Frequently Asked Questions

TGIF is located within the Student Environmental Resource Center (SERC)’s space in MLK BNorth. SERC is generally open every weekday during the semester from 10 AM - 6 PM, and you can visit the TGIF Manager by emailing tgif_grants@berkeley.edu

A small amount ($5-10) from student fees is allocated for sustainability projects as part of the student fee referenda program. TGIF at UC Berkeley currently receives $10.00/student/semester from student fees, totaling approximately $500,000 per year.

A campus green fund is a pot of money available to members of the campus community (including students, staff, and faculty) to fund sustainability and environmental justice projects. The money for the fund comes from a mandatory student fee approved by the student body most recently in 2016. The money is awarded to recipients through grants which occurs each Fall and Spring semester. 

Yes! TGIF has collected resources about other campus green fund programs as well as information about how students can advocate to start their own Campus Green Fund. Please see our Green Fund Resources page for more information. 

Email tgif_grants@berkeley.edu with any questions, feedback, or concerns.

Yes. As of Spring 2024, TGIF has funded 443 paid student internships related to our projects. Please note that TGIF does not oversee intern hiring or payment.

Yes. Award being awarded grant funds TGIF Project Leaders  are required to attend a training prior to receiving their funds. Afterward, they must complete a semesterly check-in to stay in good standing with TGIF. At the end of their project, they must complete a Final Poster, Final Report, and a Final Metrics sheet. 

As of Fall 2023 there are currently 72 projects that are either active or are in the process of finalizing their final report materials. 

TGIF has funded 333 projects as of Fall 2023. 242 TGIF-funded projects have been completed since 2008, and only 19 have been discontinued.

TGIF categorizes its grant projects in the following 8 sustainability themes (but accepts sustainability projects outside these specific themes): Education & Behavior Change, Energy Conservation & Efficiency, Food Justice & Sustainability, Environmental Justice, Habitat Restoration, Transportation, Water Conservation & Efficiency, Waste Reduction.

TGIF is able to award between $300,000-$400,000 in grant funding each year between our Fall mini-grant and Spring grant program. 

Prospective applicants can apply for TGIF grants during the fall and spring semesters. Apply here! The mini-grant cycle is a one-stage process, while the spring grant cycle is a two-stage process (abstract and application).

All UC Berkeley students, staff, and faculty can apply for TGIF grants.

Yes.

The TGIF Program has one staff Manager position (the TGIF & Sustainability Initiatives Manager) that is 1.0 FTE SERC. The TGIF Manager reports to the SERC Director and to the TGIF Committee. TGIF also has 3 TGIF Program Associates who are student staff. You can learn more about the Manager and Associate positions on the TGIF Team page

As of Fall 2013, TGIF is a program offered by the Student Environmental Resource Center (SERC). SERC is a department within the Dean of Students (DOS) and Division of Student Affairs (SA) at UC Berkeley.  TGIF must write and make public an annual report on its programmatic and financial activities each year. TGIF must also submit an annual student fee report to the Committee on Student Fees (CSF).

The TGIF Committee

TGIF’s Committee is the decision-making body for The Green Initiative Fund. The Committee chooses which projects receive money, approves changes to awards, and guides the general direction of TGIF. 

TGIF’s Committee has seven voting members and five non-voting members. Students have the majority vote.

Voting Members:

• One graduate student appointed by the President, Campus Affairs Vice President (CAVP), or Vice President of Finance (VPF) of the Graduate Assembly (GA)
• One undergraduate student appointed by the Associated Students of the University of California (ASUC)
• One student with a background in environmental justice selected by TGIF’s Committee after the other five members have been selected. This position is open to all undergraduate and graduate students via a student at-large application
• One undergraduate student, selected by TGIF’s Committee after the other five members have been selected. This position is open to all undergraduate students via a student at-large application
• One faculty member approved by the Academic Senate
• One staff member from Administration, selected by the Vice Chancellor of Administration
• One staff member from Capital Strategies, selected by the Director of Capital Strategies

Non-Voting Members

The campus Director of Sustainability, the Director of Capital Planning, a member of the Committee on Student Fees (CSF), and the Director of the Student Environmental Resource Center (SERC), shall attend Committee meetings as non-voting Members, and the Committee shall invite experts/guests to provide information and expertise as needed.

In 2015-2016, the UC Berkeley student body voted to continue TGIF for another 10 years, after which, students will have to vote to either end or continue the TGIF program.

In 2025, TGIF will submit a new referendum to continue funding TGIF from Fall 2027 - Spring 2037. 

No, TGIF is a campus green fund.

The fee is mandatory.

Per the UC Office of the President policy on student fees, a third of the TGIF fee is automatically given to student financial aid. TGIF receives two-thirds of the fee.

As of Fall 2023, the fee is $10 a semester per student.

One-third of the fee returns to financial aid.

For more information about student fees, please visit the Committee on Student Feeds (CSF) website

The TGIF Bylaws are the rules that govern the TGIF Team as well as the TGIF Committee. Our full bylaws can be found here. Our bylaws can be changed through a majority vote of the TGIF Committee. 

TGIF was established in 2007.

UC Berkeley students were inspired by the TGIF program at UC Santa Barbara and organized to have it at Cal. The TGIF Campaign team campaigned to put a referendum on the Spring 2007 ASUC elections. The TGIF Bill passed with 69% of votes in favor of the program. The UC Berkeley Chancellor and UC Regents approved TGIF in the Summer of 2007 and TGIF began collecting student fees Fall of 2007.In 2015-2016, students led another campaign to renew the TGIF program. They wrote a renewal referendum, and, with a 68% “YES” vote from the student population, successfully renewed TGIF through 2027.