Deadline: 13-Nov-20
The Gray Family Foundation is inviting proposals for its Environmental Education program to support programs that stimulate or promote the teaching of environmental education in K-12 environments and increases outdoor experiences for youth.
The program is focused on projects/programs that benefit 3rd-8th grade youth. Gray FF will fund proposals that best demonstrate alignment with priorities and reflect the values towards equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI).
Gray FF seeks to support:
- Active youth stewardship of natural and built environments,
- Systematic integration of environmental education in formal and informal K-12 education systems,
- High-quality environmental education programming by schools, districts, and non-profits with and for their communities,
- Environmental education opportunities that include and reflect the experiences, perspectives, and knowledge of diverse populations across Oregon.
Funding Information
Applicants may apply for projects that include a combination of capacity-building, field experiences, and/or professional development, but may only apply for $25,000 max.
- Option 1: Equity-Focused Capacity-Building
- Will consider equity and inclusion focused capacity-building grant requests from $5,000-$20,000.
- Option 2: Youth Field Experiences
- Will consider programmatic grant requests from $5,000-$25,000 per year to support in-person, virtual, or self-directed field experiences for 3rd through 8th-grade youth.
- Option 3: Educator Training and Professional Development
- Will consider programmatic grant requests from $5,000-$25,000 per year to support educator professional development.
Eligibility Criteria
- The foundation will consider proposals submitted by schools, districts, colleges, tribal entities, government agencies or 501(c)3 non-profit organizations serving Oregon.
- Gray FF’s Environmental Education program priorities seek to increase:
- Diversity of youth and communities engaged in outdoor and environmental education learning experiences.
- Educators’ (K-12 teachers, administrators and informal educators) preparedness to integrate environmental education across subjects.
- Environmental educators’ preparedness to support k-12 needs utilizing best practices and rigour.
- K-12 professionals’ preparedness to use the natural and built environments and systems as a context for learning.
- K-12 youths’ ability to collaborate, problem-solve and apply critical thinking to local and global environmental issues.
- K-12 youths’ preparedness for success in careers inside and outside of the environmental field through increased participation in environmental education.
- Funds are typically used to support:
- Dedicated staff time.
- Training and professional development for educators (in-person and virtual).
- Costs associated with developing and implementing in-person or virtual curricula and programming (e.g. classroom materials, books, toolkits, virtual field trips, etc).
- Costs associated with facilitating learning experiences outside the classroom either on or near school grounds or if possible away from school grounds.
- Administrative support.
- Funding in not eligible to support:
- Recreational summer camp or day camps.
- Student learning experiences outside the targeted 3th-8th grades.
- Organizations that have received three consecutive years of Gray FF funding for Environmental Education.
- Capital campaigns, site improvements or acquisitions of land.
- Purchases or activities that occur prior to grant decision.
- Deficit funding or elimination of operating deficits.
- Annual fund appeals or endowment funds.
- Religious activities.
- Grants or loans to individuals.
For more information, visit https://grayff.org/grants/environmental-education/
