Investment & Finance

Introduction

Collectively, colleges and universities invest hundreds of billions of dollars. Like other decisions that institutions make, these investments have impacts that are both local and global in scope. Institutions with transparent and democratic investment processes promote accountability and engagement by the campus and community. By using the tools of sustainable investing, institutions can improve the long-term health of their endowments, encourage better corporate behavior, support innovation in sustainable products and services, support sustainability in their community, and help build a more just and sustainable financial system.

719 resources

Rebel Recycling Fee

  • University of Nevada Las Vegas (NV)

The Rebel Recycling program is funded through a $1 per student per semester fee (Spring and Fall semester only), generating approximately $55,000 per year.


Sustainability Green Fee

  • New College of Florida (FL)

The New College Green Fee is a small fee paid by each student, providing about $28,000 each year for sustainable projects on campus. It’s student-funded, so it’s ...


Sustainability Initiatives Levy

  • Dalhousie University (NS)

The Dalhousie Student Union Sustainability Office is a student-run organization that strives to create a culture of sustainability within Dalhousie Student Union (DSU) operations, thereby improving our university community by ...


Environmental Fee

  • Colorado Mesa University (CO)

The typical annual fee for a Colorado Mesa University Environmental Fee is $2 per year per student.


Renewable Energy and Sustainability Fee

  • University of Kansas (KS)

A Renewable Energy & Sustainability Fee of 25 cents in Fall and Spring and 15 cents in summer is applied to every student.


Student Environmental Sustainability Fund

  • Bellevue College (WA)

The Student Environmental Sustainability Fee is intended to provide resources that are sustainable for student use and education while enhancing BC’s efforts to continue to create a campus that ...


Students' Green Fund (Inactive)

  • National Union of Students

Students' Green Fund supported 25 transformative sustainability projects across students' unions in England, through £5 million of HEFCE funding. The period of funding is now over, but the legacy of ...


Sustainable Investment Fund

  • George Washington University (DC)

In February of 2018, the GW Board of Trustees voted to create a $2 million environmentally-focused investment fund after hearing students' demands for a more sustainable investment portfolio. The announcement ...


Student Sustainability Committee Fund

  • University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (IL)

Using two student fees, the Sustainable Campus Environment Fee and the Cleaner Energy Technologies Fee, the Student Sustainability Committee reviews submitted projects and distribute funding to projects that we deem ...


Energy Reserve Fund

  • Colorado State University (CO)

Initiated in FY12 with $500,000 of "seed money", the Energy Reserve Fund (ERF) is intended to implement energy efficiency projects on campus. This seed funding was provided for the ...


Revolving Loan Program

  • University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (IL)

The Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) was established in 2011 as a financing source for utility conservation projects requested by departments with less than a ten-year payback period. The savings from ...


Sustainability Projects Fund

  • McGill University (QC)

The Sustainability Projects Fund (SPF) has been created to help promote and build a culture of sustainability at McGill, with the primary purpose of the fund to create opportunities for ...


Reinvention Fund

  • Pennsylvania State University (PA)

The purpose of the Reinvention Fund was to create the necessary innovation “whitespace” to continue Penn State’s transformation into a Living Lab for Sustainability, and to demonstrate the value ...


Student Green Fee/Student Environmental Initiatives Fund

  • University of Tennessee at Knoxville (TN)

In the fall of 2005, by request of student vote during SGA elections, the student facilities fee was increased to establish funding for green power and campus sustainability initiatives. This ...


Sustainability Fee

  • Austin Community College (TX)

At ACC, we don’t want to just talk about going green – we want to make it happen! The college is rolling out a number of initiatives that are making ...


Green Fund

  • University of Texas at Austin (TX)

The Green Fund, formerly Green Fee, is a competitive grant program funded by UT Austin tuition fees to support sustainability-related projects and initiatives proposed by university students, faculty or staff ...


Campus Sustainability Fund

  • University of Washington, Seattle (WA)

The Campus Sustainability Fund (CSF) is comprised of multiple student and advisory positions. This structure was designed to give full student control over the Fund. The CSF Coordinator and the ...


Carbon Fund (formerly Renewable Energy Fee)

  • University of California, Santa Cruz (CA)

In 2010, UCSC students changed the use of the funds through the passage of Measure 44. This created UCSC’s Carbon Fund to be a new point of pride and ...


Mascaro Research SEED Grants

  • University of Pittsburgh (PA)

The Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation (MCSI) at the University of Pittsburgh provides annual SEED grants for interdisciplinary sustainability education and research initiatives. The goals of the grants are: (1 ...


Sustainable Development Fund

  • Université Laval (QC)

The Sustainable Development Fund was established in 2007 to support the innovative and structuring initiatives of the university community for sustainable development. Its envelope of $300,000 per year has ...


Green Hill Fund

  • Denison University (OH)

The Denison Green Hill Fund is a green revolving fund (GRF) that was developed in 2011 in response to the Sustainable Endowments Institute’s Billion Dollar Green Challenge initiative. The ...


University Sustainability Fund

  • University of Maryland, College Park (MD)

The University Sustainability Fund provides funding for projects that promote environmental sustainability, and positively impact and enhance the student experience at UMD. The Fund will allocate funds to projects that ...


Green Revolving Loan Fund

  • Colgate University (NY)

Colgate’s Green Revolving Loan Fund, which was seeded with $230,000, is designed to support projects that have a clear, measurable impact on the university’s carbon footprint and ...


Green Revolving Loan Fund

  • Swarthmore College (PA)

The GRF allocates revenue from Swarthmore's Carbon Charge to projects that reduce emissions and energy spend. Savings from the utilities budget are returned to the fund to support future ...


Green Fund

  • University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire (WI)

The Green Fund is a capped, annual $200,000 student-segregated fee allocation. The Green Fund was created in 2008 through a student referendum, where students voted to invest approximately $8 ...


The Green Initiative Fund

  • University of California, Los Angeles (CA)

The Green Initiative Fund (TGIF) is a grant-making fund for sustainability projects on UCLA's campus. Roughly, $200,000 per year is available for student-initiated sustainability projects on campus. Projects ...


Student Sustainability Fund

  • Illinois State University (IL)

In response to the student body's desire to further sustainability on campus, the University Administration has established a fund to support related projects. The Student Sustainability Committee is charged ...


Student Campus Initiative Fund (SCIF)

  • University of Utah (UT)

The Sustainable Campus Initiative Fund (SCIF) is the University of Utah’s green grant program. Students, faculty, and staff from all disciplines and departments are invited to propose projects that ...


Sustainability Fund

  • North Carolina State University (NC)

NC State students began contributing a sustainability fee per semester in fall 2013 following a student-led campaign that included pledges of support from more than 2,000 students and letters ...


Student Green Energy Fund

  • University of South Florida St. Petersburg (FL)

The fund is used to assist the university in reducing energy costs through conservation, by promoting power generation using clean, renewable energy technologies and lowering greenhouse gas emissions. After an ...


Green Fund

  • University of Texas at El Paso (TX)

GF stands for Green Fund, which is a fee referendum that will cost $3 per student per semester, raising up to $40,000 per year for campus sustainability projects. These ...


Sustainability Fee

  • University of Illinois Chicago (IL)

The Sustainability Fee is a student-led initiative to improve the quality of campus operations, reduce UIC’s environmental impact, and generate awareness about environmental and sustainable issues by creating opportunities ...


Student Green Fund

  • University of Toledo (OH)

The UT Student Green Fund is funded by voluntary student donations, and serves to finance student proposed and executed projects that promote sustainability, renewable energy, efficiency, waste reduction, and educational ...


Bucknell Green Fund

  • Bucknell University (PA)

The mission of the Bucknell Green Fund is to encourage, through a revolving loan fund, global sustainability on campus by funding innovative projects that demonstrate environmental leadership and economic benefit ...


Campus Sustainability Grants

  • University of Alberta (AB)

Campus Sustainability Grants University of Alberta campuses more sustainable. Funded through energy savings from the University of Alberta Energy Management Program, students, staff and faculty can access these grants to ...


TRU Sustainability Grant Fund

  • Thompson Rivers University (BC)

The TRU Sustainability Grant Fund was created to advance environmental, economic and social sustainability at TRU. A total of $100,000 is available for the annual application intake. In addition ...


Patriot Green Fund

  • George Mason University (VA)

The Patriot Green Fund (PGF) strives to foster an environment where Mason can flourish academically in part through practicing environmental, social, and economic stewardship. This fund seeks to finance projects ...


Green Revolving Fund

  • Dartmouth College (NH)

Envisioned by a team of passionate students and implemented by Dartmouth sustainability and facilities staff, the $1M Green Revolving Fund launched in winter 2013. Green revolving funds finance energy efficiency ...


Student Sustainability Fund

  • Missouri State University (MO)

Quick facts: - In March 2009, students voted to implement a $2 per semester fee to go towards sustainability on campus. - This fund is to be used solely by students for ...


Renewable Energy Initiative (REI)

  • Appalachian State University (NC)

The Appalachian State Renewable Energy Initiative is a student-led, student-funded organization that seeks to install renewable energy and energy efficiency projects on campus. Projects can be proposed by any student ...


Green Fund

  • Southern Illinois University Carbondale (IL)

Every current SIU student, faculty, staff, or campus unit is eligible to apply for a Green Fund project grant. Awards are currently being granted once a year by the Green ...


Green Fund

  • Wesleyan University (CT)

The Green Fund is comprised of 5-10 student committee members. Everyone on the committee is a voting member of the Fund and works closely with staff advisor will sometimes seek ...


Green Fund

  • Slippery Rock University (PA)

The Green Fund helps fund environmentally friendly projects and programs on campus. Green Fund grants of up to $20,000 are available to support approved sustainably-progressive projects, educational programs and ...


Sustainable Campus Program Fee

  • Auraria Higher Education Center (CO)

In April 2004, 95% of voting students at each of the three institutions that share the Auraria Higher Education Center campus - University of Colorado at Denver, Metro State University and ...


Vanderbilt Green Fund (VGF)

  • Vanderbilt University (TN)

The Vanderbilt Green Fund (VGF) was designed to systematically reduce the greenhouse gas emissions and improve the sustainability of Vanderbilt University by funding student-initiated projects with both environmental and economic ...


Penn Green Fund

  • University of Pennsylvania (PA)

Funded by the Division of Facilities and Real Estate Services, the Penn Green Fund has seeded innovative ideas in environmental sustainability from members of the University community since 2009. Proposed ...


Eco-Social Justice Grant (formerly The Green Initiative Fund)

  • Portland Community College (OR)

The Eco Social Justice Grant is funded through student fees and administered by a student majority governance board in collaboration with the Sustainability Department. It has provided over $1 million ...


Green Revolving Fund

  • Mount Holyoke College (MA)

Established in 2015, the fund provides funding to implement projects that reduce resource use and generate cost savings.


Student Green Fund

  • University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh (WI)

The Green Fund is a student-run committee funded through students’ segregated fees to implement sustainability projects for campus. Approximately $60,000 are available this year for student projects that promote ...


Charlotte Green Initiative Fund

  • University of North Carolina, Charlotte (NC)

The Charlotte Green Initiative (CGI) is a student-led initiative that collects a $1 per semester Green Fee from each full-time UNC Charlotte student. These funds are allocated to projects that ...

This tab provides access to data collected through AASHE’s Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System™ (STARS). STARS is a transparent, self-reporting framework for colleges and universities to measure their sustainability performance. STARS enables meaningful comparisons over time and across institutions using a common set of measurements developed with broad participation from the campus sustainability community.

All responses reference content from reports under the latest version of STARS, version 2.2. AASHE membership and log-in is required.

PA 9: Committee on Investor Responsibility

PA 10: Sustainable Investment

PA 11: Investment Disclosure

Additional analysis on scores and quantitative fields can be conducted using the STARS Benchmarking Tool.

Investment & Finance Partners