Our Sabin Center Seed Grants aim to support new research and scholarly opportunities for Wake Forest faculty. These grants provide funding for research, scholarship, and working groups focused on significant environmental and sustainability challenges.
We particularly seek projects that align with our shared vision: a world that is more sustainable, just, and abundantly wild. These include, but are not limited to: (1) seed grants for scholarly activity or research, (2) competitive seed grants for interdisciplinary research/scholarship related to environment and sustainability, and (3) funds for half-day or full day meetings centered on developing or finishing proposals for external funding (see below). Note that funding levels are between $1,000 and $4,000 (other amounts are entertained).
To support teacher-scholars working in the area of sustainability, and to facilitate collaboration and future grant funding, the Sabin Center is accepting seed grants in the following areas:
- Research and Scholarship: Enables collaborative groups of Wake Forest researchers and scholars to address questions that result in tangible outcomes in environment or sustainability issues. These grants are awarded to multidisciplinary research groups or activities.
- Engagement: Designed for Wake Forest Faculty seeking to shift their scholarly activities toward subjects that address sustainability, providing opportunities for scholarship enhancement by participating in multidisciplinary research related to the Sabin Center’s core mission and vision.
- Collaborative: Supports faculty and grad students seeking opportunities with existing funded research, with a goal to develop partnerships with K-12 schools and improve curricula. Preference is given to efforts that prioritize K-12 students, non-traditional teacher-scholars, and schools in the greatest need of additional resources.
- Meeting/Travel: Provides full and half-day grant-writing workshops for multidisciplinary groups, including faculty from Wake Forest or outside researchers, to gather outside of their normal routines and focus entirely on submitting proposals. Facilities where workshops are held include Graylyn International Conference Center and Reynolda House Museum of American Art.
Details for the Spring 2025 Seed Grant applications will be announced soon. For more information on the funding opportunities the Sabin Center provides, please contact us at sabincenter@wfu.edu.
Dr. French talks the cohort through a hands-on carbon sequestration activity for their classrooms.
Professor Calhoun takes student outside to put the lesson into action.
A seed grant to build a professional
development program for local teachers.
Dr. Debbie French and Professor Brian Calhoun, faculty in Wake Forest’s Department of Education, received a Seed Grant to build a Professional Development program for local teachers. Research showed that while many educators understood climate change, they were uncertain how to teach it. French and Calhoun created a year-long program with interactive workshops, expert-led lunch-and-learns, and curricula aligned with state standards and local environmental issues. At year’s end, participants gave uniformly positive feedback, expressing interest in continued opportunities. The program impacted an estimated 325 local students in its first year alone.
Student Opportunities
Each year, the Sabin Center funds Student Fellowships through the Environment and Sustainability Studies (ENV) Program. The Fellowships can be used to fund internships or research opportunities focused on a range of environmental or sustainability issues. We particularly encourage any student who is interested in interning with the City of Winston-Salem’s Office of Sustainability to apply for one of these Fellowships. Interested students should contact Haylie Hodge for more details.
The Sabin Center encourages student participation in environmental and sustainability research, and student researchers have played an integral role in many of our projects. In addition to contributing to ground-breaking discoveries, these students have the opportunity to work with, and learn from, academics of the highest caliber.
If you are a Wake Forest student seeking an opportunity to gain real-life experience at the leading edge of fields related to the environment and sustainability, please explore our site to identify any areas of particular interest and we are happy to connect you with the researchers actively involved for further discussion.