The Application Process

• The HSF cannot provide advanced payment for services; 

• The HSF cannot cover the labor costs expended by UW faculty or staff working on HSF projects; 

• Funding cannot be used to purchase gift cards; 

• The HSF will not fund food, drinks, or for-sale merchandise as a part of project budgets; 

• HSF will not fund any conference/training requests ; 

• The HSF cannot fund travel requests; 

• The HSF will not cover student tuition. Any projects including tuition requests will be denied; 

• The HSF will not fund projects that should be financed by another department without a thorough explanation; 

• The HSF will not approve funding for permanent positions; 

• The HSF cannot provide funding for living creatures with very limited exceptions;

• The HSF cannot provide funding for permanent furniture pieces that require special procurement processes and/or approvals;

• The HSF will not fund projects that go against the guidelines of the University of Washington and local, state, and federal laws. 

• Before requesting funding for tech devices, the HSF expects that thorough research has been carried out on the handling and upkeep of the equipment, as well as having received a reasonable product rating (ex: 4.0/5 minimum review) to ensure its use and longevity;

• Any funds allocated to a project that has not started within 3 months of the indicated project timeline, may be rescinded by the HSF Committee and reallocated to other projects. Amendments to timelines may be submitted before the three month deadline;  

• HSF funds are not to be used for any purposes other than those outlined in the original application. Any change to fund allocation requires a submitted amendment and approval before official spending may occur; 

• HSF fund recipients must keep a full accounting of their expenditures and report the status of their budget and project at least two times a quarter. At the completion of a project, fund recipients will be expected to submit a full impact report outlining student leadership, student participation, awareness, and improvement of campus sustainability; 

• Requests for additional funding will be considered on a rolling basis by the HSF Team and voted on during quarterly HSF Committee meetings. 

• HSF Funding may be used to purchase materials to complete a project. Please consider sustainability when requesting materials (See Preferred Vendor list); 

• Promotional items are allowable only if justified as supporting a core aspect of a project or initiative on campus. 

The HSF is funded by student fees and will be used to support not only student-led projects, but provide limited financial support for student stipends as determined appropriate by the HSF Committee. If a project is requesting funding for student compensation, the following funding preferences should be considered: 

• HSF will give funding preference to requests that support the creation of a formal internship under a faculty member or campus organization/department; 

• Compensation requests will only be considered when tasks are clearly outlined and completed during any paid time funded by HSF. In addition, applicants are encouraged to provide any additional information justifying the requested compensation amount in the budget template;  

• All compensation requests must include fringe into the final budget requested. 

The HSF has limited funds for large infrastructure proposals, but when appropriate will invest in one-time transformational interventions in campus operations. The HSF cannot fund routine operations that would normally be covered by the larger university budget. When considering projects led by campus departments, preference will be given to projects demonstrating that they are not likely to be feasible or undertaken in the near future without HSF funding support, and can demonstrate that they will be operationally sustainable long term. Examples of projects include but are not limited to: implementation of larger solar panel arrays, creation of green spaces, university construction projects, etc. 

• The eligibility of funding for an event is at the discretion of the HSF Team. Any recurring event should show the following in order to be eligible for funding after the first award: 

• If using HSF funds to purchase more sustainable products or materials, the event organizer must provide use and waste reduction data to the HSF Team; 

• Quantifiable impact and student participation data; 

• Demonstrate improvement or new innovation upon the previous event. 

• HSF will only provide funding for research if the project has an actionable component on the UWT campus. 

• An actionable component could include a pilot project, educational session/demonstration/workshop, or feasibility study outlining specific actionable next steps. 

You can only submit one amendment per approved proposal for up to 50% of the total amount of the original allocation.