The Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental Education will be distributing approximately 30-35 total Environmental Education Local Grants through their 10 Regional Offices. These grants will be for no more than $100,000 and no less than $50,000 each for a total amount of approximately $3 million. Applications are due by December 6, 2021 and require a 25% match.

Funds from this grant will support local environmental education programs that increase awareness about environmental issues and enable the public to make informed decisions about environmental action. Exactly 25% of the funds awarded must be used to grant subawards of $5,000 or less. Projects should start no sooner than July 1, 2022 and last between 1 and 2 years.

Eligibility

Organization

The following eligibility requirements pertain to both the applicant or “prime” award recipient and recipients of subawards.

Eligible applicants include local education agencies, colleges and universities, and state education and environmental agencies. Non-profits with a 501(C)3 designation and noncommercial educational broadcasting companies licensed by the Federal Communications Commission are also eligible. For profit businesses are ineligible.

Applicants must be located in the United States or its territories. At least 50% of their educational work must be done in United States or its territories. A combination of the US and Canada or Mexico is also allowed.

Project

Eligible projects must do all of the following:

1. Address at least one of the EPA educational priorities
2. Address at least one of the EPA Administrator’s environmental priorities
3. Satisfy the definition of “environmental education”

1. EPA Educational Priorities

Community Projects

Educating the public on the benefits of using community partnerships to address environmental issues. Such issues may include, but are not limited to, climate change, fire and flood prevention, ecosystem health, and soil and water quality. Projects need not take place in a formal educational setting. Experiential, place-based, outdoor, and service learning activities may serve as the main teaching tool.

Career Development

These projects encourage interest in careers in environmental fields, such as climate change, conservation, and natural resources. Applicants may do this by directly working with students or by training their teachers and community leaders on how to provide environmental education.

Environmental Education Capacity Building

Increasing the ability of organizations to develop sustainable environmental education programs. This may be done on a state, multi-state, or regional level.

Environmental Justice

Increasing understanding of the undue environmental, health, and climate-related effects experienced by underserved communities. The goal is to expand participants’ ability to make meaningful contributions to future discussions on the topic.

2. EPA Administrator’s Environmental Priorities

Addressing Climate Change and Improving Air Quality

This priority focuses on protecting the health of Americans and the ecosystems that sustain them. Efforts can include addressing climate change, reducing air pollution from industries and vehicles, increasing energy efficiency, and protecting the ozone layer.

Ensuring Clean and Safe Water

This priority focuses on maintaining and restoring clean water for human consumption, recreation, and wildlife habitat. This includes both fresh and saltwater bodies.

Cleaning Up our Communities by Revitalizing Land and Preventing Contamination

This priority focuses on environmentally conscious methods of waste disposal and the reuse/redevelopment of potentially contaminated land.

3. Satisfy the definition of “environmental education”

The EPA differentiates between environmental education and environmental information and outreach. The latter may be part of the former, but they are not enough on their own. Environmental information merely increases the knowledge or awareness of an environmental issue. Outreach provides information and asks people to take certain actions.

Environmental education does not promote any particular position or action on environmental issues. Rather, it teaches people to look at the issue critically, examining all factors involved. They are then able to make their own decisions about what actions to take. It is also a lifelong process and includes both formal and informal educational settings.

Ineligible Activities

The following activities do not qualify for funding under this grant.

1. Training environmental management professionals
2. Activities that only qualify as information and outreach, not education
3. Advocating for any specific viewpoint or course of action
4. Lobbying or other political activities
5. Non-educational research and development
6. Construction

Applying

Submit your application on grants.gov by 11:59 pm EST on December 6, 2021.

Be sure to apply through the solicitation for your EPA Regional Office. There are 10 different notices, one for each of the 10 Offices. It’s very important that you choose the right one.

As part of the application, you will be asked to identify short, medium, and long term outputs of your project. These can include such measures as

• Number of people recruited for the project
• Number and type of lessons, workshops, and field trips held
• Number and type of educational materials developed
• Number and type of actions taken to benefit the natural environment

Examples of Short-Term Outcomes include

• Developing critical thinking skills
• Increasing awareness of an a local issue
• Increased interest in careers in environmental fields

Examples of Medium-Term Outcomes include

• Increasing the number of schools with environmental education programs
• Increasing amount of time spent on environmental education in the classroom and/or time spent in nature

Examples of Long-Term Outcomes include

• Ecosystem restoration
• Increased biodiversity
• Increased access for educators to environmental education training