Programs

Environmental Grant Opportunities

JANUARY DUE DATES

  • Siemens We Can Change The World Challenge (National)
    The Siemens Foundation, Discovery Education and the National Science Teachers Association  invite the education community to create solutions to environmental problems in their own backyards.  Winners can receive prizes, which vary according to grade level, and may include savings bonds, school grants, trips, TV appearances and more. 
  • The Bayer Advanced “Grow Together with Roses” Award (National)
    The National Gardening Association (NGA) and Bayer Advanced offer the "Grow Together with Roses" Award that distributes 25 grants of roses provided by All-America Rose Selections and educational materials to school gardens across the country. 
  • Toyota TAPESTRY Grants for Science Teachers (National)
    Toyota Motor Sales and the National Science Teachers Association offer grants for K–12 science teachers for innovative projects that enhance science education in the school and/or school district. 

FEBRUARY DUE DATES

  • Lowe’s Outdoor Classroom Grant Program (National)
    (Limited to the first 1,500 applicants. Also available in October.) Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation, International Paper and National Geographic Explorer offer grants up to $2,000 to provide schools with additional resources to improve their science curriculum by engaging students in hands-on experiences in outdoor classroom projects.
  • The Sprint Character Education Grant Program (National)
    The Sprint Character Education Grant Program awards grants to school districts and individual schools to fund the purchase of resource materials, supplies, equipment, and software that facilitates and encourages character education among K-12 students.  The grant program awards schools up to $5,000 for Character Education programs that promote youth leadership, youth volunteerism, school pride, and a positive school culture including outdoor classrooms.  
  • Welch’s Harvest Grants for Teachers (National)
    Welch’s and Scholastic support school garden programs through Welch’s Harvest Grants.  Two schools in every state will be selected to receive a customized indoor or outdoor garden package valued up to $1,000 filled with a variety of tools, seeds, educational materials, and more. 

MARCH DUE DATES

  • Bonnie Plant Farm (National)
    Each year, Bonnie Plant Farms provides free cabbage plants for 3rd grade classes so the students can take plants (with instructions) home to grow.  The class can compete for the “best” (in size and maturity) cabbage plant and the teacher can nominate one student per class for a $1,000 state scholarship drawing. 
  • Clorox Make A Powerful Difference (National)
    Clorox offers up to $10,000 for an essay explaining how you make a powerful difference in your community.
  • Mantis Awards (National)
    The Mantis Award for charitable and educational garden projects that enhance the quality of life in their host communities offers a Mantis tiller/cultivator (valued at $350) to 25 outstanding applicants.
  • Syngenta IPM in School Gardens Grant (National)
    The Syngenta IPM in School Gardens Grant supports educators using school gardens as a tool for teaching students about integrated pest management strategies in the garden and on farms.

APRIL DUE DATES

  • Nature Hills Nursery Green America Awards (National)
    This award is designed to give national recognition and plants (valued up to $2,500) to community groups and organizations that are improving their local environments including communities, parks, schools, and public spaces by planting trees, shrubs, and other plants.
  • The Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (National)
    Among the highest honors for teachers of mathematics and science, this award recognizes outstanding K-12 teachers for their contributions in the classroom and to their profession.  Recipients of the award receive a citation signed by the President of the United States, a paid trip for two to Washington, D.C., to attend a series of recognition events and professional development opportunities and a $10,000 award from the National Science Foundation.
  • Wendy Owsley Garrett Science Teacher Award (Texas)
    This annual award recognizes successful and innovative science instruction by Pre K-12 teachers who have participated in BRIT education programs.  In addition to recognition events and a beautiful plaque, the first-place award winner will receive a $1000 honorarium, and the second-place winner receives a $500 honorarium.

MAY DUE DATES

  • ING Unsung Heros Awards (National)
    ING Unsung Heroes selects 100 educators to receive $2,000 to help fund innovative class projects. Three of those educators receive the top awards of an additional $5,000, $10,000, and $25,000. 
  • Nature’s Path Gardens for Good Grant (National)
    The “Gardens for Good Grant” organic garden contest with the help of Organic Gardening magazine offers a $25,000 value grant package toward starting organic gardens with the mission to increase organic acreage nationwide and provide every American with access to high quality, healthy and organic food. 

JUNE DUE DATES

  • Bank of America Local Heroes Award (Offered to cities where the bank has a presence)
    Bank of America offers $5,000 to nonprofit organizations who champion causes vital to their communities and inspire others to get involved with a special and significant impact on individuals, families, or communities.
  • Garden Crusader Award (National)
    The Gardener’s Supply Company honors individuals who are improving the world through gardening with up to $2,500 in cash  and a $2,500 gift certificate from Gardener's Supply. All prizes are awarded to the winner's organization in his/her name.  Children are eligible to win, as there is no age limit.
  • Richard C. Bartlett Environmental Education Award (National)
    A $5,000 cash award is provided to an outstanding educator who has successfully integrated environmental education into his or her daily education programs by not only teaching about environmental challenges but also engaging students in the solution.
  • Sol Hirsch Education Fund Grants (National)
    Sol Hirsch Education Fund Grants are awarded annually to teachers/educators of grades K-12 to help improve the education of their students, school and/or community in the science of meteorology.

JULY DUE DATES

  • National Education Association’s Green Across America Grant (National)
    NEA's Green Across America grants of up to $1,000, sponsored by Target, are available to help K-12 educators implement innovative education programs, activities, lessons, or events to excite students about going green, caring for the earth, and creating a sustainable future. 

SEPTEMBER DUE DATES

  • Classroom Energy Innovation Grants from First Choice Power Company (Texas)
    grants@firstchoicepower.com
    Grants of up to $2,000 each will be awarded to teachers* in Texas for innovative classroom projects on energy and energy efficiency.  (*Full-time Texas Pre-K, elementary and high-school teachers working in communities served by First Choice Power.)
  • Do Something After-School Grants (National)
    Program partners Do Something and JCPenny will award fifteen grants of $500-$1,000 to young people who have started after-school activities that help youth in their community. 
  • Kids In Need Foundation
    Kids In Need Teacher Grants provide K-12 educators with grants ranging from $100 to $500 each to finance creative classroom projects.
  • Women Helping Others Foundation (National)
    Applications for grants from the Women Helping Others Foundation for programs that serve women, children, and families.  Preference will be given to projects dealing with health, education and social services.

OCTOBER DUE DATES

  • AeroGrow Growing Kids Award (National)
    K-6 classrooms with a minimum of 15 students who plan to use indoor gardens to teach nutrition and life science are eligible for one of 300 AeroGarden Classic, a tool valued at $150 and an AeroGrow Salad Greens Seed Kit.
  • Lowe’s Outdoor Classroom Grant Program (National)
    (Limited to the first 1,500 applicants. Also available in February.) Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation, International Paper and National Geographic Explorer offer grants up to $2,000 to provide schools with additional resources to improve their science curriculum by engaging students in hands-on experiences in outdoor classroom projects.
  • Seeds for Education (National)
    The Wild Ones organization, dedicated to the use of natural landscaping with native plant species as an ecologically better alternative to traditional landscaping practices, offers grants of $100-$500 for projects that focus on the enhancement and development of an appreciation for nature using native plants. 
  • The Shell Science Teaching Award (National)
    The Shell Oil Company and the National Science Teachers Association recognizes one outstanding classroom teacher (grades K–12) who has had a positive impact on his or her students, school, and the community through exemplary science teaching.  The recipient will receive $10,000.
  • Toshiba America Foundation (National)
    Toshiba America Foundation offers grants to K-6 teachers for projects that advance science and math teaching units that occur during the school day.

NOVEMBER DUE DATES

  • Environmental Excellence Awards (National)
    The Anheuser-Busch Adventure Parks recognize K-12 students and teachers across the country who are working at the grassroots level to protect and preserve the environment by providing up to eight school and community groups with $10,000 (and prizes) to benefit award-winning project.  One of the eight environmental educators/leaders also receives $5,000, and more.
  • NEA Foundation: Books Across America Library Books Awards (National)
    The NEA Foundation’s Books Across America Library Books Awards provide funds to purchase books for libraries in pre K-12 public schools serving economically disadvantaged students. The program will award approximately 50 awards of $1,000 each to schools across the country where at least 70 percent of the students are eligible for the free or reduced-price lunch program.
  • Youth Garden Grants (National)
    donnab@garden.org
    National Gardening Association and Home Depot offer Youth Garden Grants up to $1,000 ($500 Home Depot gift card and a $500 gift card for the Gardening with Kids catalog) for schools and community organizations with child-centered garden programs that involve at least 15 children from ages 3 to 18.

DECEMBER DUE DATES

VARIED DUE DATES

  • America the Beautiful Fund (National)
    America the Beautiful Fund offers grants of free seeds to community groups striving to better our world through gardening to teach children about the wonders of nature in a habitat garden. 
  • American Honda Foundation (National)
    The American Honda Foundation offers grants that support imaginative, creative, youthful, forward-thinking, scientific, humanistic and innovative programs. Honda supports youth education with a specific focus on the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) subjects in addition to the environment.
  • Annie’s Homegrown (National)
    Annie’s Homegrown offers a limited number of $250 grants to community gardens, school gardens and other educational programs that connect children directly to gardening.  These funds can be used to buy gardening tools, seeds or other needed supplies. 
  • Box Tops for Education (National)
    Schools receive 10¢ for each BoxTop collected by the school’s Box Tops coordinator.  Earn up to $20,000 from each of the four BoxTop program components.
  • Build-A-Bear Workshop® Giving Programs  (National)
    Literacy and education grants to help children are awarded throughout the year for specific programs with measurable outcomes.  Grants range from $1,000 - $10,000, with an average grant of $1,500.
  • Captain Planet Foundation (National)
    Captain Planet Foundation encourages innovative programs that empower children and youth around the world individually and collectively to solve environmental problems in their neighborhoods and communities.  Most grants range between $250 - $2,500 (organic gardens are funded no more than $500 and adopt-a-streams are funded no more than $400). 
  • Coca Cola Company Keep America Beautiful Bin Grant Program (National) 
    Coca Cola and Keep America Beautiful offer an annual grant to provide schools and non-profits with recycling bins.
  • Cracker Barrel Foundation (National)
    Cracker Barrel Foundation seeks to strengthen and preserve our community by supporting programs in the areas of education, human services, cultural affairs and the environment. Special consideration is given to programs that address children, youth and family issues, and emphasize traditional values such as hard work, education and self-reliance.
  • Fiskars’ Project Orange Thumb® (National)
    This grant program provides community garden groups with the tools and materials they need to reach their goals for neighborhood beautification and horticulture education.  Community garden groups, as well as schools, youth groups, community centers, camps, clubs, treatment facilities, etc. are encouraged to apply.  Grant recipients receive up to $1,500 in Fiskars® Garden Tools,T-Shirts for garden volunteers and up to $1,000 for other related materials.
  • Fruit Tree 101 (National)
    “Fruit Tree 101” is a program that brings fruit tree orchards to schoolyards so students can improve the quality of the air and water while creating a source of tasty snacks for decades to come. 
  • Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation (National)
    The Foundation’s primary focus is to support local, grassroots community projects, which include community and public school improvement projects and education scholarships for trade disciplines. Grant awards of up to $5,000 support K-12 school improvement projects at public schools nationwide. 
  • National Lab Day (National)
    National Lab Day is a nationwide initiative to build local communities support that will foster ongoing collaborations among volunteers, students and educators in grades K-12. When an educator posts a project the NLD system will help them get the resources needed to bring that project to fruition.
  • Ponds For Kids (National)
    The North American Water Garden Society supports pond additions to your student's learning environment.  Ponds for Kids is simply a way to help schools or other learning institutions find great contractors to help them create a multidisciplinary learning environment.  This is a program where your school helps to raise the money for materials and the organization introduces you to a pro-bono service provider who works with your students to install the pond. 
  • Seed Grant (Texas)
    The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in partnership with Native American Seed awards grants of seed to Texas schools, K-12, that support the Wildflower Center’s mission to increase the sustainable use and conservation of native wildflowers, plants and landscapes.  Seed grants can be used to establish wildflower demonstration areas, to enhance existing wildflower sites, or in other educationally directed projects. Grant recipients agree to submit a student involved project report within one year of the date of the award.