U.S. Department of Education Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers

NOAA Office of Education collaborates with the U.S. Department of Education through their interagency initiative designed to integrate high-quality Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) programming into Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) program sites. The 21st CCLC program is the largest out-of-school program in the nation, serving over 1.5 million students in all 50 states. 21st CCLC provide academic enrichment opportunities during out-of-school time for children, particularly students who attend high-poverty and low-performing schools. NOAA and 21st CCLC partner to deliver authentic STEM experiences that use components of the B-WET program’s Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences.

California Environmental Literacy Initiative offsite link

The California Environmental Literacy Initiative (CAELI) is a collective action network that seeks to ensure access to high-quality environment-based learning. CAELI supports efforts to increase awareness, build capacity, and strengthen the statewide ecosystem for prioritizing and implementing environmental education in California. The members of this collective action network include a wide array of expertise and contributions from educators, governmental and non-governmental agencies, scientists, sustainability professionals, and experts on the environment and systems change. The California B-WET program works closely with CAELI to increase access to impactful environment-based learning for all of California's PreK–12 students and teachers. 

Campaign for Outdoor Learning offsite link

The Campaign for Outdoor Learning aims to support student access to green schoolyards, walking field trips to nearby parks and open spaces, field trips that require transportation, and weeklong overnight outdoor science schools. 

Decades of research show that spending time outdoors has myriad benefits, especially for children. In September 2024, leaders from various fields and disciplines convened to form a coalition that unites educators, policymakers, researchers, and advocates to reimagine learning environments and address climate and environmental challenges. By fostering collaboration and challenging traditional ideas of where education happens, this effort is paving the way for a healthier, more inspiring future for all California’s students. The California B-WET program continues to support this initiative to ensure student access to outdoor learning opportunities.

Center for Great Lakes Literacy offsite link

The Center for Great Lakes Literacy (CGLL) is a collaborative initiative led by NOAA Sea Grant educators from across the Great Lakes watershed. CGLL fosters a community of Great Lakes and freshwater stewards by engaging, inspiring, and supporting educators, scientists, and youth. CGLL is increasing Great Lakes literacy and stewardship through the Great Lakes Literacy Principles offsite link and offering educational opportunities and resources. The Great Lakes B-WET program collaborates with CGLL on educational opportunities. CGLL members consistently provide expertise and resources to B-WET grantees across the Great Lakes region for their projects.

Chesapeake Bay Program offsite link

The Chesapeake Bay Program is a regional partnership that leads and directs the restoration of the Chesapeake Bay. Begun in 1983, the Chesapeake Bay Program brings together members of federal and state agencies, local governments, non-profit organizations, and academic institutions to build and adopt policies that support Chesapeake Bay restoration. Partners work toward shared goals, envisioning a watershed with clean water, abundant wildlife, and a vibrant cultural heritage, where people have access to waterways and open space and are engaged in conservation and stewardship. The NOAA B-WET program supports the commitment of the Chesapeake Bay Program to increase the number of students who participate in inquiry-based environmental literacy instruction with the aim of each student receiving at least one Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience in elementary, middle, and high school.

Great Lakes Restoration Initiative offsite link

The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) accelerates efforts to protect and restore the largest system of fresh surface water in the world, the Great Lakes. Since 2010, GLRI has provided funding to 16 federal agencies, including NOAA, to strategically target the biggest threats to the Great Lakes ecosystem and to accelerate progress towards achieving long-term goals. The Great Lakes B-WET program serves a vital role among NOAA’s GLRI-funded initiatives: supporting environmental education among the region’s youth. GLRI funds helped to establish the Great Lakes B-WET program and they continue to support and strengthen projects to foster the next generation’s engagement in Great Lakes issues.

Gulf of America Alliance offsite link

The Gulf of America Alliance is a regional ocean partnership working to enhance the ecological and economic health of the Gulf of America through increased regional collaboration. The Gulf of America Alliance is led by the five Gulf states (Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas) with support from federal agencies, academic organizations, non-profits, and businesses in the Gulf. Partners work together to address priority issues that directly affect the Gulf ecosystems and economies. The Gulf of America B-WET program funds local projects that address environmental priorities identified by the Gulf of America Alliance.

NOAA Ocean Guardian School Program 

The Ocean Guardian School program is a grant program that supports hands-on ocean stewardship projects in K-12 public, private, and charter schools. Ocean Guardian schools are awarded annually to fund school- or community-based projects that encourage students to explore their local ecology, learn about their watershed and its connection to the ocean, identify connections between their actions and the health of the environment, and forge a personal sense of stewardship and environmental leadership. Ocean Guardian activities align with the B-WET Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience framework by supporting student stewardship action projects. The program is managed by the NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries in coordination with the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation offsite link, with support from the B-WET program.