Environmental Education (EE) Grants

Under the Environmental Education Grants Program, EPA seeks grant proposals from eligible applicants to support environmental education projects that promote environmental awareness and stewardship and help provide people with the skills to take responsible actions to protect the environment. This grant program provides financial support for projects that design, demonstrate, and/or disseminate environmental education practices, methods, or techniques. Since 1992, EPA has distributed between $2 and $3.5 million in grant funding per year, supporting more than 3,600 grants. 

Learn about the 2015 EE grant awards.

How to Apply

The application period for the 2016 EE Grants Program is closed. The 2016 EE Grants Program included one Request for Proposals (RFP), also known as a Solicitation Notice. The 2016 EE Local Grants RFP is currently available in PDF format

There will not be an RFP for EE Model Grants in 2016.

Determine Eligibility
  • Applicants must represent one of the following types of organizations to be eligible for an environmental education grant:
    • local education agency
    • state education or environmental agency
    • college or university
    • non-profit organization as described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code
    • noncommercial educational broadcasting entity
    • tribal education agency (which includes schools and community colleges controlled by an Indian tribe, band, or nation)
  • Applicant organizations must be located in the United States or territories and the majority of the educational activities must take place in the United States; or in the United States and Canada or Mexico; or in the U.S. Territories.
Complete the Application and Budget Forms, according to the directions in the RFP.
  • Each RFP contains complete instructions for submitting a proposal, including all required information and limitations on format. A summary of the required information is below. Read the RFP thoroughly for application procedures, including those for applying through www.grants.gov. 
  • Find the forms on the "Application Forms" tab. Materials should be submitted in the following order:
    • Two Federal forms: Application for Federal Assistance (SF 424) and Budget (SF 424-A)
    • Work Plan (up to 8 pages):
      1. Project Summary (recommended 1 page)
      2. Detailed Project Description
      3. Project Evaluation Plan
      4. Detailed Budget Showing Match and Sub-grants (not included in the page limit)
      5. Appendices (not included in the page limit)
        • Timeline
        • Logic Model Showing Outputs and Outcomes
        • Programmatic Capabilities and Past Performance
        • Letters Stating Responsibilities of Partners, if applicable
Submit the Proposal Materials
  • Applications must be submitted electronically. Submit to www.grants.gov by following the instructions in Appendix IV of the RFP.

Application Forms

You are required to submit two standard forms as part of your proposal. Please refer to the RFP for specific application requirements. You must submit:

  • SF-424, Application for Federal Assistance 
  • SF-424A, Budget Information 

Find these and other forms at www.grants.gov. You are not required to complete other standard forms as part of your initial proposal. Only finalists in the selection process will be asked to complete federal forms other than the SF-424 and 424A. 

Helpful Resources for Applying

Webinar and Teleconference Information

The EPA Office of Grants and Debarment offers periodic webinars on general issues relating to grant applications and management.

The Office of Environmental Education held a teleconference on Tuesday March 15, 2016, at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time. On the call, EE Staff reviewed the RFP and address commonly asked questions.

EPA Contacts for EE Grants

If you have questions regarding an open EE grants solicitation, please send them to EEGrants@epa.gov or read the Frequently Asked Questions for the current RFP.  For other any questions regarding the environmental education grants program, please contact your regional coordinator.

Region Name
Region 1 - CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT

Kristen Conroy
U.S. EPA, Region 1
5 Post Office Square, Suite 100
Mail Code ORA 1-1
Boston, MA 02109-3912
conroy.kristen@epa.gov

Region 2 - NJ, NY, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands Wanda Ayala or Jennifer May
U.S. EPA, Region 2
290 Broadway
26th Floor
New York, NY 10007-1866
ayala.wanda@epa.gov or may.jennifer@epa.gov
Region 3 - DE, DC, MD, PA, VA, WV Kathy Kirkland
U.S. EPA, Region 3
1650 Arch Street
Mail Code 3PA00
Philadelphia, PA 19103-2029
kirkland.kathleen@epa.gov
Region 4 - AL, FL, GA, KY, MS, NC, SC, TN Jason McDonald
U.S. EPA, Region 4
61 Forsyth Street SW
Mail Code 9T25
Atlanta, GA 30303
mcdonald.jason@epa.gov
Region 5 - IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, WI Megan Gavin
U.S. EPA, Region 5
77 West Jackson Boulevard
Mail Code AT-18J
Chicago, IL 60604
gavin.megan@epa.gov
Region 6 - AR, LA, NM, OK, TX Bonnie King
U.S. EPA, Region 6
Office of External Affairs
1445 Ross Avenue, Suite 1200
Mail Code 6XA
Dallas, TX 75202
king.bonita@epa.gov
Region 7 - IA, KS, MO, NE Kathleen Fenton
U.S. EPA, Region 7
11201 Renner Blvd.
Mail Code RGADOPA
Lenexa, KS 66219
fenton.kathleen@epa.gov
Region 8 -CO, MT, ND, SD, UT, WY Wendy Dew
U.S. EPA, Region 8
1595 Wynkoop Street
Mail Code 80C
Denver, CO 80202-1129
dew.wendy@epa.gov
Region 9 - AZ, CA, HI, NV, American Samoa, Guam, Mariana Islands Jorine Campopiano
U.S. EPA, Region 9
75 Hawthorne Street
Mail Code CED-4
San Francisco, CA 94105
campopiano.jorine@epa.gov
Region 10 - AK, ID, OR, WA Sally Hanft
U.S. EPA, Region 10
1200 Sixth Avenue, Suite 900
Mail Code ETPA-202
Seattle, WA 98101
hanft.sally@epa.gov
Headquarters - Washington, DC Karen Scott
U.S. EPA
Office of the Administrator/Office of
Environmental Education
1200 Pennsylvania Ave, NW (WJC
North, Room 1426, MC-1704A)
Washington, DC 20460
eegrants@epa.gov

EE Grants Awarded Since 1992

Grantees are located in all 50 states and various U.S. territories. Each grant addresses one or more environmental issue, and an educational priority such as teacher training, educational advancement, or career development. A summary of these national statistics is provided below. More than 3,600 grants have been awarded nationwide since 1992. 

For detailed information on EE Grants, click on the EPA Region on the map below and then click on your state of interest. 

The most recent grants were awarded using 2015 funds and are listed as "2015 Grants." From the 2015 grant cycle, applicants from 26 states received funding: Alaska, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michegan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin. 

Map of EPA regions with links to information on previous regional EE grantees.
 
Region 10Region 8Region 9Region 6Region 7Region 5Region 4Region 3Region 2Region 1

Statistics for 1992-2015 (all EE grants)

Category Grants EPA Funds

Audiences*
Students 2,502 $46,824,718
Educators 2,221 $46,754,156
General Public 1,377 $26,248,285

Types of Organizations
College/University 634 $16,101,645
Local government agency (county/city) 251 $2,876,849
Non-commercial broadcaster 15 $687,147
Non-profit organization 1,961 $37,529,241
School/school district/school board 589 $6,563,551
State government agency 162 $4,097,349
Tribal education or tribal non-profit organization 68 $900,702

Environmental Issues*
Air/Climate 209 $7,003,274
Biodiversity/ecosystem/habitat/species 1,048 $18,699,330
Human health 296 $5,930,794
Pesticides 65 $1,451,301
Soil/agriculture 187 $3,027,007
Solid waste 309 $4,300,113
Toxic substances 176 $4,599,513
Water 1,242 $24,817,940
General environmental literacy 1,353 $27,080,649
Communities/recycling/redevelopment 4 $703,821
State and Tribal Partnerships 4 $558,176

Years
2015 35 $3,306,594
2014 35 $3,306,600
2013 20 $2,778,160
2012 21 $3,614,630
2011 56 $3,707,490
2010 89 $3,438,507
2009 92 $3,354,289
2008 111 $3,354,158
2007 51 $1,341,747
2006 138 $2,685,467
2005 134 $2,689,803
2004 178 $2,780,786
2003 196 $2,694,765
2002 207 $2,784,719
2001 228 $2,771,464
2000 166 $2,319,305
1999 207 $2,481,059
1998 254 $3,052,456
1997 267 $3,136,405
1996 212 $2,132,323
1995 256 $2,988,884
1994 249 $2,871,118
1993 261 $2,726,521
1992 217 $2,439,234
Total 3,680 $68,756,484

*Many grants are directed toward more than one audience and address multiple environmental issues, so numbers exceed 100%.