The Youth Environmental Education Grant Program is designed to engage youth and students in outdoor education activities that raise public awareness and participation in the restoration and protection of the Chesapeake and coastal Bays and their rivers.
Donor Name: Chesapeake Bay Trust
State: Selected States
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 05/10/2025
Size of the Grant: $1000 to $10,000
Grant Duration: 1 Year
Details:
To accomplish this goal the program funds projects that involve youth and students investigating a local environmental issue, problem, or phenomenon through indoor and outdoor research culminating in developing solutions and taking action in their school or community – also known as the Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience (MWEE) model. Funds can cover a multitude of items including costs for field trips, fieldwork, transportation, substitute fees, and supplies for projects. This grant program also aims to build educator capacity and comfort in leading environmental education programs by funding the attendance to or development of professional development trainings for educators.
The Youth Environmental Education Grant Program was established to provide accessible funds to schools, organizations, and agencies for youth environmental education opportunities and educator support.
- Educate youth about natural and aquatic resources, their local watersheds, and how they can make a difference in natural resource health,
- Engage communities in education and restoration activities that benefit watershed health,
- Provide environmental education professional development opportunities for formal, non-formal, and community educators,
- Provide Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences (MWEEs) for students and teachers, and
- Support environmental literacy goals within schools, school systems, and other educational institutions.
Funding Information
This grant program welcomes applications for projects in the state of Maryland and the Chesapeake Bay watershed portions of D.C., Delaware, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia.
- Applicants can request funds from one of the following tracks.
- Project Track 1: Out-of-School Outdoor Investigations for Youth Provided by Community-Based Organizations (requests up to $10,000).
- Project Track 2: Outdoor Classroom, School-Yard Habitat, or Community-Based Improvement Requests (requests up to $10,000).
- Project Track 3: Professional Development for Formal, Non-Formal, and Community Educators (requests up to $5,000).
- Project Track 4: In-school MWEEs for Pre-K-12 Students (requests up to $5,000).
Grant Period
Projects must be completed within 12 months upon receipt of the award.
Eligibility Criteria
- The Trust welcome requests from the following organizations:
- 501(c)3 Organizations
- Faith Based Organizations
- Community Associations
- Service, Youth, and Civic Groups
- Municipal, County, Regional, State, Federal Public Agencies
- Soil/Water Conservation Districts and/or Resource Conservation and Development Councils
- Forestry Boards
- Public or Independent Higher Education Institutions
- For Profit organizations are NOT eligible for funding through this program.
- For school-based projects: the Trust prefers that the school serve as the lead applicant instead of a partner, however, if a partner does apply, the Trust requires the following:
- The participating school(s) name(s)
- A narrative statement explaining why the partner is applying rather than a school
- Letter(s) of commitment from participating school(s).
For more information, visit CBT.
