NUS SAVE Sustainability Fund

Application Guidelines

1. What is the NUS SAVE Sustainability Fund?

NUS SAVE Sustainability Fund (SusFund) is a fund managed by NUS SAVE. The fund aims to support green projects by the NUS students to create a more sustainable future and/or culture.

2. What kinds of grants are available?

• Seed Grants provide funding up to $500.
• Sprout Grants provide funding up to $3000. Big grant projects must enlist at least one NUS faculty or staff member as advisor.

3. What kinds of projects are funded?
Your project should be:

1. Environmentally-oriented. Projects must fall under at least one of these themes:

• Renewable energy
• Sustainable resource (materials, energy, water) management
• Pollution prevention and control
• Biodiversity
• Climate change prevention and adaptation
• Circular economy

2. Beneficial to the NUS community
3. Project should NOT be:

1. Part of a course requirement or a curriculum-related project*
2. Solely a purchase of equipment/ technology

Projects may include:

• Activities (e.g. beach cleaning, workshops)

• Products (e.g. devices that conserve natural resources, urban farms, development of a sustainable technology)

• Organization of events (e.g. panel discussions, awareness campaigns, educational talks)

*Note: The grants cannot be used for undergraduate or graduate research projects, or courses and curriculum-related projects. However, the implementation of environmental solutions based on individual research findings or project implementation beyond the scope of the curriculum is more than welcome.

4. Who is eligible to apply?

All NUS students are welcome to apply! 

However, at least 1 member of the project team should be a continuing NUS student (i.e. NOT a final year student) to handle project claims and correspondence. The reimbursement process can only be completed whilst a project team member is still a NUS student.

To mitigate conflicts of interest, certain SAVE personnels are not eligible to apply.

5. When do the projects have to be completed?
All projects must be completed by 15 April 2025. This deadline ensures sufficient time for evaluation and fund disbursement before the academic year ends.

6. How are the successful applications chosen?

There are two rounds of evaluation:

1. Shortlisting by the SusFund Team
2. Approvals and final evaluation by Approving Committee

After your application form submission, the SusFund team may contact you for feedback and project revisions before the Approving Committee’s final review. Your team may also be requested to pitch your idea to the committee (case-by-case).

7. How do I apply?

Download the application form:

Seed Grant SusFund Application Form [AY24/25].docx

Sprout Grant SusFund Application Form [AY24/25].docx

Fill in all applicable sections in the application form. Please write “NA” instead of leaving non-relevant sections blank.

One of the most important sections of the application form is the proposed budget. The project’s budget must be clear, thorough, and estimated reasonably. Only claimable items should be included in the budget (see Q8 for details on claimable and non-claimable items). The purpose and quantities of items must be clearly stated. Grossly overpriced items will be rejected during reimbursement.

Applicants must disclose any income they expect to receive from sponsorships, other grants, registration fees, etc.

After you complete your application form, please submit it, together with any other supporting documents

        to: susfund.nussave@gmail.com 

        cc: ljcher@nus.edu.sg   

You should expect a confirmation email upon successful receipt of applications (please allow up to 7 working days).

8. What do I need to do after the project concludes?
After your project concludes, you have to submit a post-project report by latest 2 weeks after the project completion date.  

[AY24/25] Seed Grants Post-Project Template

[AY24/25] Sprout Grants Post-Project Template

9. How do I get reimbursed?

First of all, we’d like to note that we have the right to refuse to disburse funds due to the following reasons:

• The project report is not received timely
• Project fails to meet agreed-upon KPIs
• The project deviates significantly from the approved proposal

Small Grants: Reimbursement will be based on the amount approved before project commencement. No amendments mid-way through project implementation will be entertained. The full grant quantum will be paid after satisfactory acceptance of the project report by the SusFund Team.

Big Grants: Funds are to be disbursed based on receipts submitted. Claims must be reasonable and within the approved budget. Please refer to the post-project report template for details on the claim submission process.

• Individual students or informal student groups: Reimbursement can only be done once at the end of the project.
• Student groups with a WBS account: Project team can choose to receive a one-time mid-term reimbursement and/or at the end of the project. Project team must propose the mid-term milestone at the application stage. The approved milestone will be explicitly stated in the offer email.

As a general guide on items that can be reimbursed, please refer to this table:

Note that this list serves as a guide, but is not exhaustive. Any deviation and contestations regarding the above  should be approved by the approving committee.

In the event of budget overruns, the total amount of reimbursements will be capped at the approved budget amount.

10. What are the requirements for publicity?
All publicity materials must include the phrase “supported by NUS SAVE Sustainability Fund” and the NUS SAVE logo. All publicity materials must be approved by the SusFund team.

11.  Timeline for AY24/25

12. More questions?
Please drop your queries to susfund.nussave@gmail.com! Please refrain from submitting questions a week before the closing date of the application window. The SusFund team may need up to 5 working days to provide a reply.