Urgent Ecologies wants to encourage sustainable projects and conscious use of resources within the academy. Therefore, they launched the Urgent Ecologies Green Fund. They aim to provide financial support to students who wish to produce their projects in a different way and are seeking alternatives for materials or production methods. They will cover the additional cost difference between the original, non-sustainable material and the sustainable alternative. All students from Rietveld and Sandberg can apply for a donation from the fund for projects that are connected to their education.
A maximum amount of € 2.000 is available for the selected projects. From all applications, a limited number of projects will be selected for funding. Please find information about the requirements and application procedure below.
Practical information in short
What: Funding for sustainable projects within the academy
Who can apply: Students from Rietveld and Sandberg
When: Projects that are created and/or finished in November and December 2025
Deadline Call for applications: Monday 10 November 2025
Send to: urgentecologies@rietvelacademie.nl, please include in the title of your email: ‘Application Green Fund’.
Details
The concept of sustainability encompasses many nuances, misunderstandings, and contradictions. Urgent Ecologies encourages you to explain your ideas on sustainability and your reasons for opting for alternative materials and production methods. Their goal is to motivate students to reflect on the social and ecological impact of their material choices and bring forward important questions for discussion.
About the selection
Joana Velu from Urgent Ecologies, together with Jip van Steenis from Public & Projects, will select projects based on feasibility, motivation, as well as the requirements mentioned below.
To be eligible for a donation, you must meet the following requirements and submit this information:
• General information about yourself (name, your year and department);
• A description of your project, min. 150, max. 300 words, possible images can be
included separately;
• An overview of the cost difference between the material or production method you
originally had in mind and its alternative;
• A motivation for this alternative, min. 150 words;
• The projects supported by this fund, along with your motivation for applying, will be shared with the Rietveld & Sandberg community.
Keep in mind there is no maximum amount to apply for. However, for this pilot they have a maximum amount of €2000 available, and they would like to support as many suitable projects as possible;
Contact
For any further information about practicalities, the content and/or selection, please contact Jip van Steenis on behalf of Urgent Ecologies via jip.vansteenis@rietveldacademie.nl.
Urgent Ecologies is a cross-departmental initiative that anchors ecology and sustainability as a priority area within all levels of the academy, in our education, operations and policies. They initiate, support and highlight projects, events and collaborations.
Image: Graduation work by Fashion graduate 2025 Larissa de Jager - her installation 'Redress Is Rising' created with sustainable material: second hand balein, grosgrain and used Rataplan clothing - photo by Sophia Jiaqi Xu.