Grants & funding
- Classroom Grants (for K-12 schools and classroom teachers)
September 15, 2008
The Virginia Resource Use Education Council, the Department of Environmental Quality , the Department of Conservation and Recreation and Virginia Environmental Endowment are sponsoring a grants program to provide teachers with small amounts of money for environmental education. Any school or school division is encouraged to apply for a grant of $500, $750 or $1,000 for the purpose of conducting meaningful outdoor experiences with their students. - Partner Grants (for community and non-formal organizations)
October 1, 2008
The Virginia Naturally Partner Grants program supports efforts by community groups to provide youth with meaningful watershed educational experiences (MWEEs). Funding is intended to help community groups build capacity for delivering and sustaining high quality, meaningful environmental education related to water and watersheds. The program will complement the Virginia Classroom Grants program designed for teachers. - Mini Grant Program
Virginia Environmental Endowment Mini Grant Program supports community-based efforts to strengthen environmental education and to promote stewardship of Virginia's waterways. - Chesapeake Bay Restoration Fund Grant Program
Due October 1 annually
Applications will be accepted from state agencies, local governments, and public or private not-for-profit agencies, institutions, or organizations. Grants will not be awarded to individuals. Preferences will be given to environmental education and action-oriented conservation and restoration projects within Virginia’s Chesapeake Bay watershed.
Applicants should complete the grant application form available from the Chesapeake Bay Restoration Advisory Committee. No application will be accepted after the 5:00 p.m., October 1, 2008. For the application, visit http://dls.state.va.us/GROUPS/cbrfac/GUIDELNS.HTM or for more information, view the brochure.
2008 Tree Planting Grants Available
Deadline for Proposals: July 1
Global ReLeaf, American Forests' ecosystem restoration program, is offering annual grants towards tree planting projects for 2008. The Global ReLeaf grant program provides private dollars to support local reforestation efforts. These grants can also be used to match other funding sources. Grants are available to support rural seedling projects which restore damaged forest ecosystems. Further information regarding Global ReLeaf grants can be found at
http://www.americanforests.org/global_releaf/grants/. Click on "Evaluation Criteria" to see if your project qualifies.
There are many other grant programs that will support environmental education. Below is a partial list. Try EPA's Funding Guide for a complete and up to date listing of environmental education funding sources. Need training in grant writing or searching for funding? Try The Grantsmanship Center.
Two new opportunities for classroom teachers from the National Environmental Education Foundation Classroom Earth Grants for integration of EE or professional and the Second Annual Bartlett Award program to recognize such efforts.
SAM’S CLUB Foundation
The Be a Good Neighbor Environmental Grant began as a tool to help fund a school's environmental efforts. Every SAM’s CLUB location now has a $500 grant to award to any qualified 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization. The grant can be used for projects such as: environmental education, recycling, planting of trees and shrubs, pollution control or clean air/clean water efforts. To learn more about receiving a grant from your local SAM'S CLUB, please see the community involvement coordinator at the location closest to you.- Seeds of Change
The Seed Donation Program gives seeds to organizations that promote education and sustainable living through organic gardening projects. Seeds of Change is committed to providing 100% certified organic, open-pollinated seeds of the highest quality including many heiloom, traditional, and unique Seeds of Change varieties.
- Wal- Mart Foundation
The Wal-Mart Foundation provides grants in the areas of Community, Education, Children and the Environment. All requests for funding must be directed through your local Wal-Mart. - The Lorrie Otto Seeds for Education Grant Program
The Lorrie Otto Seeds for Education Grant Program gives small monetary grants to schools, nature centers, or other non-profit educational organizations for the purpose of establishing outdoor learning centers. The grant recipient learning centers are those which most successfully reflect the Wild Ones mission to educate and share information about the benefits of using native plants in our landscape and to promote biodiversity and environmentally sound environmentally sound practices. Only through this knowledge, can we appreciate humankind's proper place in the web of life. - Nature of Learning Grants
The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), in cooperation with the USFWS (National Wildlife Refuge System and the National Conservation Training Center) and National Wildlife Refuge Association, will be soliciting applications from organizations interested in initiating The Nature of Learning program, the community-based environmental education initiative.
Nature of Learning seeks to:- Use National Wildlife Refuges as outdoor classrooms to promote a
greater understanding of local conservation issues. - Encourage an interdisciplinary approach to learning that seeks to
enhance student academic achievement. - Utilize field experiences and student-led stewardship projects to
connect classroom lessons to real world issues. - Involve partnerships among local schools, community groups, natural
resource professionals and local businesses.
Start-up grants of up to $10,000 will be awarded on a competitive basis to support initial expenses associated with new programs. Schools or non-profit organizations, including "Friends" groups, Cooperative and Interpretive Associations, Bird Observatories, local Audubon groups, etc., are all eligible to apply for funding. Programs must involve a partnership with a local school (or schools), community group (e.g., Refuge Friends Group), and National Wildlife Refuge.
The Nature of Learning supports one of the six major Fish and Wildlife Service's priorities: "connecting people with nature ensuring the future of conservation."
To learn more about the qualifying projects, applications, and details of Nature of Learning program, click here. - Use National Wildlife Refuges as outdoor classrooms to promote a
- Outdoor Classroom Grant Program
The Outdoor Classroom Grant Program is a partnership of the Lowe's Charitable and Educational Foundation, International Paper and the International Paper Foundation, and NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC EXPLORER classroom magazine. As part of Lowe's continued commitment to public education, Lowe's will provide more than $200,000 in outdoor classroom grants to benefit public schools nationwide.Teachers may apply for grants up to $2,000 by visiting www.Lowes.com/outdoorclassroom. For school districts with major outdoor classroom projects, grants may be awarded for up to $20,000. All K-12 public schools in the United States (except Puerto Rico) are eligible to apply for a grant.
Deadlines for the Fall 2007-2008 cycle are Mid-October 2007 and Mid-February 2008. Once 1500 applications are received per cycle, the application process will close.
- Watershed Funding
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has created new pages on their watershed funding website to provide tools, databases, and information about sources of funding to help non-profit watershed organizations, state and local governments and funders (such as foundations) more easily access information on how to effectively obtain and invest resources to improve watershed health. - Watershed Protection Mini-grants Available
Watershed protection mini-grants are available through the County’s Protecting Resources in Delicate Environments (PRIDE) Program. Neighborhoods, stormwater facility (BMP) owners, and community groups can qualify for up to $500.
Projects emphasizing water quality improvement through watershed restoration/protection include tree planting, wetland planting, BMP restoration, and stream bank stabilization.
James City County recently awarded mini-grants to the neighborhoods of Villages of Westminster, Season’s Trace, Rolling Woods, Settler’s Mill and Briarwood Condos for their BMP restoration projects.
The Mini-Grant Program is part of PRIDE’s watershed education initiative to enhance watershed protection and improve water quality. For more information, log on to www.protectedwithpride.org or contact Beth Davis , Environmental Education Coordinator, at 253-6859.
- K-12 Environmental Excellence Awards
Deadline: November 30, 2007
Seaworld/Busch Gardens/Fuji Film Environmental Excellence Awards program rewards K-12 students & community groups working at the grassroots level to protect and preserve their local environment. - Watershed Funding
The new pages contain links to tools, databases, and resources about grants, funding and fundraising. The Web site is designed to help nonprofit watershed organizations, state and local governments, and funders (such as foundations) more easily find information on how to effectively obtain and invest resources to improve watershed health. - Nature of Learning Grants Program
The Nature of Learning is the National Wildlife Refuge System's new community-based environmental education initiative that seeks to use National Wildlife Refuges as outdoor classrooms to promote a greater understanding of local conservation issues; encourage an interdisciplinary approach to learning that seeks to enhance student academic achievement; utilize field experiences and student-led stewardship projects to connect classroom lessons to real world issues; and involve a partnership among local schools, community groups, natural resource professionals, and local businesses.Grants of up to $5,000 will be awarded on a competitive basis to support start-up expenses associated with new programs. In addition, grants of up to $3,000 will be awarded on a competitive basis to provide continued support to existing Nature of Learning programs. For complete application information, see the NFWF Web site.
- BRICK Awards to Recognize Community Work of Young People
The program honors and funds the efforts of dynamic leaders age 18 and under who have devised and implemented innovative solutions to problems in their local communities in the areas of community building, health, and the environment. Each BRICK winner receives a $5,000 higher education scholarship, a $5,000 grant for continued community work, pro bono services, and other support and recognition. The 2008 application is now available.
Tips & Resources
- GrantsAlert
GrantsAlert is a website that helps nonprofits, especially those involved in education, secure the funds they need to continue their important work. - Grant Writing Tips
SchoolGrants has compiled an excellent set of grant writing tips for those that need help in developing grant proposals. - School Funding Services Grant of the Week
Each week, School Funding Services, a division of New American Schools, features a new grant on its website. - Federal Resources for Educational Excellence (FREE)
More than 3 federal agencies formed a working group in 1997 to make hundreds of federally supported teaching and learning resources easier to find. The result of that work is the FREE website. - Fundsnet Online Services
A comprehensive website dedicated to providing nonprofit organizations, colleges, and universities with information on financial resources available on the Internet. - School Grants
A collection of resources and tips to help K-12 educators apply for and obtain special grants for a variety of projects. - National Geographic Society Education Foundation Teacher Grants
The primary purpose of the grants is to support individual teachers or teaching teams in the classroom, district or community for work in four areas: 1) exploring uses of new technologies; 2) expanding student experimental learning opportunities; 3) providing professional development and mentoring; and 4) engaging families and/or communities in education. Grant amounts vary from $500 to $5,000. For more information on these grants and their restrictions, visit www.nationalgeographic.com/foundation. - Nonpoint Source Pollution Education Grants
In cooperation with Virginia Cooperative Extension and local soil and water conservation districts, DCR conducts an active educational program on nonpoint source (NPS) pollution management. An annual mini-grant program funds area field days, demonstrations, tours, workshops and other events that promote the implementation of best management practices that protect water quality. - EPA Five-Star Restoration Program
The Five Star Restoration Program brings together citizen groups, corporations, youth conservation corps, students, landowners and government agencies to undertake projects that restore streambanks and wetlands. The program provides challenge grants, technical support, and peer information exchange to enable community-based restoration projects. - The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Restoration Center has recently announced available funding for individual community-based habitat restoration projects under the Community-Based Restoration Program (CRP). The CRP is a financial and technical assistance program that funds grass-roots, community-based activities that restore living marine resources and their habitats, including anadramous species (like salmon and herring that spawn in freshwater and migrate to the ocean.)
- Melinda Gray Ardia Foundation provides grants of $1000 to educators to develop or implement environmental curricula. Prefer to support the actual development of a curriculum rather than provide funds to purchase equipment.
- EPA Enviromental Education Grants are awarded annually to schools, nature centers, museums, and other nonprofit institutions. Provides professional development and training to educational providers including businesses, health care providers, community leaders, and adult populations.
- DonorsChoose accepts project proposals from teachers and posts it to the website. Private donors can visit the website and choose which projects to fund.