Bethel Family Endowed Student Support Fund for Undergraduates

UPDATE: We are now accepting Bethel Family Endowed Student Support Fund applications on a rolling basis. Apply anytime! Allow three weeks for reply with an award determination letter.

The Bethel Family Endowed Student Support Fund will competitively award up to five projects annually (award cap of $500) for work at the interface of academics and inclusion. Projects must be credit-bearing, and could include additional depth to a capstone, independent study, independent research, internship or other course.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

  • Hands-on, immersive or experiential learning opportunities otherwise unavailable to the student due to economic or other lived experience challenges, and that will significantly advance the academic career of the student
  • Projects that increase the lived reality of the College of the Environment as an inclusive, diverse and equitable place
  • Environmental justice projects linking the student’s disciplinary learning to specific issues of import to underrepresented persons, communities and/or populations.

If you have a question about whether the experience you would like to receive support for is eligible, please contact coenvaa@uw.edu in advance of your application.

Experiences should be accomplished within six months of the date of the award. Awards will not be granted retroactively for experiences that have already been completed, so please plan accordingly.

ELIGIBILITY

  • Applicants may only receive a Bethel Student Support funding grant once per degree.
  • Applicants must be matriculated undergraduate students receiving their degree from the College of the Environment. Undergraduates pursuing a minor in the College, but not a major, are not eligible to apply.

FUNDING

Funding maximum is $500 per student per degree.

UW Environment Bethel Student Support Funds can be used to support:

  • Course fees
  • Supplies/materials, equipment, lab processing costs
    • Note: purchased equipment (e.g. computer) stays with the unit and does not become the property of the student
  • Airfare, bus and other transportation costs, such as mileage in a personal vehicle
  • Lodging and meals (NOT to include alcohol), up to per diem for the city of travel
  • Assistance to underrepresented community participants in the project

UW Environment will not provide support for:

  • Alcohol
  • Accommodation or food expenses above per diem
  • Stipend or salary payments to the student
  • Creation of presentation materials

TO APPLY

Complete the online Bethel Fund application which requires the following information:

  • Your name, student number, email, class standing, major(s)
  • Details on the course credit you’ll receive
  • Name of sponsoring faculty/instructor
  • Date range and location(s) of experience
  • Project summary including goals, work activities, expected products
  • Brief statement about how the work will further diversity, equity, and inclusion in the College through your work and/or lived experience
  • A copy of your learning contract/agreement from your faculty sponsor, if available (pdf upload)
  • Other sources of funding secured
  • Detailed budget proposal, using the Bethel Student Support Fund Budget Template (Excel file upload)
    • Use the template to provide detail about your total estimated budget and funding sources. If applicable, use UW meal and lodging per diem rates.
    • Upload your budget file using the format “LAST NAME.FIRST NAME.Budget” when prompted.

Your application is not complete until you have submitted all materials. Incomplete applications will automatically be deleted by the system after 2 weeks of inactivity.

Experience SYNOPSIS

Within one month of the completion of the experience, awardees must submit a brief synopsis to coenvaa@uw.edu. Your synopsis should include:

  • Dates and description of your activities
  • Discussion of how your experience impacted future studies or opportunities and how the work furthered diversity, equity and inclusion in the College through the work and/or lived experience of the student.

Failure to submit a timely report may result in further awards being suspended.

Application review

Applications will be scored as follows:

  • Explanation of proposed work and goals (30%)
  • Statement on how proposed work will further diversity, equity and inclusion in the College through the work and/or lived experience of the student (30%)
  • Faculty advisor or supervising instructor support (20%)
  • Budget and need (20%)

Funding from other sources:

Within the College of the Environment there may be other funding available to support your activities/experiences; see below. Please check with your department’s academic advisor and/or your faculty sponsor to explore options.

  • Friday Harbor Laboratories (FHL):
    • Funding is available to support students taking courses at FHL, including research apprenticeships and other fieldwork related courses. Students apply for this financial aid when completing the FHL application by simply indicating if they need aid, and if so, how much.
    • The FHL REU-Blinks Summer Internship Program is specifically focused on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and provides participants with financial support to meet costs of room, board and round trip travel, plus a stipend ($500/week).
  • Oceanography:
    • The Endowed Undergraduate Student Fund in Oceanography provides financial support for undergraduates in the School of Oceanography to engage in laboratory and field research projects in laboratories, cruises, at Friday Harbor Laboratories and other research-based field programs as well as presentation of student research at conferences. Research-related expenses may include supplies and equipment, ship time, and travel. Direct student support may also be eligible. Eligible undergrads are limited to matriculating Oceanography majors in good academic standing. The students apply by filling out an application, including a research project summary, budget and budget justification, statement/signature from supervisor or sponsor, as well as other information. The due date is in May for research in Summer – Autumn.
  • Program on the Environment, Student Success Fund:
    • This scholarship provides funding (up to $350) to Environmental Studies majors to support student learning. Typically, these funds are awarded to support transportation expenses, equipment or conference attendance fees associated with an environmentally related project. Senior capstone students receive priority for funding though all students in the major are welcome to apply. Applications are accepted throughout the year.
  • School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences:
    • The O’Neill Quinn Aquatic and Fishery Sciences Endowed Immersive Learning Fund provides broad-based direct financial support to undergraduate students pursuing studies in the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences who intend to engage in immersive learning opportunities.
    • Some funding is available for capstone projects and to support field work related to courses.
  • School of Environmental and Forest Sciences:
    • Capstone Project Funding can be applied for by submitting the Capstone Award Form to apply for financial support to defray costs incurred to complete ESRM senior capstone projects.
    • The Student Field Experience Support Fund provides financial support to help with the cost of field experiences including course field trips, internships, volunteering, and other activities.

Questions? Contact the Student Services team at coenvaa@uw.edu.