Sometimes funding a Meaningful Watershed Education Experience can be outside of your classroom budget. If you are looking for a way to finance field trips for your students or buy supplies to install an outdoor classroom on your school grounds, the list below will link you to relevant grant programs in your state.
NOAA is excited to be working with the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) to offer a grant opportunity to bring together two great programs: NOAA B-WET and the U.S. Department of Education 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC). These grants will enable experienced environmental education providers to work with 21st CCLC sites to deliver authentic STEM experiences emphasizing the unique assets and expertise of NOAA. This opportunity is open to all school districts (not only those in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed) in states that have indicated support for the “Student Goal” (MWEEs) as a part of the Chesapeake Bay Agreement, including: Pennsylvania, Maryland, District of Columbia, Delaware, and Virginia.
Organization: North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) in partnership with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrati
Who Should Apply? K-12 public and independent schools and school systems, institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations, state or local government agencies, interstate agencies, and Indian tribal governments
Amount: $40,000 to $100,000 ($20,000 to $50,000 per year of implementation)
Deadline: February 6, 2020
Contact: T’Noya Thompson tnoya@naaee.org
The NOAA Chesapeake Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET Chesapeake) grant supports programs that provide hands-on environmental education about issues affecting the Chesapeake Bay watershed for students through “meaningful watershed educational experiences” (MWEEs) and related professional development for educators who serve formal K-12 audiences. This year’s funding announcement focuses on two Priority Areas under the theme of Capacity Building for MWEEs: (1) Statewide K-12 Environmental Literacy Initiatives, which advance state efforts toward systemic MWEE implementation at the school district level, and, (2) Regional MWEE Network Building Initiative, which supports the development of systemic MWEEs in school districts and the networking of these school districts, their partners, and the larger environmental education community.
Organization: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Who Should Apply? K-12 public and independent schools and school systems, institutions of higher education, community-based and nonprofit organizations, state or local government agencies, interstate agencies, and Indian tribal governments
Amount: up to $200,000 annually (regional) up to $100,000 annually (statewide)
Deadline: March 6, 2020 (annual)
Contact: Elise Trelegan elise.trelegan@noaa.gov (410) 226-1015
The National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF), with funding support from US Forest Service (USFS), is offering $32,200 through mini-grants for health promotion activities that will also help restore and protect America’s forests.
Organization: National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF)
Who Should Apply? Open nationally (including US territories) to 501(c)3 organizations with a connection to a Forest Service (FS) agency. These include federal, state, and local Forest Service agencies.
Amount: Up to $4,000
Deadline: 11:59 PM EST, Friday March 1, 2019
Contact: grantsadmin@neefusa.org
NEEF, in partnership with Toyota, will provide Friends Groups with grant funds to implement year-long projects that build their organizational capacity to serve public lands.
Organization: National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF)
Who Should Apply? Friends Groups. Nonprofits
Amount: Up to $5,000
Deadline: All applications submitted by 11:59 EST on 4/23/18 will be notified of application status by June 2018.
All applications submitted by 11:59 EST on 7/17/18 will be notified of application status by September 2018.
All applications submitted by 11:59 EST on 11/5/18 will be notified of application status by January 2019.
Contact: grantsadmin@neefusa.org 202-261-6468.
Clif Bar Family Foundation Small Grants support programs with measurable goals that strengthen food systems and communities, enhance public health, and safeguard the environment and natural resources.
Organization: Clif Bar Family Foundation
Who Should Apply? Innovative small and mid-sized 501c3s in the US.
Amount: Approximately $7,000
Deadline: February 1st (Annual), June 1st (Annual), and October 1st (Annual)
Contact: Clif Bar Family Foundation familyfoundation@clifbar.com 510-596-6383
NEEF, with major funding support from Samsung, is offering a total of $12,000 in funding to educators in the New York City/northern New Jersey area and the Washington DC/Baltimore metro area for programs that support the integration of Greening STEM into place-based, hands-on learning experiences on a public land or waterway. Grants will range in size from $1,000 to $5,000 each.
Organization: National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF)
Who Should Apply? Educators
Amount: $12,000
Contact: Jeff Chandler jchandler@neefusa.org
The NOAA Office of Education has issued a competitive funding opportunity for education projects designed to strengthen the public’s and/or K-12 students’ environmental literacy to enable informed decision-making necessary for community resilience to extreme weather events and other environmental hazards. Successful projects will advance NOAA’s mission and build the environmental literacy necessary for community resilience by focusing on geographic awareness and an understanding of Earth systems and the threats and vulnerabilities that are associated with a community’s location.
Organization: NOAA Office of Education
Who Should Apply? institutions of higher education; other nonprofits, including informal education institutions such as museums, zoos, and aquariums; K-12 public and independent schools and school systems; and state, local and Indian tribal governments in the United States.
Amount: Proposed projects should be between two and five years in duration and have total budget requests of $250,000 to $500,000 for all years of the project.
Deadline: 11:59 pm EDT on April 6, 2018.
Contact: oed.grants@noaa.gov.
The Chesapeake Bay Trust Mini Grant Program supports field experiences, fieldwork and student-led action projects as well as teacher professional development and programs to advance environmental literacy in the Chesapeake Bay region.
Organization: Chesapeake Bay Trust
Who Should Apply? Non-profit organizations, community associations, faith-based organizations and more.
Amount: Up to $5,000.
Deadline: January (Annual), and August (Annual)
Contact: Tara Baker tbaker@cbtrust.org 410-974-2941 x102
Funds support projects that demonstrate creativity, involve risk-taking, possess a visionary quality, and model a novel way of presenting science. Proposed projects should promote exciting and innovative activities to motivate students in science.
Organization: Toyota
Who Should Apply? School science teachers. Middle and high school teachers must teach at least two science classes per day. All applicants must have at least two years science teaching experience in a KÐ12 school not including the current school year.
Amount: up to $10,000
Deadline: March (Annual)
Contact: National Science Teachers Association tapestry@nsta.org
The NOAA Chesapeake Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET Chesapeake) grant supports programs that provide hands-on environmental education about issues affecting the Chesapeake Bay watershed for students through “meaningful watershed educational experiences” (MWEEs) and related professional development for educators who serve formal K-12 audiences.
Organization: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Who Should Apply? K-12 public and independent schools and school systems, institutions of higher education, community-based and nonprofit organizations, state or local government agencies, interstate agencies, and Indian tribal governments
Amount: $25,000 to $150,000
Deadline: February 20, 2019 (Annual)
Contact: Elise Trelegan elise.trelegan@noaa.gov (410) 226-1015
The Bikeways Program provides grant support for a wide range of bicycle network development activities. The Program supports projects that maximize bicycle access and fill missing links in the state’s bicycle system, focusing on connecting bicycle-friendly trails and roads and enhancing last-mile connections to work, school, shopping and transit. The Bikeways Program seeks to leverage past investments in bicycle facilities, complement existing State, local, and federal programs, and support Maryland’s bikesharing efforts. It supports the Cycle Maryland initiative to promote biking as a fun, healthy transportation alternative that is great for our environment.
Organization: Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT)
Who Should Apply? Maryland local governments, alone or in partnership with other jurisdictions or private organizations
Maryland State Agencies
Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs)
Transit entities operating in Maryland
Federal public lands agencies
Amount: $20,395,834 in total funding to fund 43 Bicycle & Pedestrian Projects
Deadline: Applications accepted May 17, 2018 through June 14, 2018
Contact: Erin Henson ehenson@mdot.maryland.gov 410-865-1025
RICHMOND, Va. (LG) Dominion Energy will once again provide $1 million in environmental grants this year through the Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation. The competitive program is designed to support specific short-term projects by nonprofit organizations and schools working to improve the environment and provide environmental education experiences in communities served by Dominion Energy.
Organization: Dominion Energy
Who Should Apply? Non profit organizations and K-12 schools
Amount: Up to $25,000 for non profit organizations
Up to $5,000 for K-12 schools
Deadline: February 26, 2018
Contact: DominionFoundation@dominionenergy.com
The Chesapeake Bay Trust Environmental Education Grant Program awards funding to expand and enhance Bay environmental education programs for pre-K through 12 grade student in Maryland that provide meaningful outdoor learning experiences.
Organization: Chesapeake Bay Trust
Who Should Apply? Non-profit organizations, community associations, faith-based organizations and more.
Amount: Applicants may request from $5,001 to $40,000 per year for up to three years (Maximum $120,000 total award over years 2017-2020).
Deadline: December (Annual)
Contact: Tara Baker tbaker@cbtrust.org 410-974-2941 x102
Maryland’s Aquatic Resources Education (ARE) Grants Program assists public and private schools (pre-K -12) and environmental education centers that are part of the public school system by providing funding for aquatic based projects.
Organization: Maryland Department of Natural Resources
Who Should Apply? Public and private schools (pre-K -12) and environmental education centers that are part of the public school system.
Amount: Schools can apply for up to $2000.00 per school year for student driven projects that benefit Maryland’s aquatic resources. County Environmental/Outdoor Education Centers that are part of the public school system can apply for up to $4000.00 per school year.
Deadline: rolling deadline but please allow 4-6 weeks for approval before you start your project.
Contact: Cindy Etgen cindy.etgen@maryland.gov 410-260-8716
Administered through Department of Environmental Protection, funds are used for projects ranging from creative, hands-on lessons for students, teacher training programs, and outdoor learning resources to conservation education for adults. Funds can be used to provide education resources, materials, equipment, and transportation to support creative, hands-on environmental education lessons for students.
Organization: Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection
Who Should Apply? Public and private schools
Amount: Mini-Grants up to $3,000
General grants up to $50,000 (applicants require a 20% match)
Deadline: December (Annual)
Contact: (717) 772-1828
RICHMOND, Va. (LG) Dominion Energy will once again provide $1 million in environmental grants this year through the Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation. The competitive program is designed to support specific short-term projects by nonprofit organizations and schools working to improve the environment and provide environmental education experiences in communities served by Dominion Energy.
Organization: Dominion Energy
Who Should Apply? Non profit organizations and K-12 schools
Amount: Up to $25,000 for non profit organizations
Up to $5,000 for K-12 schools
Deadline: February 26, 2018
Contact: DominionFoundation@dominionenergy.com
Grants will not be awarded to individuals. Funding for projects that emphasize environmental education or restoration and conservation of the Chesapeake Bay. Projects focusing on environmental education should increase public awareness and knowledge about the Bay, and projects of a restoration and conservation nature should be action oriented. Preferences will be given to environmental education and action-oriented conservation and restoration projects within Virginia’s Chesapeake Bay watershed.
Organization: Chesapeake Bay Restoration Advisory Committee
Who Should Apply? State agencies, local governments, and public or private not-for-profit agencies, institutions, or organizations.
Amount: Most are less than $5,000
Deadline: October (Annual)
Contact: Martin Farber (804) 786-3591
Funding provides teachers with small amounts of money for environmental education programs that promote meaningful outdoor experiences. Activities that are eligible for funding include restoration, enhancement, protection and monitoring projects and investigative or experimental design activities that foster academic success, reinforce responsible citizenship, and give children the tools they need to contribute to a healthy and enduring environment.
Organization: Virginia Department of Environmental Quality Office of Environmental Education
Who Should Apply? School or school division.
Amount: $500, $750 or $1,000
Deadline: December (Annual)
Contact: Jennifer Underwood (804) 698-4533
The purpose of the grant is to increase the capacity of nonprofit and community-based organizations (CBOs) to provide environmental education programs to District elementary schools represented in the 2019-21 Environmental Literacy Leadership Cadre and alumni schools.
Organization: DC Office of the State Superintendent of Education
Who Should Apply? Non-profits or CBOs with 501 (c)(3) status are eligible for funds.
Amount: For the 2020 fiscal year, the total amount of anticipated funding will range from $150,000 to $280,000. For the 2021 fiscal year, the total amount of anticipated funding will be up to $280,000. OSSE anticipates awarding no more than seven awards. Grant funds shall only be used to support activities authorized by the RFA, relevant statutes, and included in the applicant’s submission.
Deadline: Applications must be submitted by August 21, 2019 at 3pm. OSSE estimates that it will award grants by September 1, 2019; however this date may change.
Contact: Grace Manubay grace.manubay@dc.gov
RICHMOND, Va. (LG) Dominion Energy will once again provide $1 million in environmental grants this year through the Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation. The competitive program is designed to support specific short-term projects by nonprofit organizations and schools working to improve the environment and provide environmental education experiences in communities served by Dominion Energy.
Organization: Dominion Energy
Who Should Apply? Non profit organizations and K-12 schools
Amount: Up to $25,000 for non profit organizations
Up to $5,000 for K-12 schools
Deadline: February 26, 2018
Contact: DominionFoundation@dominionenergy.com
