Patriot Green Fund

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 fund tangible projects that have a high value in all three of these areas of sustainability.

The PGF empowers students by providing them with an unprecedented opportunity to lead and direct projects that will create positive change. To strengthen the Mason community, all Mason students, faculty, and staff may propose and/or participate in a PGF-supported project. Infrastructure projects may only occur on Mason’s campuses, but research projects may help solve problems in any of Mason’s surrounding communities or the Metro D.C. region in general.

 

PGF Basics

In the summer of 2011, the Mason administration approved the creation of the Patriot Green Fund (PGF), which is a $100,000 per year sustainability fund devoted to making Mason’s campuses more sustainable through infrastructure improvements and student research projects. One of the most unique and innovative components of the PGF is the emphasis it places on student participation. Students not only comprise the majority of the PGF Committee, but can also directly apply for funding to lead their own projects when supported by a mentor.

 

PGF Goals

The Patriot Green Fund operates with three distinct goals:

  • Enable students to conduct research and implement scholarship-related projects that demonstrate environmental leadership and benefit the Mason community and surrounding region.
  • Reduce Mason’s environmental impact by making tangible improvements to habits, facilities, and operations.
  • Improve awareness of, and support for, building a culture of sustainability on campus and in our communities to grow a strong community network of stewardship.

 

Eligibility

Any current student, faculty, or staff member may apply for funds to support a sustainability project. Please review the available guides for more details about the type of projects that will be supported by the PGF. Some important notes:

  • Research projects must have an undergraduate or graduate student leading the project – research projects led by faculty alone are not eligible.
  • Students leading facility projects must locate a faculty or staff mentor outside of the PGF Committee.