Types of Grants

Sustainability Grants

Sustainability Grants are allocated to projects that promote environmental sustainability within the Oberlin Community, and do not have clear and calculable financial savings for Oberlin College. These projects do not necessarily result in direct resource use reductions, but do promote environmental sustainability as defined by the sitting Board.

Sustainability Grant Application

Efficiency Loans

Efficiency Loans are allocated to projects that reduce resource consumption and have clear, calculable financial savings for Oberlin College. All financial savings directly resulting from these projects are paid by the College into the Efficiency Loan Account. Savings may be calculated based on conservative estimates or measurable changes in resource consumption data.

Efficiency Loan Application

Carbon Management Fund Grants

Carbon Management Fund (CMF) Grants are allocated to projects that provide verifiable sequestration of carbon and are situated in or around Oberlin. These carbon sequestrations are meant to be attributed to specific areas of the College for which carbon offsets have not yet been acquired. 

Carbon Grant Application

How to Apply for Funding

1.

Submit a pre-proposal application with your preliminary idea. If you have previously applied for funding from us, skip to step 4.

Submit Pre-Proposal

2.

You will receive an email with questions we would like you to further address and/or people you should contact. Please give us a few business days to review your pre-proposal.  

3.

Make any necessary revisions to your pre-proposal. Let us know if you would like to discuss your proposal during our Monday or Sunday meeting and/or via appointment.

4.

Submit your proposal by downloading and filling out one of the applications below. Please send the final proposal to our email edgefund@oberlin.edu.

Once Funded

Once the Board has voted to fund your proposal, the approval process will begin. Within a few weeks, of approval, we will send you an Approval Document with notice of your funds. Project Check-Ins are required via a Google form that will be provided to you along with further information within the Approval Document. You will be asked to complete a total of 8 Project Check-Ins during the two-year funding period, or until your project has been fully implemented. A Project Check-In must be completed every three months from the date of your Project Approval, a timeline of when these Project Check-Ins are expected will be listed in your Approval Document. We have Project Check-Ins so that we can stay up to date with your project.