For Students
Student and RSO Grants
At Berkeley Food Institute we leverage University of California resources in partnership with communities to shape a just farm and food system. BFI provides mini grants to the Registered Student Organizations (RSO) and individual students conducting research that are aligned with this mission to fund projects that contribute to the following focus areas: Urban and Rural Agroecology, Racial Equity, Good Food Access, and Fair and Healthy Jobs. The intent of the RSO grant is to make information and education about food and farm systems more accessible to a broader audience.
Funding Opportunties
Grant Application: Click here to go to the Google form to apply
Eligibility: All UC Berkeley Registered Student Organizations (RSO) are eligible to apply.
Budget and Timeline
Allowable Expenses
Venue fees
Honorariums for guest speakers
Conference attendance fees and travel
Supplies and materials for workshops, events, DeCals, or research projects
Event food (no alcohol)
Other – provide justification in your brief description to show how these expenses meet your goals as they are aligned with BFI’s focus areas. These will be considered on an as needed basis within reason and according to University funding restrictions.
Timeline
Applications are reviewed and awarded on a SEMESTER basis. We will make awards no later than two weeks after the due date by emailing the contact listed on the application notifying them of the award amount. If needed, we are happy to set up a time to discuss any questions the awardee may have, review requirements for using the award, and discuss different modes of providing summaries of how the award was used at the end of the grant timeline.
RSO Grant Cycle 2024-2025
Fall
Applications due on September 16, 2024
Applications awarded no later than Sept 30, 2024
Grant funds must be spent by Dec 20, 2024
All expenses for reimbursement must be submitted by Dec 23, 2024. All reimbursements must be submitted to BFI no later than this date
Spring
Applications due on February 3, 2025
Applications awarded no later than February 17, 2025
Grant funds must be spent by May 16, 2025
All expenses for reimbursement must be submitted by June 13, 2024. All reimbursements must be submitted to BFI no later than this date
Grant Application: Click here to go to the Google form to apply
Eligibility: All UC Berkeley students that are working with faculty to conduct food systems research are eligible to apply.
Student Research Grant Cycle 2024-2025
Applications due on October 30, 2024
Applications awarded no later than November 30, 2024
Grant funds must be spent by June 13, 2025
All expenses for reimbursement must be submitted by June 13, 2025
Additional Information
Payment Process and Reimbursements
We will provide funding for items listed in the detailed expenses section of the application. You will be asked to track all expenses using this template excel tracker and include itemized receipts and copies of original receipts when submitting requests for reimbursement.*Immediately take pictures of all paper receipts by laying them flat on a surface so that the entire receipt is legible. All requests for reimbursement must be submitted no later than the end of the grant cycle.
RSO grants will be provided to UC Berkeley Student Union Finance Team (ASUC) through the RSO CalLink account. Any unused funds can be requested for rollover by emailing the BFI administrator.
Student Research Grants will be provided to individual awardees. BFI will work with grantees to purchase and reimburse research award expenses.
Reporting Requirements
Provide timely reporting documents at the end of each grant cycle. All reporting materials are to be emailed as attachments to foodinstitute@berkeley.edu according to the timeline below. Please provide at least one high resolution picture of how these funds supported your work.
This includes any of the following, as applicable:
- Requests for Reimbursements: You can submit these requests at any time after purchases are made. In order to be reimbursed for all of these purchases, you must send itemized receipts and copies of receipts as email attachments.
- Surveys: If you are using these funds to facilitate an event or ongoing workshop, you must administer surveys to participants of the event as part of your assessments. The objective for surveying is to collect data that informs whether the event, etc. was effective at accomplishing what it intended to and to assess whether any part of the event, etc. needs to be modified for the next time. All participant identifying data should not be included.
- Summaries for Reporting: Provide a brief description of how the funds supported your goals, key takeaways, and any lessons learned. This can be provided in the form of blog posts, interviews, and photos approved for posting. All materials may be shared with the public on our website and social media; please make sure that your audiences are made aware of this. The intention for public postings is to share with current and future funders and stakeholders that make these grants possible, highlight student work, and celebrate food systems at UC Berkeley.
Application Evaluations
Each semester, the BFI Committee reviews and provides feedback on each grant application. While the Committee does not use a formal rubric, we do provide assessments of the grant application based on the following categories.
- Project Clarity
- Alignment for BFI Focus Areas (one or more)
- Budget & Timeline
- Measuring Success
Technical Assistance
BFI will provide a zoom webinar on how to apply to the grant, track expenses, request reimbursements, and submit summaries of grant awards. A webinar will be offered to students interested in applying for this grant on a rolling basis. During this time, questions and answers will be addressed and added to a section for common questions on this website.
If you have questions about whether your project qualifies, please reach out to foodinstitute@berkeley.edu with the email title: Attn: Education Programs Coordinator