Classes can also use our LEED-certified Field Lab with fully-equipped classrooms. Classes generally take place at our Griffy Woods site. To teach at RTP, fill out the Teaching Activity Survey today.
Recipients of grants and fellowships will be honored at the 2025 Sustainability Symposium in April. (Read more about last year's event and the projects awarded.)
Learn more about environmental and sustainability opportunities at IU.
As the hub for all environmental and sustainability-related programming on IU's Bloomington campus, ESSI connects students with the experiences and support they need to excel as the next generation of environmental leaders. Last year alone, ESSI awarded more than $70,000 for student research.