ASM to accept new Green Fund applications

April 14, 2015 | By Maija Inveiss

ed_3_editThe Associated Students of Madison Student Council approved changes to the Green Fund to clarify the rules and bring them into alignment with the university’s legal policies. With the updates, the ASM Sustainability Committee is ready to accept new applications for Green Fund projects.

The Green Fund, established in 2014, will allocate $50,000 of student segregated fees to projects focused on sustainability-related issues on campus.

During its first year, the fund experienced legal issues raised by the University of Wisconsin System policy document F50. ASM Sustainability Committee Chair Kyla Kaplan says the changes will both address these issues and make the Green Fund application process easier for students to understand.

According to Kaplan, applicants will go through three different stages to get a grant proposal approved: first the Green Fund Advisory Board, followed by the Student Finance Committee and the Student Council. ASM will also offer two information sessions on how to apply for the Green Fund.

The bylaw changes broadened the Green Fund requirements to include topics such as environmental justice or public health. They also added an option to apply for an environmental event grant.

No single group can receive more than $20,000 from the Green Fund. Kaplan says ASM hopes to receive many applications and disburse as much of the allocated funding as possible.

Students will receive an email from ASM during Earth Week to announce the opening of the application period, which runs through September.

For more information, contact the Sustainability Committee Chair, Kyla Kaplan.

Photo by Edible Landscapes Project, UW-Madison