Skip to content
The Bay Backpack logo. A school backpack followed by a stylized writing of the words Bay Backpack.

FY15 B-WET Grant Availability Announced

by
Julie Walker

A total of roughly $2.7 million may be available for schools, school systems, higher education institutions, community-based and nonprofit organizations, state or local government agencies, interstate agencies, and Indian tribal governments seeking to support education of the next generation of Chesapeake Bay stewards. The NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office has released details on requirements and the process for applying for FY15 Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET)grants; applications are due by January 14, 2015.

B-WET supports programs that provide hands-on environmental education about issues affecting the Chesapeake Bay watershed for students and related professional development for educators who serve formal K-12 audiences.

Proposals for FY15 funding must address at least one of several target priorities:

1. Systemic MWEE Implementation: These programs will strive to reach the entire student and teacher population in one or more grades in an entire school system or recognized sub-unit of a school system with meaningful watershed educational experiences—“MWEEs.”

2. MWEE Capacity Building: These projects will build the capacity of agencies and organizations to develop, deliver, and sustain projects that advance the MWEE at the state or regional level.

3. Emerging Projects: In order to cultivate projects and partners not traditionally served by B-WET, NOAA encourages new applicants, or those who have not received B-WET funding in the last five fiscal years (FY10-14), to apply as Emerging Projects.

In addition, projects that support NOAA’s special interests in the region are also encouraged. These special interest areas are:

  • Geographic literacy: These projects will explore fundamental themes of geographic literacy to engage students and teachers about the Chesapeake and their local watershed.
  • NOAA’s Choptank Complex Habitat Focus Area: These projects will address systemic MWEE implementation or MWEE capacity building in NOAA’s recently designated Habitat Focus Area.
  • GLOBE Program: GLOBE highlights inquiry-based investigations involving the collection and/or analysis of data about the environment and the Earth system. These projects would include collaborating with the GLOBE program.

A portion of FY15 funding will also be used to continue support for current multiyear projects.

Informational webinars about the FY15 B-WET Chesapeake funding announcement will be held on November 5, 10 a.m.-12 noon, and November 10, 2014, 2-4 p.m.

Information on the B-WET Chesapeake program, including examples of education partnerships that have been funded to date, is available. Contact B-WET Chesapeake Program Manager Kevin Schabow with any questions.