Projects and programs geared toward environmental education are now eligible to apply for grants from the Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) Environmental Education Grants. Schools, colleges and universities, county conservation districts, nonprofit organizations, municipalities, and businesses can to apply for the grants. The application period runs through December 18.
The grants provide funding to develop programs and projects that support environmental education about issues, including:
- Energy: energy efficiency and conservation, as well as, school energy teams, natural gas, coal, wind, solar, and other clean energy sources and technologies
- Keystone Energy Education Program (KEEP): school energy teams to reduce school building’s energy use
- Climate Change: climate change and mitigation strategies
- Sustainable Living: rain gardens, rain barrels, clean energy, radon protection, composting, and other related topics.
- Chesapeake Bay and Watershed Education: reducing non-point source pollution, abandoned mine drainage/reclamation, water conservation, private water wells, groundwater, and other related topics
- Air Quality: ground level ozone, climate change, transportation, and electric generation issues
Eligible projects include, but are not limited to, teacher professional development; curriculum integration; educational programming; transportation to field study sites; testing equipment; and educational events. Grants are awarded for up to $3,000.
In April, DEP awarded 110 grants totaling more than $304,000 to groups in support of environmental education programs across the state. Since the program’s inception, DEP has awarded more than $9.8 million in grants.
The program was established by the Environmental Education Act of 1993 and mandates that 5 percent of some pollution fines and penalties collected annually by DEP be set aside for environmental education.
Applications are available online at www.dep.state.pa.us, or by contacting DEP’s Environmental Education and Information Center at 717-772-1828 or adevine@pa.gov. The deadline to apply is December 18.