The Sustainability Action Booster is an expense grant to support students' sustainability ideas and projects by reimbursing the expenses of the concrete actions taken.

The grant is: 

• Fixed term (we're currently looking for actions that are implemented and ready before the end of 2024)
• Allocated to individuals or groups specifically for implementing the actions 
• Tax-free up to a certain limit defined annually by the state

Check out what your action ideas might look like and get inspired from previous actions! 

This grant can be applied for by: 

1. Individual Aalto University students 
2. Teams

Only the main applicant needs to be a student from Aalto University, as we want to encourage collaboration within and outside of our university! 

An Aalto University employee cannot be the main applicant, but they can be part of an applying team. 

Our grant aims to support bold actions that advance sustainability and foster a culture of experimentation. To be eligible for funding, your proposal must meet the following criteria:

1. Advancing Sustainability:
   • Your project should contribute to advancing, promoting, or piloting some aspects of sustainability actions within the Aalto community.* Whether it's environmental, social, or economic sustainability, we welcome projects from all angles of it!
     • * Please note that we primarily fund pilots and experiments. Additional funding for the same idea is possible if well-justified. We encourage considering scaling, partnerships, and redesign based on previous insights.
2. Concrete & Communal Actions:
   • The idea must include concrete & communal action(s) that engage the Aalto community and provide equal opportunities for all* Aalto students to participate. From collaborative initiatives to impactful campaigns, we're looking for actions that bring people together to create positive change, ensuring equal opportunities for participation.
     • *It's okay to have a limited capacity as long as everyone has an equal possibility to sign up! (We recommend, for example, arranging a lottery for the final participation spots if interest exceeds capacity.)
3. Effective Communication:
   • Please include a marketing plan in your application. We want to see plans for promoting your action effectively through channels like social media, Telegram, posters, and newsletters. We encourage actions that reach all corners of the Aalto community to maximize participation and impact!
     • Why? Because, Booster hopes to create a snowball effect and eventually an avalanche! We vision: More and more sustainability actions = a vibrant sustainability movement owned by YOU, the students!
4. Legal, Safe, and Feasible Actions:
   • Your project must adhere to legal and safety standards, ensuring the well-being of both action owners and participants. We prioritize action ideas that not only prioritize safety and compliance with relevant regulations, but also demonstrate feasibility from concept to budgetary considerations. A compelling application illustrates your commitment to bringing the idea to fruition if awarded the grant.
     • Need help? Check out our resource bank or contact us. We’re happy to connect you with the right people.

+ Failing Allowed!

• Go for it and dream big! The Booster grant offers a fantastic opportunity to try out something completely fresh and even beyond the usual confines of university structures and expectations. Our goal is to nurture creativity and cultivate a culture of experimentation where the thrill of learning takes precedence over individual achievements. Your proposal should reflect this ethos of exploration and innovation.

In the proposal evaluation, we pay attention to how the size of the overall budget relates to the potential community reach and impact.

If you are aiming for a larger grant of €5,001–€10,000, we will evaluate the following criteria in addition to those mentioned above:

1. Does the idea inspire sustainable change and practices at Aalto University, and does it have the potential for a longer-term impact on promoting a sustainability culture at Aalto University?
2. Does the idea promote or facilitate interdisciplinary and/or cross-disciplinary collaboration or activities that transcend the boundaries of the university (between schools within Aalto University, but maybe also with external stakeholders such as high schools, businesses, or NGOs)?
3. Does the idea support community building and equality?

Sustainability Action Booster is an expense grant intended to reimburse expenses incurred in the implementation of applied action. The grant is intended to cover only the approved expenses that were stated in the budget plan. 

Examples of allowable expenses:

• Expenses related to event production 
• Tools and materials 
  • Please note! The Sustainability Action Booster carefully evaluates all expenses associated with new procurements. We strongly encourage you to explore the possibility of obtaining the required equipment through loans or second-hand acquisitions before considering new purchases. If acquiring new tools or materials is imperative for your project, it should be thoroughly justified and integrated into your application, ensuring that the procurement brings long-lasting value and enjoyment to many.
• Costs of communication efforts
• Purchasing a service from a company (note: the VAT is not deductible) 
• Travel expenses that are essentially related to the implementation of the action (e.g., bus tickets, van rental, or reimbursement of visitor's travel expenses)
  • Please note, that Booster typically does not fund any international trips, as they do not meet our criteria for accessibility and sustainability.
• Honorarium of visiting speakers if they can invoice it as a service

All purchases must have a receipt as proof and must be distributed to the Sustainability Action Booster in accordance with the agreed operating procedure.

The expense grant is not designed to support: 

• Annual or recurring activities of businesses, clubs, guilds or associations
• Seed money for opening a business or a political club or association.
• Any activity that is or is targeted to become commercial or profit-seeking 
• Actions directly organised by student guilds, clubs or associations targeted for their members only
• Foreign trips
• Research
• Maintenance project for existing or permanent structures

Expenses that the grant cannot cover: 

• Salary, fee, or other compensation for working time 
• Meal expenses for the team (refreshments for a wider audience in an event are okay)
• Living expenses 
• Gift cards 
• Any alcoholic refreshments 

1. Ongoing call for applications between € 500 – € 5 000, until the end of November 2024

   • Continuous call for applications, following the academic year terms (applications are not processed during common holidays in Finland)
   • We aim to process your application within 7 working days of proposal submission!
   • The Sustainability Action Booster coordination team makes the funding decisions in applications under €5 001 

2. Grant applications between €5 001 – € 10 000

   • The call for up to 10K applications is open twice in 2024: 
     1. 26.2.2024–10.3.2024 
     2. 26.8.2024–15.9.2024
   • You can expect to hear about the decision approximately within 2 weeks after the call has closed! 

   • The Sustainability Action Booster steering group will review the applications and advice in the funding decisions.

Call closes on the last application date announced at 23:59 Finnish time. 

Please note: Sustainability Action Booster has funding secured until the end of 2024, so we're currently primarily looking for actions that are implemented and ready before the end of 2024.

Promotional materials

• If your project receives funding, all promotional materials must state that the project is funded by the Sustainability Action Booster grant. 
• The Sustainability Action Booster expects to receive documentation about the ideas it funds. We reserve the right to highlight the projects we fund in various contexts in order to support the sustainability culture – we will give full credit to the members of the project wherever appropriate! 

Project team

• Working group members cannot apply for a personal grant for the same activity with another application. Only one application can be made for a specific project. 
• The grant cannot be directly applied for by registered associations, closed communities or organisations that restrict participation in the project to their members only.