Grants for Advancing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Global Affairs, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Sustainability and Grand Challenges are pleased to announce the call for grants to promote multidisciplinary collaborations focused on advancing one or more of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Grants for Advancing Sustainable Development Goals facilitate faculty engagement with economic, social, and environmental issues critical to humankind at the local, regional, national, and international levels. Addressing these complex challenges requires multidisciplinary, transdisciplinary, multi-stakeholder collaborations.

The purpose of the SDG grants is to advance inclusive global dialogues and projects that contribute to the achievement of the SDGs. Grants are co-led by diverse, interdisciplinary teams of UC Davis faculty working equitably and sustainably alongside local and/or international partners. Potential partners include universities, research entities, NGOs, private sector organizations, or others who can help UC Davis further the creative exploration of how the SDGs provide a common language and platform for tackling challenges both locally and globally. Successful grants reinforce campus commitments to global collaboration, diversity, equity and inclusion principles, and social and environmental sustainability, and are grounded in directly addressing the systemic inequities at the core of the SDGs.

Proposals might advance the achievement of the SDGs in different ways, including but not limited to generating innovative collaborative projects or approaches that focus on specific SDGs in a particular region of the world (e.g., in Latin America, Asia, Europe, Africa, etc.) and/or a particular SDG-oriented challenge (e.g., climate change or addressing poverty, hunger, or socioeconomic inequality); and/or the multifaceted cultural and societal contexts necessary for a holistic approach to complex problems.    

Grant funding supports workshops, seminars, speaker series, knowledge sharing, trainings, or other events or activities. These can take place either on the UC Davis campus, in the community, or in other venues around the world, with UC Davis partnering as a visible, co-lead and/or organizer. Proposals for virtual, hybrid, and in-person events are welcome.

Eligibility and Funds

UC Davis Academic Senate and Academic Federation members with PI status from any UC Davis location are eligible to apply. Proposals are encouraged from diverse groups of PIs/co-leads, with the primary PI required to be UC Davis faculty. Ideally, teams will include at least one international co-lead/collaborator and will represent a range of disciplines and experiences. Including undergraduate and graduate students in grant activities is encouraged, but they may not serve as project leads.

This year we expect to award up to five grants, each worth up to $7,500.

• Two awards are open for projects that focus on any one or more of the 17 SDGs.
• One award will go to a proposal that is clearly focused on climate change (SDG 13).
• One award will go to a proposal that is clearly focused on SDG 10.3: “Ensure equal opportunity and reduce inequalities of outcome, including by eliminating discriminatory laws, policies, and practices and promoting appropriate legislation, policies, and action in this regard.”
• One award will be reserved for CAMPOS/CAMPSSAH scholars
  • CAMPOS and CAMPSSAH aim to encompass the multicultural perspectives of academic faculty in STEM as well as social science, arts, and humanities, focusing on expanding the presence of women and underrepresented faculty in those disciplines.

Timeline of Funding

Proposed activities should take place between March 2025 and March 2027.

Budget

Please use the budget worksheet on the cover page to develop your budget in accordance with UC and UC Davis policies and, when possible, in conversation with your departmental staff who will be administering the award if granted. The budget can include the following categories and must be accompanied by a budget narrative:

• Personnel (salaries, honoraria for speakers, etc.)
  • Payment to personnel is closely governed by UC policies.  Salaries for full-time university employees CANNOT be included in the budget.
• Travel and Entertainment (facility rentals/costs, food, transportation, etc.)
• Materials and Supplies
• Miscellaneous Services (conference fees, computer services, etc.)

Note: The budget is not subject to indirect costs.

Proposal Submission Requirements 

Proposals should include the following elements:

1. Project title
2. Abstract (up to 150 words).
3. Overview and timeline of the proposed collaborative, interdisciplinary project.  This should include a clear articulation of the types of events or activities that the funding is meant to support, as well as how each of the different collaborating PIs will contribute to the project, including engaging diverse stakeholders (up to 1200 words).
4. Description of how your proposal integrates one or more of the UN SDGs (up to 250 words).
5. Description of how your proposal integrates concepts of diversity, equity, and inclusion as well as environmental and social sustainability (up to 250 words).
6. Explanation of how the proposal creates meaningful global learning opportunities for graduate, professional, and/or undergraduate students and how students will be included in your project (up to 250 words).
7. Budget narrative. Explain briefly how funds will be spent and ensure that your budget adheres to UC Davis requirements (up to 250 words).  Please see the budget portion of the cover page on the Global Affairs website for details regarding expenditures. 

Submit your proposal. 
The submission portal will be open by October 15, 2024 and will close on January 8, 2025. 

Deadline

January 8, 2025

Submit your proposal

Grant awardees will be announced at the International Connections Reception.

Evaluation Criteria

We encourage applications for proposals that:

• Foster interdisciplinary collaborations or approaches;
• Engage diverse stakeholders (projects leads and audiences) to tackle a particular challenge either internationally and/or locally;
• Integrate clearly concepts of diversity, equity, and inclusion, as well as environmental and social sustainability, in the topics examined;
• Incorporate well-articulated and visible connections to one or more SDGs;
• Create meaningful educational opportunities for graduate, professional, and/or undergraduate students;
• Involve more than one PI collaborator/co-lead, each bringing different disciplinary or experiential perspectives to the project. The lead PI must be a UC Davis faculty member.

Evaluation Process

Applications will be read and evaluated by a review committee consisting of representatives from all sponsoring offices and a representative from the faculty. All applications will be ranked by at least two members of the review committee using the criteria above.

Final Reports

Grant recipients will be expected to submit a final report at the end of the award period. This report will include information about the project’s accomplishments and future plans. It will also request information about how the funds were expended. If the grant project takes place elsewhere, a brief presentation of the project and its results will also be required for the UC Davis community on campus. For prior awardees, a final report on your previous SDG Grant must be submitted before a new grant can be awarded. Repeat applicants must present projects that are different from those previously submitted. 

More Information

Esther Luna DeLozier

Assistant Director of Partnerships and Faculty Engagement
Global Affairs
(530) 574-8545
eldelozier@ucdavis.edu