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The Sustainability Projects Fund (SPF) is a prize-fund of £73,000 to enhance sustainability on campus and locally via staff- and student-led projects. It was funded by a 20p ‘levy’ placed on single-use disposable coffee cups sold at King’s College London catering outlets.

Students, staff, KCLSU staff, academics, and alumni are invited to submit an application for up to £5,000.

Projects should align with or more of the categories below. Other suggested categories are also welcome.

  • Sustainable food
  • Waste reduction and promotion of a circular economy
  • Carbon and energy reduction
  • Biodiversity
  • Water use reduction
  • Sustainability education and awareness
  • Sustainable and ethical procurement
  • Climate justice
  • Sustainable travel (commuting, business, end-of-term)
  • Community engagement

How does this relate to other funding for sustainability at King’s?

The Sustainability Projects Fund is open to students or colleagues in any role and aims to advance sustainability on campus, in residences and/or in the local community.

If your idea is centrally concerned with education or research, King’s Climate & Sustainability invites you to consider applying to two further funds:

These funds are mutually compatible, so you can apply for more than one at a time.

Please read the documents on this page carefully.

Contact us

Please get in touch if you have any questions about the Sustainability Project Fund.

Guidance documents

SPF guidance

Application guidance and selection criteria 2025-2026.

Previous successful projects: Blooming Balcony

This project from the Department of Twin Research seeks to develop a small communal garden on their balcony. The garden will use food waste from the Department to grow food and flowers suitable for pollinators, important for biodiversity, improving waste management, and creating a healthy community space.

Tomatoes growing on a balcony planter.

Community Fridge & Larder

This project from the Faculty of Arts & Humanities’ Student Experience Team aims to install a community fridge, which will be stocked with leftover food from events, to minimise waste and aid with the cost of living for students.

A person looking inside a fridge filled with fruit and vegetables.

The IGUANA Initiative

This project from the Department of Psychology aims to provide financial support for staff members to enable them to use sustainable transport methods for conferences in Europe.

A train station.

iWash Slide Washer

The Innovation Hub will purchase an iWash Slide Washer, allowing them to reuse slides up to 50 times to reduce waste and emissions from the supply chain.

Glass slides in a tray.

King’s Community Garden biodiversity project

This project seeks to develop and enhance the King's Community Garden, including a range of measures to increase and monitor wildlife in the garden and the use of the space as a ‘living lab’ to develop education and research relating to biodiversity.

A person tending to a community garden.

Future Travel Fund

This project, from the School of Cardiovascular & Metabolic Medicine & Sciences, will subsidise business travel by rail where it is more expensive than flying.

A train travelling through green mountains.

Sensors in the Saddle

This project by a postgraduate student on the MSc in Environmental Science for Sustainability aims to measure air quality in London by assembling low-cost mobile monitoring units and attaching them to bicycles. It will be the first incentive-based, community lead mobile air-quality monitoring network in the world, as well as integrating more kings students in topical research/data collection related to climate change to empower students with feelings of hope and action, knowing they are part of a solution.

A full bicycle parking area.

More about sustainability at King's

Education

Empowering our students to shape a more sustainable future.

Operations

Building sustainability into King’s actions and operations.

Take action

Learn more about how you can join in with King's sustainability activities.