Beyond Benign Community Grant Fund
Beyond Benign’s mission is simple yet impactful: to foster a green chemistry community that empowers educators to transform chemistry education for a sustainable future. As 2024 winds to a close, we’re rallying this vibrant community to join us in bolstering educators and higher education students as they gear up for their 2025 green chemistry projects and initiatives.
Our Community Grant Fund is a crowdsourced fund that will be distributed back to the community in the form of awards in the year ahead. 80% of the funds raised will be awarded to educators, and 20% will be used to cover grant management and program costs. The more funds we raise, the more projects and initiatives we will be able to support. (Learn more about our Challenge Awards here, and check out some of the impactful ways our community is using these awards here.)
Your contribution matters. By donating to this fund, you’re directly empowering the hardworking individuals in the green chemistry community, enabling them to implement innovative teaching methods and promote sustainable practices. These grants not only enhance educational experiences but also foster a generation of environmentally conscious leaders. Applications for this award process will open in early 2025, and grants will be awarded later that year.
Your donation, no matter the size, makes a meaningful difference in shaping a brighter, greener future for all. Join us in championing green chemistry education and make a lasting impact today.
What Your Gift Can Do
$1,500 – Empowers two student groups to host green chemistry outreach activities, inspiring their communities to embrace sustainable science.
$2,500 – Supports a green chemistry ambassador like Cintia, who introduces green chemistry principles to 10–20 peers and institutions, creating a ripple effect.
$5,000 – Enables Beyond Benign to present at conferences, reaching over 100 educators and expanding awareness of green chemistry programs.
$10,000 – Provides funding for two educators to test and implement innovative green chemistry labs, impacting 500+ students each year.
$25,000 – Helps educators design green chemistry case studies that integrate business, chemistry, government regulations, and more, inspiring cross-disciplinary learning.
Words From Previous Challenge Award Winners:
“The Community Grant Award allowed us to not only host an incredible interactive symposium on green chemistry and sustainability as it relates to inorganic chemistry but also gave us the opportunity to challenge the traditional chemistry conference format (lectures). Together we developed three hands-on activities and games to teach attendees about key components of sustainability and green metrics, creating a unique opportunity for community learning and discussion. Additionally, this symposium allowed junior organizers (undergraduates, graduates, and early career professionals) to develop essential skills in research dissemination, event development, and teaching.
It is awards like this that allow us to train our future sustainability leaders, both through the green chemistry knowledge shared, and the institutional knowledge passed on to junior colleagues. Together we build innovative communities that will continue to meet our global sustainability challenges.”
Marissa L. Clapson, Ph.D.
2023 Community Grant Award Recipient
Assistant Professor of Inorganic Chemistry
University of Prince Edward Island
“[Using our challenge award], we hosted a 2.5-hour workshop with 12 participants, focusing on how to engage students through the lens of green and sustainable chemistry. During the session, participants had the opportunity to conduct hands-on experiments. We received highly positive feedback from the participants, particularly regarding the practical, classroom-ready nature of the content. They expressed great appreciation for the ability to take immediate, actionable ideas and activities back to their classrooms. Thank you for the opportunity to share these valuable resources and experiences.”
Cassandra Knutson Lydon
2023 Community Grant Award Recipient
White Bear Lake High School
“Receiving the Beyond Benign Community Grant Award has allowed me to work towards expanding my vision and the reach of my programming in so many different ways. Not only am I able to start offering a new additional workshop in the spring, but this expansion will lead to the development of an accessible and interactive online resource bank for green chemistry topics and classroom applications – where teachers can network and share their ideas. The Community Grant Award has also helped me to expand my undergraduate research line “Going Green in Secondary Chemistry Education” – not only by promoting research goals that are relatable and meaningful to students but also by providing them the opportunity to engage in being a part of the workshop itself and seeing the impact and practical implementation of the types of projects on which they are working.”
Dr. Maria Danielle Garrett
2023 Community Grant Award Recipient
Associate Professor of Chemistry Education
Department of Chemistry and Physics
Belmont University
