Funding Opportunities

The Trienens Institute is dedicated to the support of student research and initiatives across the Northwestern community in the areas of sustainability and energy. 

Northwestern Sustainability Fellowships

Approximately 16 paid Sustainability Fellowships are offerred annually for students to gain real-world experience in energy management and sustainability, furthering the University’s mission to support hands-on experiential learning and enabling students to engage with the physical environment and grow as leaders in sustainability. Two project teams of four students are selected for ten-week fellowships during the Summer and Winter academic quarters. Each fellowship cycle will have one energy-focused and one sustainability-focused project. The Trienens Institute and sustainNU oversee the fellowship program that is supported by Ameresco as a part of a five-year contract with the University.

Resnick Family Social Impact Program

The Paula M. Trienens Institute for Sustainability has launched the Resnick Family Social Impact Program, which supports student projects that address significant local and global challenges in sustainability and energy. The Program, seeded by a generous $500,000 gift from Paula Stamler Resnick (WCAS ’86) and Ira Resnick, bridges resource gaps between research and solution ideation, proof-of-concept work, and testing methods for implementation-at-scale.

“The Program will provide new support mechanisms for student innovation, expanding opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration across the University,” said Demetria Giannisis, Managing Director. “The Trienens Institute, as the University’s integrative Institute for sustainability and energy research, education, and engagement is uniquely positioned to bridge disciplinary gaps and work across the NU community to build new models for student entrepreneurship.”

Student teams are invited to submit local and/or global proposals for projects (including associated travel assistance related to project development, as necessary).  Applications will be accepted three times during the academic year, with deadlines in October, February, and May.  Upcoming deadlines are:

• February 15
• May 15
• October 15

More information about the Resnick Family Social Impact Program and application instructions are available here