The U.S. Green Building Council's (USGBC) Green Building Research Fund has awarded over $3 million in grants to support research in sustainable building practices. The fund aims to generate and to encourage new research in green building techniques and products. The USGBC gave $2 million, while the fund solicited matching donations that totalled $1,140,825 in the end.

Two hundred sixteen preproposals were submitted. Forty-five of those were invited back with an RFP, and 38 of that group submitted full proposals. The proposals were evaluated by a committee of six; members included architects, professors, and other experts in building research and technologies. They judged each proposal according to its relevance, methodology, and expected impact. Thirteen teams won grants ranging from $90,000 to $250,000.

Grant Winners: A Green Roof Energy Calculator, by Portland State University
$263,074 granted by USGBC, Oregon Built Environment & Sustainable Technologies Center, Portland State University, and Environment Canada

An Open Source Searchable Database to Assess the Impact of Environmental Strategies on Outcomes in Healthcare Facilities, by the Center for Health Design
$244,746 granted by USGBC, Kaiser Permanente, and Pebble Project Partner Hospitals

Design for Reuse Primer, by Public Architecture
$364,674 granted by USGBC and Public Architecture

Development and Implementation of a New Protocol for Testing the Ability of Building Materials to Passively Reduce Indoor Ozone and Its Reaction Products, by the University of Texas at Austin
$463,463 granted by USGBC and the Missouri University of Science and Technology

HVAC Control Algorithms for Mixed-Mode Buildings, by the University of Colorado at Boulder
$249,915 granted by USGBC, the Technical University of Dresden, and the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems

Improvement of Porous Pavement System for On-Site Stormwater Management, by East Carolina University
$222,014 granted by USGBC, East Carolina University, and Barnhill Contracting Co.

Integrated Building Water Management Modeling, by the University of South Florida
$149,525 granted by USGBC

Investigating Opportunities for Improving Building Performance Through Simulation of Occupant and Operator Behavior, by the Rutgers Center for Green Building
$200,001 granted by USGBC and Liberty Property Trust

Multi-Variate Study of Stormwater BMPs, by BNIM Architects
$167,460 granted by USGBC, BNIM, Kansas State University, and URS Corp.

Quantifying the Impact of Daylight and Electric Lighting on Student Alertness, Performance, and Well-Being in K-12 Schools, by the Lighting Research Center
$501,634 granted by USGBC, R.P.I., and National Institutes of Health

The Evaluation of Green School Building Attributes and Their Effect on the Health and Performance of Students and Teachers in N.Y. State, by Health Research Inc.
$292,919 granted by USGBC and the N.Y. State Department of Health

Transportation Energy Intensity Index, by the Center for Neighborhood Technology
$218,657 granted by USGBC and the Center for Neighborhood Technology

Using a New Application of Existing Monitoring Technology to Quantify the Relationship Between Classroom Ventilation and Student Performance, by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
$100,000 granted by USGBC