Student Societies Climate Fund

Terms of Funding

• Applications must be made by one of the following groups: 
  • Official University societies registered with the Cambridge Students’ Union and Junior Proctor’s Office
  • Projects that have an official affiliation with a College JCR, MCR or student association
     
• Groups can apply for up to £750 of funding out of a termly pot of £1500.
   
• Applications must include a specific breakdown of proposed costs, including evidenced quotes.  
   
• Funds cannot be used as payment for labour. Funds can be used for purchase of equipment, items, prizes, travel, etc. We will accept applications that include catering costs, but we will not accept applications where the only cost is catering.  
   
• The aim of the fund is to catalyse climate action. The University cannot fund direct action against itself but welcomes applications for projects and initiatives that open up debate and conversation on relevant climate issues.  
   
• The fund aims to catalyse new projects and initiatives, not to fund the implementation of ongoing work. 
   
• Innovative and experimental approaches are strongly encouraged, but projects that are not explicitly innovative but can demonstrate clear impacts will still be considered.  
   
• Other avenues of funding must first have been explored before making an application to the Student Societies Climate Fund. Groups will be asked to indicate other funding avenues explored as part of their application.  
   
• If your funding application is successful, groups will be expected to: 
  • Use the Cambridge Zero logo on any promotional or communications materials associated with the project 
  • Provide regular updates to the Cambridge Zero team on the progress of the project 
  • Complete a short impact report after the project is completed, detailing the impact of the funding
     
• Funds can be claimed via an Expense Claim (Form FD1A for students (not paid via payroll)) or an Expense Advance (Form FD1B: Application for a sterling advance (PDF)). Groups will be asked to indicate in their application form how they would like to claim their expenses. For speed of transfer when receiving funds, an Expense Claim method will be used in the first instance. Please note that while Expense Advances will not be penalised, they are likely to incur a delay to due administrative requirements and this should be accounted for in the project implementation plan. 
   
• All expense forms must be submitted with sufficient time to be processed before the end of the University financial year on 31 July 2025. Expense Claims must be received by 14 July 2025. 
   
• Applications must be made by the advertised deadline (see below) for funding in the following term. Projects must be completed within the proposed term, otherwise they risk having their funding withdrawn. Project reports must be returned by the end of the following term. 

Application Deadlines 

Deadlines to apply for funding for the 2024/2025 academic year are: 
 

• Michaelmas Term (Tues 8 Oct to Fri 6 Dec) - Deadline: Monday 14 October 2024
• Lent Term (Tues 21 Jan to Fri 21 Mar) - Deadline: Monday 16 December 2024 
• Easter Term (Tues 29 Apr to Fri 20 Jun) - Deadline: Monday 24 March 2025
   

Evaluation Criteria 

Applications will be scored by the Education Team at Cambridge Zero using the following criteria:
 

• Feasibility of implementation plan (6 points) 
• Potential routes to mitigation AND/OR potential for social and educational impact (6 points) 
• Evidence of innovation AND/OR collaboration (6 points) 
• Breakdown of proposed costs including evidenced quotes (4 points) 
• Evidence of other funding avenues explored (2 points) 
  
  Total points: 24 

Relevant criteria above will be scored between 1 and 6, where 1 is low and 6 is high:

6 – Significant potential, is compelling, relevant, specific and very convincing 
5 – Shows potential, is relevant, specific and convincing 
4 – Shows potential and relevance, but not entirely convincing or specific 
3 – Some potential but has missing information and unsupported statements 
2 – Limited potential, inaccuracies in parts and in need of more specificity 
1 – Unconvincing, contradictory information, and missing critical information 
 

Examples of Previously Funded Projects 

The Student Societies Climate Fund has been in operation since Michaelmas Term 2022 and since then has allocated funding to 24 student-led projects. This resulted in the creation of a number of new and impactful projects and initiatives, including, but not limited to:
 

• Varsity football kit made from recycled plastic bottles
• Architecture Society Garden
• Cambridge Climate Society Hackathon
• Cambridge University Science and Policy Exchange lecture, “Energy Policy – Evidence and its Limits” with Jane Dennett-Thorpe
• Sustainable travel and environmental education activities as part of the Sedgwick Club’s Magical Mystery Tour
   

Any questions?

If you have any questions about the Student Societies Climate Fund or the application process, please contact our Student Engagement Coordinator at beth.simpson@zero.cam.ac.uk