Financing Healthy School Environments

Numerous sources of funding are available to create and support healthy, productive school environments for students and staff. The links on this page describe how to find a variety of funding sources, including grants, tax credits, loans and others.

Title/Link Organization Description
EPA Grants
Financial Tools and Funding Sources for Environmental Programs EPA, Office of the Chief Financial Officer Helps states, tribes, nonprofit organizations and the private sector identify funding for environmental programs and policies that protect human health and the environment.
Clean Energy Financing Programs EPA, State and Local Climate and Energy Program Offers resources for state and local governments to understand their financing options and links to a financial program decision tool and guide.
Environmental Education Grants EPA, Office of Environmental Education Supports environmental education projects that increase the public's awareness of environmental issues and provide them with the skills to take responsible actions to protect the environment.
Environmental Justice Small Grants Program EPA, Office of Environmental Justice Empowers communities working on solutions to local environmental and public health issues by helping grantees build collaborative partnerships to understand and address these issues.
Pollution Prevention Grants and Funding EPA, Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics Offers several grant programs to promote pollution prevention through source reduction and resource conservation.
DERA School Bus Rebate Program EPA National Clean Diesel Campaign The Diesel Emission Reduction Act (DERA) funds eligible applicants to replace older school buses with newer buses powered by certified 2012 or newer engines.
Partnership Grants, Assistance and Programs Partnership for Sustainable Communities (EPA, Department of Transportation, Department of Housing and Urban Development) Supports communities in creating vibrant, healthy neighborhoods that provide more housing options, economic opportunities and efficient transportation while reinforcing existing investments.
Funding Opportunities EPA National Center for Environmental Research Grants include the Science to Achieve Results (STAR) Program; the Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) Program; the People, Prosperity and the Planet (P3) Program; and other Fellowship Programs.
Nongovernmental Organization Grants
Special Grants to Educators The NEA Foundation The foundation periodically offers grants for projects in specific subject, grade and geographic areas.
Funding Search FindYouthInfo.gov Helps youth-serving organizations and community partnerships find federal funding for youth programs.
School Facilities Funding Options National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities Offers an annotated list of links, books and journal articles on funding methods for construction and modernization of public school facilities.
Grants and Awards National Environmental Education Foundation Awards in core programs—Classroom Earth, National Public Lands Day, Environmental Education Week, Business and Environment, Earth Gauge and Health and Environment—strengthen the environmental education field.
Chapters Grants U.S. Green Building Council Impact Grants, Capacity Building Grants and Strategic Investment Grants are provided to support numerous types of sustainability initiatives, including higher performing schools.
Fellowship Program The Center for Green Schools Green schools fellows are appointed for three years to school districts with a demonstrated need and suggested initiatives for greening the district.
Foundation Grants The Lawrence Foundation Offers grants to nonprofit organizations twice a year to support environmental, education, human services and other causes.
Grants and Fundraising The National Gardening Association Provides funding and support to youth and school programs to start or sustain established gardens.
Greenworks! Grant Opportunities Project Learning Tree Provides grants of $1,000-$3,000 to communities for environmental education and conservation projects, such as forest improvement, streamside restoration, a native plant garden, recycling, energy conservation and more.
Education Support Opportunities TREE Fund Funds programs seeking to increase knowledge in the fields of arboriculture and urban forestry.
Environmental Curricula Grants Melinda Gray Ardia Environmental Foundation Supports the creation of environmental curricula that help children understand the natural world, become informed ecological decision makers and help solve environmental and social problems.
The Lorrie Otto Seeds for Education Grant Program The Wild Ones Seeds for Education Program Funds schools, nature centers and other nonprofit places of learning with a site available for an environmental stewardship project.
Corporate Grants
Community Impact Grants Program The Home Depot Foundation Grants up to $5,000 are available to registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations and tax-exempt public service agencies in the U.S. that are using the power of volunteers to improve the physical health of their community.
Toolbox for Education Grant Program Lowe's Charitable and Educational Foundation Up to 1,000 public schools and public school parent/teacher groups are funded each year to support grassroots projects to improve schools and communities.
Local Giving Walmart Offers grants of $250-$2,500 in four core areas: hunger relief and healthy eating, sustainability, women's economic empowerment and career opportunity.
School Garden Grant Program Whole Kids Foundation (Whole Foods Market) Supports a variety of programs and educational materials to help schools create communities that place value on good food choices.
Grants for Gardens Annie's Homegrown, Inc. Provides donations to schools and other educational programs that help put children in direct contact with growing real food. The site also links to Annie's Garden Funder to set up a fundraiser on CrowdRise.
Explore Fund The North Face Funds nonprofit organizations that are working to reconnect children with nature and to inspire and enable the next generation of explorers.
Nonmonetary Awards
National Environmental Leadership Award in Asthma Management EPA Recognizes programs for delivering excellent environmental asthma management as part of their comprehensive asthma care services.
Asthma-Friendly Schools Initiative Champion Awards American Lung Association Recognizes schools for taking action to create a healthier learning environment for students living with asthma.
State Grants
Beautification Award for Public Schools Cooke Foundation (HI) Recognizes exemplary completed projects that enhance the overall appearance and ambiance of Hawaii public schools.
Bright Green Future School Grants City of Austin, TX Offers funding to exciting sustainability projects at one elementary, middle and high school each year.
ConserFund South Carolina Energy Office Provides low-cost revolving loans for energy efficiency improvements in state agencies, public colleges or universities, school districts, local governments and private nonprofit organizations.
Green Schools Grant Program Kansas Department of Health and Environment; Kansas Association for Conservation and Environmental Education Encourages schools to develop creative, innovative, effective environmental projects to improve the environment; make schools a healthier place to learn, play and work; and save money through reduced use of resources, while incorporating strong educational components.
Green Schools Grants Climate Cycle (Chicago, IL) Offers funding to schools that inspire students to green the world through a variety of programming, such as solar energy, waste reduction, school gardens, pedal-powered classrooms and more.
High Performance Green School Planning Grant Governor's Green Government Council (PA) Helps defray the costs for schools to invest in high performance green schools, including building energy simulations and daylight modeling, green coaches and consultant fees, design fees and LEED for Schools certification costs.