Administered through Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, the Environmental Education Grants Program provides funds to support a wide range of environmental education projects including meaningful, hands-on programs for students, teacher training workshops, and community conservation projects for adults.
Donor Name: Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection
State: Pennsylvania
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant | Reimbursement
Deadline: 11/14/2025
Size of the Grant: $10,000 to $100,000
Grant Duration: 1 Year
Details:
DEP’s Environmental Education Grants Program welcomes applications for the development of innovative formal and non-formal environmental education projects that: 1) Address grant program priorities; 2) Provide opportunities to expand the public’s understanding of Pennsylvania’s environmental issues; and 3) Develop skills required to make informed decisions and take responsible action on behalf of the environment.
Funding Priorities
Projects must address one or more program priorities: Land Use, Air Quality, Water, Climate Change, and/or Environmental Justice. Please refer to the 2026 Environmental Education Grants Program Manual for examples of projects relevant to each category.
- Land Use
- Land use project will expand audience understanding of environmental contamination, remediation, and brownfields re-development to make informed decisions that protect human health, leverage relationships with local governments and businesses, and effectively engage the community in acting.
- Air Quality
- Air quality projects will expand audience understanding of air pollution, the Air Quality Index (AQI), and potential threats to human health to identify when and what actions should be taken in the event of unhealthy air quality.
- Water
- Water quality projects will expand audience understanding of water sheds to identify and address non-point source and point source water pollution. Projects may emphasize subjects such as stormwater management, soil and water conservation, groundwater, agricultural nutrient management, abandoned mine drainage/reclamation, private water wells, road treatment, water quality monitoring, riparian buffers, and cold-water habitats.
- Climate Change
- Climate change projects will expand audience understanding of the human behavior/climate change relationship, identify and adopt practical solutions to develop resiliency against extreme weather, pests, disease, agricultural disruptions, groundwater changes, and other climate change influenced threats to human and environmental health.
- Environmental Justice
- Programs funded under this priority should be designed to meaningfully engage people of all demographics who live, work, recreate, or attend school within Environmental Justice areas. Strong proposals will demonstrate an understanding of local needs, include community input in project design, and, where possible, partner with trusted local organizations or leaders.
Funding Information
DEP EE Grants Program Award Tracks are structurally designed to encourage capacity and sustainability growth and development. The three (3) award tracks are available for projects:
- Seed Grant (up to $5,000) may be awarded for local (school, county, partnering municipality, or other defined area) environmental education projects.
- Grow Grant ($5,001 – $30,000) may be awarded for implementation of large-scale environmental education projects, such as school district-wide projects, multiple community or county collaborations, countywide, regional, or statewide projects.
- Impact Grant ($30,001 – $65,000) may be awarded as a first-time project or for previously awarded DEP EE Grants project(s) for capacity and sustainability development. These projects should allow for broad-scale audience engagement at three (3) different levels: county, regional, and state.
- Grant funding is provided on a reimbursement basis.
Grant Period
July 1, 2026 – June 30, 2027.
Eligibility Criteria
- Public schools and school districts (PreK-12), including intermediate units and charter schools
- Incorporated private schools (under limited circumstances, private religious schools may be exempted from the incorporation requirement)
- Incorporated conservation and education organizations and institutions
- Universities and colleges
- County conservation districts
- Incorporated nonprofit organizations
- Businesses (must be registered to do business in PA).
Ineligible Applicants
Entities that do not appear on th list of Eligible Applicants cannot receive 2026 Environmental Education Program funds. Ineligible applicants such as municipalities are encouraged to partner with an eligible applicant to deliver environmental education programs.
For more information, visit DEP.
