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Use the filter menu and interactive map to explore the past competitions offered and grants awarded through the Environmental Literacy Program.

To learn more about project findings and outcomes, view the summaries of our grantees’ summative evaluation reports.

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Science Center Public Forums: Community Engagement for Environmental Literacy, Improved Resilience, and Decision-Making

Funding: $499,901
Year: 2015
By engaging diverse publics in immersive and deliberative learning forums, this three-year project will use NOAA data and expertise to strengthen community resilience and decision-making around a variety of climate and weather-related hazards across the United States. Led by Arizona State University’s Consortium for Science, Policy & Outcomes and the Museum of Science Boston, the project will develop citizen forums hosted by regional science centers to create a new, replicable model for learning and engagement.

By engaging diverse publics in immersive and deliberative learning forums, this three-year project will use NOAA data and expertise to strengthen community resilience and decision-making around a variety of climate and weather-related hazards across the United States. Led by Arizona State University’s Consortium for Science, Policy & Outcomes and the Museum of Science Boston, the project will develop citizen forums hosted by regional science centers to create a new, replicable model for learning and engagement. These forums, to be hosted initially in Boston and Phoenix and then expanded to an additional six sites around the U.S., will facilitate public deliberation on real-world issues of concern to local communities, including rising sea levels, extreme precipitation, heat waves, and drought. The forums will identify and clarify citizen values and perspectives while creating stakeholder networks in support of local resilience measures. The forum materials developed in collaboration with NOAA will foster better understanding of environmental changes and best practices for improving community resiliency, and will create a suite of materials and case studies adaptable for use by science centers, teachers, and students. With regional science centers bringing together the public, scientific experts, and local officials, the project will create resilience-centered partnerships and a framework for learning and engagement that can be replicated nationwide.

Award Number: NA15SEC0080005
Grant Dates: 10/01/2015 to 03/31/2019
PI: Dan Sarewitz
State: Arizona   County:   Maricopa District: AZ04
Partners: Bishop Museum · Science Museum of Minnesota · Northeastern University (NU) / Marine Science Center (MSC) · Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) · Museum of Science Boston · Arizona Science Center · Chabot Space and Science Center · Museum of Life and Science · Ellerbe Creek Watershed Association · City of Cambridge · U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) · NOAA Climate Program Office (CPO) · University of Arizona / College of Agriculture & Life Sciences / Arizona Project WET · University of Massachusetts Boston's School for the Environment · Boston Harbor Now · City of Boston · Newton Public Schools / Newton North High School · Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM) · Gulf Coast Exploreum Science Center · University of Southern Alabama / Civil, Coastal, and Environmental Engineering · North Suffolk Mental Health · Arizona State University (ASU) / Decision Center for a Desert City (DCDC) · City of Louisville · City of Honolulu / Office of Climate Change, Sustainability and Resiliency ·

Environmental Service-Learning Project (ESLP)

Earth Force offsite link · Denver, Colorado
Funding: $677,192
Year: 2012
The Great Lakes Science and Service Learning Initiative (GLSSLI) is a collaborative effort to take Earth Force's proven science-based service learning approach to scale in Michigan by institutionalizing the model within Michigan school districts. By working with the Michigan Community Service Commission's Learn & Serve program and the Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative we are able to leverage statewide structures to make grants directly to school districts, support school districts as they institutionalize the programs and provide on-going professional development to educators.

The Great Lakes Science and Service Learning Initiative (GLSSLI) is a collaborative effort to take Earth Force's proven science-based service learning approach to scale in Michigan by institutionalizing the model within Michigan school districts. By working with the Michigan Community Service Commission's Learn & Serve program and the Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative we are able to leverage statewide structures to make grants directly to school districts, support school districts as they institutionalize the programs and provide on-going professional development to educators. Scaling the GREEN model will deepen student understanding of science by working directly on the environmental problems facing their communities and develop the skills and personal commitment inherent in environmental literacy.

Award Number: NA12SEC0080007
Grant Dates: 08/01/2012 to 10/31/2015
PI: Jan Sneddon
State: Colorado   County:   Denver District: CO01
Partners: Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative · Michigan Community Service Commission · NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (GLERL) · Lake Superior Stewardship Initiative · West Michigan Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative · Southeast Michigan Stewardship Coalition (SEMIS) · Adams Township School District · Lake Linden–Hubbell Public School District · Stanton Township Public Schools · Houghton–Portage Township School District · North Muskegon Public Schools · Montague Area Public Schools · Brandeis University / Center for Youth and Communities ·

Here to the Ocean, a nationally traveling museum exhibition

Sciencenter offsite link · Ithaca, New York
Funding: $750,000
Year: 2008
The Sciencenter seeks to develop a 1,500-square-foot traveling exhibition, called "Here to the Ocean," on how activity in inland watersheds affects the health of the ocean, and therefore the planet. The unifying theme of the exhibition is "What we do here, has an impact there," and the key take-home message for museum visitors is that ocean water quality is not just a coastal issue.

The Sciencenter seeks to develop a 1,500-square-foot traveling exhibition, called "Here to the Ocean," on how activity in inland watersheds affects the health of the ocean, and therefore the planet. The unifying theme of the exhibition is "What we do here, has an impact there," and the key take-home message for museum visitors is that ocean water quality is not just a coastal issue. This exhibition will travel to museums throughout the United States, reaching an estimated 200,000+ visitors annually for at least seven years, resulting in an estimated total impact of 1.5 million visitors in at least 20 U.S. cities. The core audience of this exhibition will be families with children ages 6-12, and children visiting museums in school groups. "Here to the Ocean" will feature interactive open-ended exhibits that bring watershed science to life, including an immersive experience allowing visitors to conduct their own virtual underwater tours of watersheds by stepping inside and operating a submersible research vehicle on an expedition from a backyard creek all the way to the ocean. This and other exhibits will feature stunning high-definition video footage depicting fauna from various water ecosystems, as well as human activities that affect watershed health. Additional hands-on exhibits will help visitors to understand how watersheds are connected to the ocean, basic concepts in hydrology, the impact of pollution, and what science offers in the way of solutions to watershed problems. Exhibits will be designed to inspire visitors to adopt behaviors that protect their local watersheds. Visitors experiencing this exhibition will: 1) leave with an increased understanding of watershed science that will help them make informed, data-driven decisions on issues relating to watersheds; 2) have an increased awareness of the importance of watershed health and positive attitudes about the need to protect local watersheds; 3) have an increased understanding of the value of science in solving environmental problems and will be inspired to stay involved in science through school and/or career; and 4) feel an increased sense of personal watershed stewardship which they will share with others.

Award Number: NA08SEC4690025
Grant Dates: 06/01/2008 to 09/30/2012
PI: Charles Trautmann
State: New York   County:   Tompkins District: NY19
Partners: Cornell University / Cornell Lab of Ornithology ·