Financial Support
Sources of funding from within Carleton |
Carleton CSA
Last spring, the Carleton Student Association (CSA) allocated $20,000 for a Sustainability Revolving Fund (SRF). Coupled with a matching grant from the college, the $40,000 fund will be used for small-scale, student led projects that help Carleton College achieve its goal of environmental sustainability. This money is intended to pay for projects that could not ordinarily come out of the college budget, be they too small-scale, to work intensive, or for any other consideration. You can find out much more information about the SRF and other Carleton sustainability initiatives and goals on the Carleton website.
In speaking to the members of the SRF Committee—the body responsible for allocating money that comes from the SRF, of which I am a new member—they were all extremely enthusiastic about the prospect of an organic farm at Carleton. That being said, in order for the farm to receive money from the SRF, we must demonstrate that the farm somehow helps the school achieve its sustainability goals. Here it is great that I have my hand in both projects, as I can work with the proposal (and the committee) to ensure that, if we choose to look to the SRF as a source of funding, that we’ll be able to meet the guidelines for their distribution of money.
Institutional Support from the College:
In order to receive institutional support from the College, we must first submit a business proposal to Vice President and Treasurer Fred Rogers.
How will we create a successful proposal?
1) A Business Model
Be sure to clarify the following points:
- What are the operational costs, sunk and variable costs?
- What do we intend to produce?
- How will we be(come) sustainable?
- Time frame for achieving self-sustainability?
2) Proof of Concept
We must create a prototype of what the farm will look like and demonstrate its feasibility.
Sample dilemma 1: It’s raining heavily and is quite cold outside. How do we ensure that student workers will be willing and able to perform the necessary farm work?
Sample dilemma 2: What happens if the farm staff or student body loses interest in the farm concept; how can we guarantee that we can keep it going?
3) Growth and Transition Plan
Advice from Fred Rogers:
- Start small: If we want to eventually have a 50 acre farm, we should initially request a ½ an acre and develop a long-term vision for growth. Once we demonstrate our ability to meet our established targets, we can request additional funding to support our vision for the farm in future years.
- To that end, we must create a business plan of how the farm will look in future years and what steps we will take to reach the next level, such as: What are our requirements for new land acquisition? New machinery? Additional staffing?
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