Funding Resources for Educators 

The following grants and awards are organized by application deadline.

Ongoing

DonorsChoose.org
DonorsChoose.org is a simple way to provide students in need with resources that our public schools often lack. At this not-for-profit web site, teachers submit project proposals for materials or experiences their students need to learn. These ideas become classroom reality when concerned individuals choose projects to fund.

Junior Energy
Junior Energy's mission is to work in classrooms and schools helping children discover how they can positively impact the planet by engaging their parents, family, friends and neighbors in small, simple actions.They offer curricula, an engaging video, and a fantastic website geared toward kids in order to support their compact fluorescent lightbulb (CFL) fundraiser, which gives 100 percent of funds raised back to schools for environmental programs.

Nickelodeon's Big Help Grant Program
Throughout 2010, Nickelodeon will award $1 million in grants to schools and community organizations enabling kids around the country to achieve the goal of a million acts of help. The Big Help Grant Program will support projects that inspire kids to take care of the environment; lead active, healthy lives; engage in community service; or improve their educational experience.

  

January

Heinz Wholesome Memories Intergenerational Garden Award
The Heinz Wholesome Memories Intergenerational Garden Award, designed to foster family-focused garden efforts in communities across the country, will provide 57 families with the tools needed to embark on a successful gardening adventure that will foster lasting intergenerational memories while growing wholesome food. The award is open to any adult in the United States who wishes to garden with preschool to high school-aged family member(s) and feels that gardening is a great way to build lasting memories. A focus on nutrition, sustainability and socialization is a plus. Winning applicants will win an award package including tools, seeds and information valued at $500.

NOAA Environmental Literacy Projects
NOAA's Office of Education requests applications for environmental literacy projects in K-12 education.  Funded projects will be 1-5 years in duration and will promote changes in K-12 education to expand the amount of Earth System Science taught in the classroom. 

Richard C. Bartlett Environmental Education Award
The Richard C. Bartlett Environmental Education Award is given annually by the National Environmental Education Foundation to an outstanding classroom teacher who has successfully integrated environmental education into the curriculum. The award is given to an educator who can serve as an inspiration and model for others. A $5,000 cash award is provided for the recipient to continue his or her work in environmental education. The 2010 award will be given to a 9-12th grade teacher.

Volvo Adventure 
In partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme, the Volvo Adventure is an educational program that rewards environmental activities and the decision-makers of the future. Teams of 2 to 5 members aged 13 to 16 years perform environmental projects in their local communities. Projects are submitted online, and the best entries are asked to join an international conference to present their ideas in Sweden and compete for the final prizes. There is also a companion program for younger students.

February

Christopher Columbus Awards
The Christopher Columbus Awards is a national, community-based science and technology program for middle school students. The program challenges the students to work in teams of three to four, with an adult coach, to identify a problem in their community and apply the scientific method to create an innovative solution to that problem. Four finalist teams and their coaches will receive an all-expense-paid trip to Walt Disney World® to attend National Championship Week and compete for valuable U.S. Savings Bonds plus a $200 development grant to further refine their idea.

Lowe's Toolbox for Education Grants
Searching for funding for your outdoor classroom, schoolyard garden, or school greening project? Lowe's will donate $5 million to public schools and public school parent teacher groups at more than 1,000 different public schools per school year.

National Education Association Foundation Green Grants
The NEA Foundation, in partnership with Nickelodeon and the Staples Foundation for Learning, offers Green Grants for the development and implementation of ideas, techniques and approaches for teaching green concepts and to support projects that integrate green-related topics with various standards-based content areas. Public school educators are eligible to apply for individual grants worth up to $5,000.

National Education Association Foundation Student Achievement Grants
The NEA Foundation provides grants to improve the academic achievement of students in U.S. public schools and public higher education institutions in any subject area(s). The proposed work should engage students in critical thinking and problem solving that deepen their knowledge of standards-based subject matter. The work should also improve students' habits of inquiry, self-directed learning, and critical reflection. Applications may be submitted at any time, and educators of students from PreK through college are invited to apply.

Pay It Forward Mini-Grants
Pay It Forward Mini-Grants are designed to fund one-time-only service-oriented projects identified by youth as activities they would like to perform to benefit their school, neighborhood, or greater community. Projects must contain a "pay it forward" focus - that is, they must be based on the concept of one person doing a favor for others, who in turn do favors for others, with the results growing exponentially - to be considered in the grant making process.

Project Orange Thumb
This grant is designed for gardens and/or gardening projects geared toward community involvement, neighborhood beautification, sustainable agriculture and/or horticultural education. Community garden groups, as well as schools, youth groups, community centers, camps, clubs, treatment facilities, etc. are encouraged to apply. Only group applications will be considered; single individuals are not eligible for a Project Orange ThumbSM grant. Recipients will be given up to $1,500.00 in Fiskars® Garden Tools, a Project Orange Thumb t-Shirts for garden members/volunteers, and up to $800.00 for other materials such as plants, seeds, mulch, etc.

Toshiba America Foundation Grants for 7-12 Math and Science Teachers
Toshiba America Foundation (TAF) grants support innovative projects designed by math and science teachers to make their classrooms more exciting and successful for students. Any 6-12 teacher in a public or private school in the U.S. is eligible. Proposed projects must advance the teacher's science and math teaching units. Proposals are reviewed in February and August. TAF offers similar grants for teachers of grades K-5 with a deadline of October 1.

Toyota Tapestry Grants
Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. and the National Science Teachers Association are pleased to announce the 19th Toyota TAPESTRY Grants for Science Teachers program. This year, 50 large grants of up to $10,000 each and 20-32 mini-grants of up to $2,500 will be awarded to K-12 teachers of science in the United States. The categories are Physical Science Application, Environmental Science Education, and Integrating Literacy and Science. 

March

Captain Planet Foundation Grants
The Captain Planet Foundation accepts applications four times each year for funding projects that help students better grasp environmental topics.  Grants range from $250 to $2,500.  Projects must promote understanding of environmental topics, focus on hands-on activities, involve children and young adults ages 6 to 18, promote interaction and cooperation within a group, help young people develop planning and problem-solving skills, include adult supervision, and commit to follow-up communication with the Foundation.  Grant cycles also in June, September and December.

Mantis Awards
The National Gardening Association Mantis Awards provide in-kind grants of Mantis gardening equipment to educational projects that actively engage kids in gardens and improve the quality of life for their communities. 

Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge for Grades 6-8
The Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge is a sustainability challenge where students form teams, work with a teacher/mentor to identify an environmental challenge in their community, research it, develop a plan, collect data, analyze that data, and share the results they've found so far. Teams may be made up of 2-3 students, each of whom is a U.S. resident enrolled in a public, private, parochial, or home school in the U.S, under the supervision of an adult.

April

Connect Grants for Culturally Diverse Communities
The Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics is an educational, non-profit organization dedicated to the responsible enjoyment and active stewardship of the outdoors by all people worldwide.  Connect Grants provide direct support and training grants for organizations and people that serve culturally diverse communities.  Grant awards range between $500 to $2,500 and can be used for Leave No Trace educational materials and/or to cover the tuition of a Master Educator Course.

Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes
The Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes honors outstanding young leaders aged 8 to 18 who have made a significant positive difference to people and our planet. Each year, the Barron Prize selects ten winners nationwide. Nominations for the Prize should be made by adults who have solid knowledge of the nominee and his/her work, but who are not related to the nominee (e.g. teachers, librarians, civic or religious leaders, etc.).

May

Brower Youth Awards
The Brower Youth Awards is an annual national award recognizing six young people for their outstanding activism and achievements in the fields of environmental and environmental justice advocacy.  The winners of the award receive a $3,000 cash prize, a trip to California for the award ceremony and wilderness camping trip, and ongoing access to resources and opportunities to further their work at Earth Island Institute.  Young activist leaders ages 13-22 living in North America are eligible to apply.

Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching
The Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) is the highest recognition that a kindergarten through 12th-grade mathematics or science teacher may receive for outstanding teaching in the United States.  Winners receive a paid trip to Washington, D.C., and a $10,000 award from the National Science Foundation.

June - July - August

Captain Planet Foundation Grants
The Captain Planet Foundation accepts applications four times each year for funding projects that help students better grasp environmental topics.  Grants range from $250 to $2,500.  Projects must promote understanding of environmental topics, focus on hands-on activities, involve children and young adults ages 6 to 18, promote interaction and cooperation within a group, help young people develop planning and problem-solving skills, include adult supervision, and commit to follow-up communication with the Foundation.  Grant cycles also in March, September and December.

Connect Grants for Culturally Diverse Communities
The Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics is an educational, non-profit organization dedicated to the responsible enjoyment and active stewardship of the outdoors by all people worldwide.  Connect Grants provide direct support and training grants for organizations and people that serve culturally diverse communities.  Grant awards range between $500 to $2,500 and can be used for Leave No Trace educational materials and/or to cover the tuition of a Master Educator Course.

National Education Association Foundation Learning & Leadership Grants
The NEA Foundation, in partnership with Nickelodeon and the Staples Foundation for Learning, offers Green Grants for the development and implementation of ideas, techniques and approaches for teaching green concepts and to support projects that integrate green-related topics with various standards-based content areas. Public school educators are eligible to apply for individual grants worth up to $5,000.

National Education Association Foundation Student Achievement Grants
The NEA Foundation provides grants to improve the academic achievement of students in U.S. public schools and public higher education institutions in any subject area(s). The proposed work should engage students in critical thinking and problem solving that deepen their knowledge of standards-based subject matter. The work should also improve students' habits of inquiry, self-directed learning, and critical reflection. Applications may be submitted at any time, and educators of students from PreK through college are invited to apply.

Toshiba America Foundation Grants for 7-12 Math and Science Teachers
Toshiba America Foundation (TAF) grants support innovative projects designed by math and science teachers to make their classrooms more exciting and successful for students. Any 6-12 teacher in a public or private school in the U.S. is eligible. Proposed projects must advance the teacher's science and math teaching units. Proposals are reviewed in February and August. TAF offers similar grants for teachers of grades K-5 with a deadline of October 1.

September

Campus Climate Challenge
Are you taking initiatives to reduce your school's carbon footprint? How would you like an extra $500 to achieve your goal? Through the Campus Climate Challenge, the Earth Day Network is offering grants of $500 to teachers who are pursuing 100% clean energy policies in their schools.

Captain Planet Foundation Grants
The Captain Planet Foundation accepts applications four times each year for funding projects that help students better grasp environmental topics.  Grants range from $250 to $2,500.  Projects must promote understanding of environmental topics, focus on hands-on activities, involve children and young adults ages 6 to 18, promote interaction and cooperation within a group, help young people develop planning and problem-solving skills, include adult supervision, and commit to follow-up communication with the Foundation.  Grant cycles also in March, June and December.

Hooked on Hydroponics Awards
The National Gardening Association works with sponsoring companies and organizations to provide in-kind grants to projects that actively engage kids in the garden and improve the quality of life for their communities. To be eligible for these awards your school or organization must plan to garden with at least 15 kids between the ages of 3 and 18.

Kids in Need Teacher Grants
The School, Home, & Office Products Association Kids In Need Foundation offers Teacher Grants for K-12 educators to provide innovative learning opportunities for their students.  Grants range from $100-$500 each, and are used to fund creative classroom projects.  Typically 200-300 grants are awarded each year. 

Melinda Gray Ardia Environmental Foundation Grants
The Foundation supports curricula that empower and encourage students to become involved in solving environmental and social problems as informed decision makers through the emphasis and application of basic ecological principles. Grants of up to $1500 are offered each year.

National Civic Education Project
Earth Day Network's National Civic Education Project gives teachers the structure and support to combine classroom civic and environmental education with hands-on learning experiences that provide an opportunity for students to remedy local environmental concerns. Selected teachers will be awarded a $3,500 grant to put towards their environmental education efforts, as well as support from EDN staff. 

Pay It Forward Mini-Grants
Pay It Forward Mini-Grants are designed to fund one-time-only service-oriented projects identified by youth as activities they would like to perform to benefit their school, neighborhood, or greater community. Projects must contain a "pay it forward" focus - that is, they must be based on the concept of one person doing a favor for others, who in turn do favors for others, with the results growing exponentially - to be considered in the grant making process.

 

October

AeroGrow Growing Kids Awards
The AeroGrow Growing Kids Awards, sponsored by AeroGrow International, Inc., will provide 300 educators nationwide with this useful, hands-on tool to enrich and enhance the study of nutrition and life science in the classroom. This award is open to K-6 classrooms in the United States with a minimum of 15 students who plan to use indoor gardens to teach nutrition and life science. Each winning program will receive an AeroGarden Classic valued at $150 and an AeroGrow Salad Greens Seed Kit.

Green Your School
The Student Conservation Association's Green Your School Contest is a national competition to stimulate and/or identify conservation service projects designed by high school students that improve, restore, beautify or conserve their high school environment. There will be one Grand Prize of $5,000 and two runner-up prizes of $2,500 each. Prizes will be awarded directly to high schools and not to individuals.

Healthy Sprouts Awards
As a way to encourage the growth of health-focused youth gardens, NGA recognizes outstanding programs via the Healthy Sprouts Awards, sponsored by Gardener's Supply Company. To be eligible, your school or organization must plan to garden with at least 15 children between the ages of 3 and 18. The selection of winners is based on the demonstrated relationship between the garden program and nutrition and hunger challenges in the United States.

Increase Your Green School Competition
DoSomething.org is calling on students to green their schools. Students who make the biggest effort to reduce their school's carbon footprint could win up to $1,500 to further their efforts. Schools are eligible for a first-place prize of a $1,500 grant and a banner, a plaque, an eco-friendly gift bag, and a chance to be visited by the biotour bus. Three $500 second place prizes will also be awarded. 

Lorrie Otto Seeds for Education Grant Program
Wild Ones funds programs that encourage students to understand the effects of natural landscaping.  This grant is especially valuable for teachers wanting to step outside the classroom. Funds may be used to purchase native plants and seeds for a garden, trail, wetland, or research project.  Cash awards range from $100 to $500.

Lowe's Toolbox for Education Grants
Searching for funding for your outdoor classroom, schoolyard garden, or school greening project? Lowe's will donate $5 million to public schools and public school parent teacher groups at more than 1,000 different public schools per school year.

National Education Association Foundation Learning & Leadership Grants
The NEA Foundation, in partnership with Nickelodeon and the Staples Foundation for Learning, offers Green Grants for the development and implementation of ideas, techniques and approaches for teaching green concepts and to support projects that integrate green-related topics with various standards-based content areas. Public school educators are eligible to apply for individual grants worth up to $5,000.

National Education Association Foundation Student Achievement Grants
The NEA Foundation provides grants to improve the academic achievement of students in U.S. public schools and public higher education institutions in any subject area(s). The proposed work should engage students in critical thinking and problem solving that deepen their knowledge of standards-based subject matter. The work should also improve students' habits of inquiry, self-directed learning, and critical reflection. Applications may be submitted at any time, and educators of students from PreK through college are invited to apply.

Project Learning Tree Green Works! Grants
GreenWorks! grants engage PLT educators and their students with their local community in "learning-by-doing" environmental projects.  Student leadership, service-learning, and community participation are the cornerstones to GreenWorks! projects. These grassroots action projects enable schools and youth organizations across the country to make a positive impact on their communities. 

Toshiba America Foundation Grants for K-6 Math and Science Teachers
Toshiba America Foundation (TAF) grants support innovative projects designed by math and science teachers to make their classrooms more exciting and successful for students. Any K-5 teacher in a public or private school is eligible. Proposed projects must advance the teacher's science and math teaching units. TAF offers similar grants for teachers of grades 6-12 with deadlines in February and August.

 

November

National Gardening Association & Home Depot Youth Garden Grants Program
The National Gardening Association (NGA) has announced that Home Depot will return as the Youth Garden Grants sponsor for 2009.  NGA awards Youth Garden Grants to schools and community organizations with child-centered garden programs.  125 grants are available for the 2009 grant cycle, which include gift cards for supply purchases at Home Depot. 

National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) Awards
NSTA recognizes outstanding achievements in science education with a variety of science awards and monetary prizes.  Awards include Distinguished Teaching Award, Legacy Award, Vernier Technology Awards, and many others.  Awards range from $500-$10,000.

Sea World/Busch Gardens/Fujifilm Environmental Awards
Since 1993 the Anheuser-Busch Adventure Parks have recognized the outstanding efforts of K-12th grade students and teachers who work at the grassroots level to protect and preserve the environment. The SeaWorld/Busch Gardens/Fujifilm Environmental Excellence Awards provides school and community groups with a monetary award, national recognition, and some well-deserved fun at one of the adventure parks. Eight winning groups are selected each year to win $10,000. One environmental educator/leader each year receives $5,000.

Take Education on the Road
Visit the zoo. Tour a museum. Explore more with a Field Trip Grant from Target. Target will award 5,000 Field Trip Grants of up to $800 each during the 2008-2009 school year.

December

Captain Planet Foundation Grants
The Captain Planet Foundation accepts applications four times each year for funding projects that help students better grasp environmental topics.  Grants range from $250 to $2,500.  Projects must promote understanding of environmental topics, focus on hands-on activities, involve children and young adults ages 6 to 18, promote interaction and cooperation within a group, help young people develop planning and problem-solving skills, include adult supervision, and commit to follow-up communication with the Foundation.  Grant cycles also in March, June, and September.

EPA Environmental Education Grants
The Grants Program sponsored by EPA's Environmental Education Division (EED), Office of Children's Health Protection and Environmental Education, supports environmental education projects that enhance the public's awareness, knowledge, and skills to help people make informed decisions that affect environmental quality. EPA awards grants each year based on funding appropriated by Congress. Annual funding for the program ranges between $2 and $3 million. More than 75 percent of the grants awarded by this program receive less than $15,000.

Learn Outside Green Works! Grants
Project Learning Tree (PLT) will award a $500 cash grant to four randomly selected schools throughout the country. All you need to do is register before the December 30th deadline and you'll be eligible to win a Learn Outside GreenWorks! grant for your school. Winners can create a butterfly garden, host a PLT Learn Outside activity day, or even create an outdoor classroom.

Project Learning Tree Green Works! Grants
GreenWorks! grants engage PLT educators and their students with their local community in "learning-by-doing" environmental projects. Student leadership, service-learning, and community participation are the cornerstones to GreenWorks! projects. These grassroots action projects enable schools and youth organizations across the country to make a positive impact on their communities.