Do you have a vision for research that will drive progress on sustainability challenges -- or are you a community organization seeking a research partner to address sustainability in Minnesota? The UMN Institute on the Environment (IonE) offers an annual funding opportunity through their Impact Goals initiative. If you would like to discuss a project idea with an IonE Grant Stewardship Team member, brainstorm about early-stage ideas and/or identify University research partners, sign up for “open office hours” here. More details on the grant program will be announced in January.
The objective of our Impact Goals initiative remains the same: catalyzing critical, collaborative projects – spanning research to education to storytelling – that result in measurable outcomes and meaningful advances in sustainability in Minnesota, our region, and the world.
A statement of intent will be due in February 2025. Final award selections will be made and announced by June 1, with the projects starting July 1, 2025.
With three rounds of Impact Goal grants completed – and some $2 million dispersed to 24 Impact Goals project teams since 2020 – we are prepared to expand our ambition. Beginning in 2024, IonE will catalyze environmental progress across 10 interconnected domains:
- Adaptation
- Mitigation
- Biodiversity
- Clean Energy
- Water & Land
- Food Systems
- Planetary Health
- Environmental Justice
- Natural Capital
- Decision Support
This expanded set of investment areas or domains will allow for a more dynamic, diversified portfolio of work – and better reflects the range and depth of expertise among University researchers, practitioners, and educators who are engaged in outcomes-driven, community-engaged work.
Contact: ione-grants@umn.edu