ACTIONS
GO WILD GRANTS
Hundreds of thousands of students and educators are making a difference for wildlife and nature!
Go Wild with WWF-Canada
Are you interested in helping build and lead a project that will help restore nature at your school? Since 2017, more than 55 Go Wild Grant projects have connected students and their campus community to nature, fostering an appreciation that lasts a lifetime.
The application period for the 2023-2024 academic year is closed and recipients have been selected. Meet this year’s Go Wild Grant recipients below and stay tuned for our next call for proposals in fall of 2024.
Proposal Guidelines
Go Wild Grants support post-secondary institutions across Canada to implement projects that aim to protect or restore natural habitat while engaging communities on and around campus.
Previous grantees have created native pollinator gardens and seed orchards, restored creeks and forests, monitored local wildlife, conducted biodiversity inventories, raised awareness about conservation issues, and more!
We prioritize ideas that help your campus community to:
- Learn and discover the local ecosystem, its history, biodiversity, how it works and what it needs
- Take action for nature by creating, restoring or protecting habitat with native plants and trees
- Connect with your communities to create a lasting impact
Sign up for our Living Planet @ Campus newsletter for updates on how you can Go Wild with WWF-Canada.
KEY DATES
September 7, 2023
Application period opens
October 31, 2023
Application period closes
December 2023
Successful applicants notified
January 2024
Projects begin!
Meet our grantees
Champlain College
Champlain College – St-Lambert, Québec, Community Garden Extension
Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University – Halifax, Nova Scotia, Sustaining Native Pollinator Habitats and Expanding Biodiversity
John Abbott College
John Abbott College – Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Québec, First People’s Garden: A Land Based Learning Project
Royal Roads University
Royal Roads University – Victoria, British Columbia, RRU’s Healthy Planet Club
University of Guelph
University of Guelph – Guelph, Ontario, Blackwood Hall Greenspace Activation
University of Guelph
University of Guelph – Guelph, Ontario, Pull & Plant Event Series
University of Toronto
University of Toronto – Toronto, Ontario, Welcoming the Three Sisters
Vanier College
Vanier College – Montréal, Québec, Out with Invasive Plants on Campus!
York University
York University – Toronto, Ontario, Gekinoomaadijig
York University
York University – Toronto, Ontario, Maintaining the Native Plant Garden and Increasing Pollinator Habitat and Awareness in the Maloca Community Gardens
Why get involved?
You can make a positive impact for the environment and your community while building skill sets and experiences for your resume with Go Wild Grants.
Leadership and teamwork
Canadians are looking for opportunities to take action and to make an impact. Go Wild grantees can help provide opportunities for others to participate in their projects or events. While helping to educate others, you will also develop leadership and team management skills.
Build your resume
Gain experiences for your resume including project management, grant writing, creating proposals and budgets. You will become more skilled at strategic and critical thinking, time management, problem-solving, leadership and teamwork.
Local and national recognition
Go Wild Grant recipients and their projects will be recognized on WWF-Canada’s national website which can be linked to your online resume and LinkedIn profile.
Contribute to environmental and social responsibility
Your project will help nature thrive and create a sense of community. Creating volunteer opportunities with your project could help fellow students develop professional skills or find relief from the stresses and pressures of school, contributing to improved mental health.
Living Planet Leader
Helping to lead a Go Wild project demonstrates leadership and teamwork. If your grant application was an exercise tied to one of your courses, or it is an idea tied to introducing a new concept to your academic program, don’t forget to track your activity in the Application of Sustainability in Academics.
BRING YOUR PROJECT TO LIFE
On Campus
Your project can create new initiatives or expand existing ones in any corner of your campus anywhere on campus.
With Your Club or Student Association
Your executive team and members can create a lasting legacy with a Go Wild project. Lead and mobilize your student body with unique opportunities to participate in your initiative and be recognized on WWF-Canada’s website.
In Residence
Bring your floor or the entire residence together with Go Wild. Create habitat for wildlife and host an event for your floor mates to get involved.
In the Classroom
Projects related to course requirements for your classroom, program, department, the campus or the community can receive Go Wild funding. To enhance your restoration project ideal and educate others, consider including an element of research, case studies, events, speaker series, symposiums, conferences or case competitions – the sky is the limit.
In Your Community
Go Wild supports ideas that build habitat or connect with local elementary or secondary schools, libraries, parks and ecosystems, not-for-profits and community groups. Projects with activities for community members on campus are welcome.