EPA Awards $400,000 Environmental Education Grants to Empower Students, Teachers and Communities in Oregon and Washington
SEATTLE (August 18, 2022) —The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has selected four schools and organizations in Oregon and Washington to receive a total of $400,000 in environmental education grants. Nationwide, EPA selected 34 organizations to receive over $3.2 million in funding.
“When we equip communities with the right tools to raise awareness and advance environmental education, it benefits everybody,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “This funding will empower students and teachers in schools, and support community members in underserved and overburdened areas as we work together to tackle the climate crisis, advance environmental justice and deliver on our mission of protecting human health and the environment for all.”
“Access to environmental education programs is crucial in cultivating the next generation of environmental stewards,” said EPA Region 10 Administrator Casey Sixkiller. “Inclusive access is even more important, and I am glad to see funding go to projects that will instill in young people a passion for our environment and commitment to protecting it.”
This year’s Pacific Northwest recipients are:
$100,000 to Growing Gardens – Portland, OR
This grant will provide gardening education to K-12 students and family home gardeners. Students will learn about soil fertility, water cycles, plant growth, and climate sustainability through agriculture. Adults will learn environmentally sustainable gardening methods. Two after-school clubs for teens will be offered covering gardening and environmental justice, designed to engage teens from low-income and underserved communities in leadership development and environmental justice efforts. The project will reach up to 2,500 K-12 students and 300 adult home gardeners in low-income and underserved neighborhoods in the Portland Metro region.
$100,000 to Port Townsend School District – Port Townsend, WA
This funding will allow the Port Townsend School District to provide two, 2-day professional development trainings for 50 K-12 public school teachers from different school districts in the area. The training is focused on managing the health of aquatic ecosystems, and it will prepare teachers to deliver place-based environmental education to over 3,000 K-12 students through the public-school curriculum in collaboration with project partners. The public will be invited to attend the students’ culminating event to view the student-generated projects.
$100,000 to Corporation of Gonzaga University - Spokane, WA
Gonzaga University will provide professional development to 50 middle school teachers on teaching climate-related topics and will reach over 5,000 students. Emphasis will be given to student voice, eco-anxiety, and the power of student agency. This project will also create a Climate Literacy Fellow Program consisting of Gonzaga undergraduate students. These Climate Literacy Fellows will deliver hands-on climate literacy activities to at least 15 upper elementary and middle school classrooms in the Spokane Public Schools District, aiming to reach over 400 students.
$100,000 to Nisqually River Foundation – Olympia, WA
The Nisqually River Foundation aims to increase public awareness and knowledge about environmental protection within the Nisqually Indian Tribe’s reservation and Nisqually watershed. This pilot program will promote environmental stewardship of the Nisqually Watershed by connecting traditional ecological knowledge, community science, and behavior change. The program will serve up to 30 Nisqually tribal youth with five teachers and eight environmental educators involved in the development of the project.
Background:
This year’s grantees will conduct project activities in 24 states. The funding will range from $50,000 to $100,000, to organizations that provide environmental education activities and programs.
Since 1992, EPA has distributed between $2 million and $3.5 million in environmental education grant funding each year, for a total of over $88.3 million supporting more than 3,890 projects nationwide. The program traditionally provides financial support for projects that design, demonstrate, or disseminate environmental education practices, methods, or techniques. For more information visit: https://www.epa.gov/education.
To learn more about current and past award winners, or to apply for future EPA environmental education grant competitions, visit: https://www.epa.gov/education/environmental-education-ee-grants. This website will be updated as additional grants are awarded.