Environmental Education Funding Now Available throughout the Chesapeake Bay Region
The NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office partners with the Chesapeake Bay Trust to offer environmental educational grants in five states and the District of Columbia  

(ANNAPOLIS, MD – September 17, 2012) The Chesapeake Bay Trust, in partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Chesapeake Bay Office, is pleased to announce that its Mini Grant Environmental Education Program has expanded to fund K-12 environmental education in Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia.

A total of $425,000 is available for the Environmental Education Mini Grant Program annually, which includes funding from the NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office and the Chesapeake Bay Trust. Grants are accepted during three deadlines during each fiscal year; the next deadline is January 13, 2013, with decisions announced in March.

In years past, this program solely funded grant requests in Maryland and Washington, D.C., but now has grown to cover a wide range of student field experiences and action learning projects in an expanded geographical area that will raise awareness and involvement in the restoration and protection of the Chesapeake Bay and its local streams and rivers.

“Providing opportunities for young people to learn about the environment is a crucial step to restoring the Chesapeake Bay,” said Peyton Robertson, director of the NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office. “The Chesapeake Bay Trust’s expanded Mini Grant environmental education initiative, will teach even more students in the Chesapeake region to be responsible stewards of this truly remarkable ecosystem. More conscientious citizens will lead to a brighter future for the Bay.”

Through the Chesapeake Bay Trust’s Mini Grant Program, funding is available for schools, organizations and agencies for K-12 environmental education projects, programs and outdoor field experiences. Grants are available up to $5,000 for projects designed to accomplish one or more of the following: 1) educate students about how they can make a difference in watershed health; 2) engage school communities in education and restoration activities that benefit watershed health; 3) provide meaningful watershed education experiences for students and teachers; 4) provide environmental education professional development opportunities for teachers; or 5) support environmental literacy goals within schools, school systems and other educational institutions.

“Expanding environmental education is one of the key goals of the Chesapeake Bay Trust, and this program truly helps advance our mission by increasing student and teacher awareness about water quality and Bay restoration efforts,” said Dr. Jana Davis, executive director of the Chesapeake Bay Trust. “We are so pleased to now offer our K-12 Environmental Education Mini Grant Program to additional states through this newly expanded partnership with the NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office.”

For more information and to apply for the Environmental Education Mini Grant Program, visit www.cbtrust.org.