Recognizing the major sustainability challenges and opportunities that students will face throughout their future careers, the University of Waterloo is pleased to pilot the Sustainability Integration in Curriculum (SIC) grants to support departments in their efforts to integrate sustainability across academic programs.
About
As part of the recommendations developed by the Sustainability Curriculum Integration Working Group’s Phase 1 report, it was widely recognized that additional resources are necessary to support academic departments in their ongoing efforts to integrate sustainability across any program of study.
For the pilot, three SIC grants of up to $7,500 each are available for academic departments. The grants are intended to provide seed support for efforts that catalyze action within academic programs, regardless of where a program is on its integration journey. Projects can be working on any phase of the recommended sustainability integration framework.
Funding for the SIC grant is possible thanks to the support of the Teaching Innovation Incubator.
Eligibility and criteria
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SIC grants are open to any faculty member at University of Waterloo, and would be submitted on behalf of an academic program.
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While outcomes of the grant may lead to development of new courses or redevelopment of existing courses, the grant should have significance within a program beyond individual course development.
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Applicants should demonstrate that they have done preliminary consultation within their academic unit to ensure that proposed activities have some level of foundational support and can be included as appropriate in relevant program-level continuous improvement, reviews, and planning.
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For example, indicating how the findings or outcomes will be integrated into ongoing or future cyclical reviews.
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At minimum, applicants would include approval of the Associate Chair/Director Undergraduate or the Chair/Director of the department to undertake the proposed activity.
Adjudicators will be considering the following key criteria in their review process:
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Impact potential: whether the proposed activities and outcomes are novel in the context of the program, well thought-through, and demonstrate potential to improve curricular integration efforts.
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Feasibility: whether the proposed activities are reasonable to be accomplished within the indicated timeframe and the proposal has anticipated potential risks and challenges.
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Approvals and engagement: whether the proposal has indicated preliminary support to undertake activities and has outlined plans to acquire any outstanding approvals, as well as strength of proposed efforts to build support across peers within the department/program.
Process and timelines
The SIC grant application process will be facilitated through the Sustainability Office, with adjudication support from faculty members and CTE.
| Step | Timing |
|---|---|
| Applications open | September 30 |
| Deadline to request an application form | October 18 |
| Initial meeting with Sustainability Office | October 21 – November 1 |
| Deadline for submission | November 1 |
| Adjudicator review | November 4 – 22 |
| Revision period | November 25 – 29 |
| Expected decision from adjudicators | Week of December 9 |
| Project initiation | Immediately after proposal |
| Final report due | Upon project completion |
If you are interested in the SIC grant, please begin by requesting the application form:
As you work through your application, the Sustainability Office will reach out to schedule an initial meeting to discuss your project, ensure it meets the basic eligibility and scope requirements, and answer any questions about the application. Each application will be reviewed by three faculty members from three separate faculties, and a Senior Educational Developer from CTE. Suggestions or clarification requests from adjudicators will be shared back with the applicant during a brief revision period, which can then be integrated into the final application.
Decisions on approved projects are expected in early-mid December, with successful projects being able to begin in Winter 2025.
Projects may be of varying timelines but should aim to be completed no later than the end of the 2025/26 academic year.
Eligible SIC grant activities
The SIC grant is meant to be flexible, as it is expected that different programs could have significantly different needs and approaches to support curriculum integration. Projects should be designed to make progress through multiple stages of the Sustainability Curriculum Integration framework, and have outcomes that are at the program level rather than solely within individual courses.
Based on previous integration efforts, the following are some potential ideas that may benefit from the SIC grant support:
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Covering salary costs for a co-op student or RA to conduct research and analysis on curriculum integration opportunities specific to the discipline
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Bringing in a subject matter expert from a peer institution that has already done curriculum integration work on a relevant topic to give a presentation or run a workshop
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Supplies and materials for workshops, brainstorming sessions, etc.
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Launching incentives to catalyze student interest, such as a final-year design project award (though the application should have other elements related to curriculum development as well)
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Procuring specific equipment or software that may be relevant to the discipline that would support learning objectives related to sustainability
While some of the above involve research/discovery work, as well as engagement of peers who may be teaching in the program, projects should still be able to demonstrate the expected outcomes of these activities and how they expect the outcomes to translate into programmatic change.
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Activities which would normally be funded through other existing funding streams or are a part of regular operating activities are not eligible for the SIC grant.
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Conference attendance for individual faculty members would not be considered eligible activities for the SIC grant, unless attendance is strategically connected to other proposed initiatives to support integration within the program.
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All activities remain subject to applicable University policies and guidelines, as well as existing appropriate approval channels within the department and/or faculty.
Frequently asked questions
Will there be future application rounds?
This is a pilot project at this time, but the intention is to learn from the types of submissions received and successes and challenges encountered through funded projects about what would be of value for future rounds. Stay tuned for more updates!
Can I request less than the maximum amount?
Yes, applicants can request less than the $7,500 maximum. However, to ease administrative burden, we request that projects have at least $2,000 in requested funding.
When will I receive funding?
Approved funds will be transferred to successful applicants in W2025. We will ask for the project lead to identify an appropriate workorder within the academic department to receive funds. It will be the responsibility of the project lead to manage any carry-forward requests as needed within their department.
What reporting requirements will there be?
Successful applicants will be expected to complete an ongoing project tracking form to provide updates on project status, expenses incurred, and project outcomes. While we will structure this to limit workload and not be onerous, we do want to know what was achieved with the funding and how funds were spent.
What happens if my project changes scope?
We fully expect that projects will need to change and adapt as they get underway. The SIC grant is flexible to accommodate this. If project leads identify more effective, efficient, or widely supported approaches to accomplish similar goals that were identified in the application, they would be encouraged adapt accordingly. We ask that the project lead notify the Sustainability Office about any significant changes to the project scope, activities, or budget to ensure consistency in overall intent and continued eligibility.
What happens if I don't use all funding?
If projects come in under-budget, applicants may elect to use the balance of funding for other expenses that could extend project scope up to the approved amount (for example, additional workshops, materials etc.) upon approval from the Sustainability Office. If this is not possible, we will request any material unspent amounts to be returned.
What do curriculum integration outcomes look like?
That will completely depend on the program! Applicants are strongly encouraged to review other materials on this site that provide guidance on recommended steps and resources to help facilitate integration efforts, but the approaches and outcomes will by necessity vary across programs and disciplines. The initial Working Group was very clear that there is not a “one-size-fits-all” approach, and different programs may lean on different definitions, frameworks, or aspects of sustainability that are most relevant. In some programs, this could include launching new standalone courses, while in others it may make more sense to plug content within relevant parts of existing courses.
The SIC grant, including through the review process, does not require any specific outcome or approaches.
Why is this being led by the Sustainability Office?
The Sustainability Office is providing coordination support for the SIC grant. It will not be adjudicating applications. The SIC grant is part of the larger project around Integrating Sustainability Across the Curriculum, which is funded through the Teaching Innovation Incubator and is supported by an Advisory Committee that includes faculty members and ASU representatives.