The Youth Environmental Education Grant Program (f/k/a/ Mini Pre-K-12 Environmental Education Grant Program) was established to provide accessible funds to schools, organizations, and agencies for youth environmental education opportunities and educator support.
Donor Name: Chesapeake Bay Trust
States: Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Virginia
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline (mm/dd/yyyy): 01/13/2023
Grant Size: up to $10,000
Grant Duration: 12 months
Details:
Through the Youth Environmental Education Grant Program, the Trust seeks to increase youth knowledge and involvement in the restoration and protection of their region’s natural resources by increasing access to programs that provide robust outdoor environmental education.
This program is a partnership between the Chesapeake Bay Trust, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Chesapeake Bay Watershed Education and Training Program (B-WET), Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
The program was established to provide accessible funds to organizations, agencies for youth (generally in the age range of Pre-K to 12th grade), and schools for environmental education and educator support. The program specifically seeks to:
- Educate youth about natural and aquatic resources, their local watersheds, and how they can make a difference in natural resource health,
- Engage communities in education and restoration activities that benefit watershed health,
- Provide environmental education professional development opportunities for formal, non-formal, and community educators,
- Provide Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences (MWEEs) for students and teachers, and
- Support environmental literacy goals within schools, school systems, and other educational institutions.
Funding Information
- Applicants can request funds from one of the following tracks.
- Track 1: Out-of-School Outdoor Investigations for Youth Provided by Community-Based Organizations (up to $10,000)
- Track 2: Outdoor Classroom, School-Yard Habitat, or Community-Based Improvement Requests (up to $10,000)
- Track 3: Professional Development for Formal, Non-Formal, and Community Educators (up to $5,000)
- Track 4: In-school MWEEs for Pre-K-12 Students (up to $5,000)
- Projects must be completed within 12 months upon receipt of the award.
Funding Restrictions: The Trust does NOT fund projects outside of Maryland or the Chesapeake Bay watershed portions of D.C., Delaware, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Virginia.
Eligibility Criteria
The Trust welcome requests from the following organizations:
- 501(c)3 Organizations
- Faith Based Organizations
- Community Associations
- Service, Youth, and Civic Groups
- Municipal, County, Regional, State, Federal Public Agencies
- Soil/Water Conservation Districts and/or Resource Conservation and Development Councils
- Forestry Boards
- Public or Independent Higher Education Institutions
- For Profit organizations are NOT eligible for funding through this program.
For school-based projects: the Trust prefers that the school serve as the lead applicant instead of a partner, however, if a partner does apply, the Trust requires the following:
- The participating school(s) name(s)
- A narrative statement explaining why the partner is applying rather than a school
- Letter(s) of commitment from participating school(s)
For more information, visit Chesapeake Bay Trust.