NY Sea Grant | NYSG: New York's Great Lakes Ecosystem Education Exchange (Environmental Education Grant Programs for Educators)

NY's Great Lakes - Ecosystem Education Exchange: Funding Opportunities

Updated: December 2020

Note: Consider referencing NY’s Great Lakes Action Agenda goals and/or the federal GLRI Action Plan III in your applications.

Subscribe to DEC’s NY Great Lakes News, Funding and Events Listserv to receive updates on grant funding availability. To request a pdf copy of this document or to seek additional information on a grant program, please contact greatlakes@dec.ny.gov. Also see Grant Writing 101 for Teachers (pdf).

Opportunity Title	Source	Focus Areas	Deadlines
Great Lakes Place Based Experiential Education Grants
NOAA Great Lakes Region Bay Watershed Education and Training (BWET) Grants	NOAA	Supports existing environmental education programs, fosters the growth of new programs, and encourages development of partnerships among environmental education programs within watersheds.	To be announced in June 2021
NY's Great Lakes Basin Small Grants	NY Sea Grant, NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC)	Support stakeholder-driven efforts to restore and revitalize the state’s Great Lakes region and demonstrate successful application of ecosystem-based management (EBM).	As funding is available
EPA Environmental Education Grants	US Environmental Protection Agency	Provides financial support for projects that design, demonstrate, and/or disseminate environmental education practices, methods, or techniques.	As funding is available
NOAA-21st Century Community Learning Centers Watershed STEM Education Partnership Grants	North American Association for Environmental Education	Supporting STEM education goals of NOAA and the U.S. Department of Education (U.S. ED). These grants will provide 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) with access to authentic STEM experiences and partnerships within watersheds.	As funding is available
NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets Source Water Buffer Program	NYSDAM	Eligible for land trusts, to strengthen land conservation and public outreach programs, build community partnerships and implement best business practices.	October 30^th, 2024
US Forest Service Citizen Science Competitive Funding	US Forest Service	The CitSci Fund is an opportunity for Forest Service units and partners to apply for up to $30,000 for collaborative citizen science projects.	As funding is available
Celebrate Urban Birds mini- grant	Cornell Lab of Ornithology	Mini-grants help finance creative events that integrate the arts, gardening, community participation, and Celebrate Urban Birds’s citizen science projects.	As funding is available
National Geographic Funding Opportunities	National Geographic	COVID 19 remote learning fund for educators offers $1,000–$8,000 to individual educators to design instructional resources that help educators effectively teach in in-person, remote, or hybrid learning environments during the pandemic.	Open during pandemic
Dollar General Literacy Foundation Youth Literacy Grant	Walmart	Schools, public libraries, and nonprofit organizations who help students having trouble reading are eligible to apply for up to $2500 for projects that implement or expand literacy programs, and to purchase new technology, equipment, books, materials and/or software to support literacy initiatives.	Family literacy and summer reading grants available January 2021
Connect Kids to Parks Transportation Grants	NYS Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation	Connects students attending New York State primary and secondary public schools with nature and history. Reimbursement of up to $1,000 for field trips to state and federal parks, historic sites, fish hatcheries and other outdoor recreation areas.	As funding is available and trips can be taken safely.
Target Field Trip Grants	Target	Target stores awards field trip grants to K-12 schools nationwide. Each grant is valued at $700.	On hold
GetEdFunding.com	Get Education Funding	A grants database to support educational projects in various settings.	Varies on grant
Stewardship Project Grants
DEC Trees for Tribs School Seedling Program	NYSDEC	Provides schools with free trees to plant on school property.	Application will open January 2021
Parks and Trails NY Stewardship Grants Program	Parks and Trails NY	Supports stewardship projects on public lands, in partnership with NYS Parks and NYSDEC.	As funding is available
DEC Urban and Community Forestry Grants	NYSDEC	Supports educational programming for those who care for public trees.	As funding is available
Project Learning Tree: Greenworks grant	Project Learning Tree	Fund environmental service-learning projects that link classroom learning to the real world.	On hold
Gro More Good (Scotts Miracle-Gro)	Scotts Miracle-Gro	Funds school gardening projects through various grants, including the Grassroots Grant	Mid-February

More funding opportunities:

NY’s Great Lakes Ecosystem Education Exchange (GLEEE) seeks to promote partnerships and advance k-12 environmental education throughout NY’s Great Lakes basin, to foster the next generation of environmentally literate, stewardship minded citizens. To seek additional information on GLEEE and how these resources can be used to develop grant applications, or request a copy of this document, please contact greatlakes@dec.ny.gov.