Awards and Grants
This site is no longer updated - it has moved to https://environmentalliteracy.santacruzcoe.org/home
Making changes to our behaviors and schools is daunting. It is important to remember that changes can be both small and large, and all should be celebrated. See below for a range of ways to support, motivate and recognize progress.
Green Ribbon Schools and CA Green Ribbon Schools are federal and state awards programs that recognize schools, districts, and county offices of education for their work in sustainable education. Green Ribbon Schools demonstrate exemplary achievement in three “pillars.” Pillar I: reduce environmental impact and costs; Pillar II: improve the health and wellness of schools, students, and staff; and Pillar III: provide effective environmental education that teaches many disciplines and is especially good at effectively incorporating science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education, civic skills, and green career pathways. Annual applications are typically due in November.
Biomimicry Youth Design Challenge The Youth Design Challenge is a competition for middle and high school students to design bio-inspired solutions to fight climate change. It gives educators a framework to introduce biomimicry to students, providing a great context for STEM and NGSS. University level competition is also available.
Green Schools Alliance Challenges invite students to measure and reduce energy use, improve recycling and waste reduction programs, reduce traffic and air pollution and activate student engagement by creating videos.
SEI Energize Schools Conservation Competitions Compete with schools around California to see who can save the most electricity during this annual fall competition. Energize Schools can help you launch a campaign at your site and get your school conserving! Or form a team to design and implement a wide-reaching Earth Day Campaign that changes sustainability behavior on campus, focusing on energy, waste, water, or transportation.
Jane Goodall's Roots and Shoots provides mini-grants of $200 for service learning projects along with concrete tools that develop students' 21st century learning skills, such as critical thinking, problem solving, and a spirit of collaboration, as well as a sense of compassion and commitment to their communities and the world around them.
General Funding
The Every Student Succeeds Act includes language making environmental education and environmental literacy programs explicitly eligible for federal education funds for the very first time.
The key language is found in Title IV of the bill:
Environmental education is called out as eligible for funding under a $1.6B “well-rounded education” grants program
Environmental literacy programs are eligible for funding as part of the $1B 21st Century Community Learning Centers program.
The prioritization of STEM activities including “hands-on learning” and “field-based or service learning” to enhance understanding of STEM subjects may provide additional opportunities for environmental science education programs.
California Bay Watershed Education and Training NOAA's B-WET program supports environment-based education throughout the watersheds of San Francisco Bay, Monterey Bay, and Santa Barbara Channel. Funded projects provide meaningful watershed educational experiences to students, teachers, and communities.
Captain Planet Foundation offers grants of up to $2,500 for educators, both K-12 classroom and informal, who are interested in receiving support for students to design and implement hands-on environmental solutions.
California Foundation for Ag in the Classroom offers $500 teacher grants for integrating agriculture into curriculum and $1000 grants for K-8 education on organic agriculture.
Clif Bar Family Foundation are awarded for non-profit organizational support as well as funding for specific projects. Small grants average approximately $7,000 each. Applications are reviewed three times a year; the deadlines are the 1st of February, June, and October.