• Researcher Grants

    Grants up to $50k for faculty, scientist, and post-doctoral researchers to seed sustainability research projects on JHU campuses.

  • Instructor Grants

    Grants up to $12k for faculty, adjunct, and doctoral instructors to incorporate applied sustainability projects into courses.

  • Student Grants

    Grants up to $10k for undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral students to lead campus sustainability research projects.

Grant Application Process

The grant deadlines have closed for this year. Subscribe to the sustainability newsletter to hear about future opportunities.

Information Session

March 5, 2024  | View a recording of the information session about the Campus as a Living Lab Program, grant application process and criteria, and Q&A .

Webinar Recording

Expression of Interest

Deadline has passed  | Grant applicants must submit an Expression of Interest form including proposed research questions and university partners, to ensure alignment between university stakeholders for mutually beneficial projects. Program staff can assist in matchmaking for university partnerships. Early submissions are encouraged as proposals will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

Expression of Interest form

Grant Proposal

Deadline has passed  |  Grant proposals will be due on InfoReady after grant recipients receive feedback from the Expression of Interest.

InfoReady

Award Announcement

August 9, 2024  |  2024 Grant awards were announced after an interdisciplinary review committee made selections based on the criteria listed below.

2024 Grant Awards 

Grant Eligibility

 

Tenured, tenure track, non-tenure track, or similar faculty are eligible to apply – for example, full-time faculty, assistant and associate professors, research scientists, instructors, and post-doctoral fellows.   

Interdisciplinary research teams, as well as individual faculty applicants, are welcome to apply. This funding support for research can be used as seed funding, ideally resulting in faculty publications. 

 Faculty, student, or staff instructors teaching undergraduate or graduate courses in any JHU school are eligible to apply.  Campus as a Living Lab principles must be central, not tangential, to the course.  

Funds support either one-time campus sustainability projects or the development of a new or existing course to integrate campus sustainability projects permanently. Faculty may request funding for purchasing equipment, processing of samples, transportation necessities, etc.

 Undergraduates and graduate students enrolled in any JHU school are eligible to apply. Student research grants must be led by student(s) rather than faculty. 

Students are welcome to apply individually or as a team. Funds may support a wide variety of student-led projects or independent study, including projects that are part of a degree requirement, such as a capstone or practicum. Faculty or a post-doc mentor is required.

 
Researcher Grants  Instructor Grants  Student Grants 
Up to $50,000  Up to $12,000 Up to $10,000 

 

Grant Criteria

All grants will be evaluated on the following selection criteria

The application should demonstrate project deliverables, a detailed project timeline, a reasonable budget, and clear next-step goals. Proposed timelines should demonstrate the feasibility of project completion within a 12-month period (with an optional one year extension).

The project must be led by a current JHU student or faculty member from any JHU school.  

  • Student Proposals: Students may be undergraduate, graduate or doctoral students, may apply individually or in teams, and may enrolled in any school at JHU. 
  • Researcher Proposals:  Tenured, tenure-track faculty, as well as non-tenure track researchers – including assistant and associate professors, scientists, instructors, and post-doctoral fellows are eligible to apply. 
  • Instructor Proposals: The new or existing course must be approved by a department/academic program.

Proposals should clearly describe how the research projects would result in findings, recommendations, or impacts that help to inform and/or advance JHU’s Climate Action & Sustainability Plan.

Proposals should outline a clear plan to develop or build on an established partnership with the university administrator to implement the research or course project. JHU administrative partners would be asked to agree to both support the project conceptually and ensure researcher access to campus resources to implement the project successfully. 

  • Student Proposals: both a faculty mentor and administrative partner are required
  • Researcher Proposals:  a JHU administrative partner is required.
  • Instructor Proposals: a JHU administrative partner is required 

Research should be innovative in that it tests an novel sustainability solution utilizing a JHU campus, and preferably differs from existing research in the field of study. Researchers can propose solutions to build off the objectives and actions identified in the JHU Climate Action & Sustainability Plan or evaluate, pilot, or test strategies already under consideration. 

Project proposals should impact sustainability-related research or course outcomes. Outcomes may include gathering data or information, providing technical expertise, or advancing practical solutions. Project outcomes should help inform university decision-making and student learning outcomes with the potential for long-term benefits.  

Project findings should be scalable, locally or globally, utilizing the campus as an innovation testbed to support JHU’s sustainability priorities. As project findings are intended to be scalable beyond campus, grant recipients are asked to share their findings both internally with the campus community and to publish broadly.

Grant Application Guidelines

Review the grant application questions before applying on InfoReady. Grant applications are due May 31, 2024 after submitting an Expression of Interest by April 10, 2024.

Learn More

Budget Guidelines

Within an award term of one year, proposed grant budgets may be used for Principle Investigator salary, to hire graduate students, postdoctoral fellows or technicians, equipment, transportation, and consumables. Include fringe on all salary funding requests. We highly recommend that your departmental administrator reviews your budget for accuracy. The awards will be announced on August 10th, 2024, with funding to commence in the same month.

FAQs

A group of interdisciplinary reviewers, including faculty members, administrators, and students, selected by the Sustainability Leadership Council and Office of Sustainability.

Grants deadlines will be reoccurring annually. The next grant cycle timeline has not yet been announced.

Unfortunately, not at this time.

Recipients will submit a one page project progress report each semester, consisting of short questions and brief project updates. Additionally, we request that grant recipients provide photographs depicting various stages of the project for educational and storytelling purposes. Recipients may also be asked to present their work at the annual Sustainability Symposium. More details are available at: https://sustainability.jhu.edu/research/livinglab/grants/reporting/

Schools located at all JHU Campuses, including East Baltimore, Homewood, Applied Physics Laboratory, Peabody, Washington D.C, and Harbor East are eligible.

Eligible JHU schools/divisions and affiliates are as follows:

  • Applied Physics Laboratory (APL)
  • Berman Institute of Bioethics (BI)
  • Bloomberg School of Public Health (BSPH)
  • Carey Business School (CBS)
  • Jhpiego
  • Krieger School of Arts & Sciences (KSAS)
  • Peabody Institute
  • School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS)
  • School of Education (SOE)
  • School of Medicine (SOM)
  • School of Nursing (SON)
  • Sheridan Libraries
  • Whiting School of Engineering (WSE)