Change Your World Grant Program

The Change Your World Grant program is designed to help faculty and students kick-start their projects by providing Sun equipment donations to qualified educational institutions.

Funding for grants focuses on student-led projects in areas including, but not limited to:

  • Web App Development: Develop compelling content and applications for the Internet using your favorite scripting language with the Java VM and NetBeans IDE software development tool.
  • Social Applications: Create and publish a Facebook, Open Social, Meebo, iPhone, or Google Gadget application using Zembly – Sun's browser-based development environment.
  • Java Software Development: NetBeans IDE plug-ins that result in put backs to the Net Beans community.
  • Community Development: The sponsorship of a Sun or Open Source community development projects that align with the academic and research interests of your students, faculty and researchers and result in "put-backs" to the code.
  • Localization: The localization of the code or development tools and resources to languages other than English.
  • Community Outreach: Promote broad awareness of Sun technologies on campus and participation of faculty, students and other members of the academic community in Sun communities through events, workshops and end-user communications.
Equipment Available

Grants are currently available for a pre-defined set of previously-owned Sun workstations, servers and storage products. All systems provided through the program are built, tested, and certified to meet the same quality standards as our new products and come with the same hardware warranty as new equipment. The grants do not include installation or software support.

Eligibility Guidelines

Higher Education
In the United States, eligible institutions must have:

  • 3304(f) or a 501(c)(3) or Section 115 tax exempt status
  • be a degree granting institution or be involved in basic research
Outside of the United States, institutions must either be degree-granting or involved in basic research and be recognized as a non-commercial enterprise by their national government.

Non-profit institutions with 501(c)(3) status which are neither degree-granting nor directly involved with basic research may be eligible if they directly support the academic and research communities in their mission to create and disseminate knowledge, and if they can demonstrate financial need.

Primary and Secondary/K-12 Educational Institutions
To be eligible as a primary or secondary educational institution, the following guidelines must be met:

  • Public or private formal full-time educational institution offering classes in the range or equivalence of grades Primary and Secondary (K12)
  • Licensed, certified or accredited to operate as a school or school administrative unit in the state or country of operation

How To Apply

The pilot phase for the Change Your World equipment grant program is now officially closed. Effective February 27, 2009, 5:00 pm PST, proposals are no longer accepted.

The next cycle for the Change Your World equipment grant program will be early April 2009. Please come back to see the new guidelines and eligibility requirements for colleges and universities. Be sure to bookmark this page and learn more about how you can get equipment donated to your academic institution.

Contact Us

Questions? Contact Us.