“Advocating for social change can seem like a daunting task, especially facing systemic and institutional obstacles that appear cemented in place. Asking for help and support within our communities as well as from our allies was an important aspect of the success of our project (as well as plain ol’ deadlines and organization!). ”
-Social Justice in the Creative Arts Therapies by CATSOCA, QueerCATS
Fall 2019 - Winter 2020 In Review
In the 2019-2020 Academic Year, we funded 46 projects a total of $111,354
In the past 5 years, the amount of funding requested by projects of the SAF has increased by 12.5%
Funding Requested by Projects($) and Funding Allocated
Percentage of Funding by Sustainability Theme
- Social Justice
- Food System
- Education & Research
- Waste
- Community
- Health & Wellbeing
- Energy, Resources & Technology
Number of Projects Funded by Sustainability Theme
In the 2019/2020 Academic Year, 3x more funding was allocated towards Community projects than in the previous year.
Although the fewest amount of projects funded fell under the Food System theme, these projects were allocated more funding. This suggests that Food System projects can be more costly.
Amount ($) Funded per Sustainability Topic in 2019-2020
- Community Building
- Democratization of Knowledge
- Human Health and Wellness
- Race and Ethnicity
- Indigineity
- Gender and Sexuality
- Food Security and Sovereignty
- Labour Issues
- Poverty and Income Inequality
- Community Economic Development and Alternative Business Models
- Sustainable Transportation & Infrastructure
- Sustainable Production & Consumption
- Environmental Justice
- Climate Change
- Pollution
- Land Preservation and Conservation
- Accessibility
Quantity of Applicants
- Allocated
- Rejected
“The majority of our challenges came from scheduling and logistics. When planning an event,especially with many moving parts and collaboration with multiple student groups , scheduling and communication issues will almost always come up, sometimes at the last minute. It helps to have a detailed timeline and checklist, to better keep track of the responsibilities/tasks of ourselves as well as other group members.”
– 9th Annual Concordia Undergraduate Journal of Art History by CUJAH
“During our project, one of the main challenges was to spread the word and promote the events. We learned that it was important to reach out to Concordia community members but also to Montreal groups interested in sustainability and the issues we addressed at our screenings. We learned how important it is to start promotional tasks long in advance, and to combine printed material, in-person promotion, a strong social media presence, and to involve our amazing team of volunteers in the process.”
-Resilient Bodies: Reclaiming Life & Space film series by Cinema Politica
“Make sure that your budget is as detailed as possible in order to get as many funds approved as possible. Make sure that if you expected changes to your project that you submit the project revision form as soon as possible. Take a deep breath, if your project is a good idea, SAF and other funders are more than happy to help get your project approved with appropriate funds.”
– First Voices Week by First Voices Concordia
“We were extremely thankful to the support from SAF in making this possible. Working with 4th Space was incredible, we highly valued all of their hard work in connecting us with the community and facilitating projects in the space. Their resources available to Concordians made executing our projects very enjoyable. One challenge we encountered was hosting the programming during midterm season. ”
-Synthetic Biology Talks and Interactive Workshops at 4th Space Concordia for “Rethink, Recreate, Reinterpret” by iGEM Concordia