Explore awards

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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Worldviews Network: Ecological Literacy Programming for Digital Planetariums and Beyond

California Academy of Sciences offsite link · San Francisco, California
Funding: $311,847
Year: 2010
The Worldviews Network - a collaboration of institutions that have pioneered Earth systems research, education and evaluation methods - is creating innovative approaches for engaging the American public in dialogues about human-induced global changes. Leveraging the power of immersive scientific visualization environments at informal science centers across the US, we are developing transformative educational processes that integrate the benefits of visual thinking, systems thinking, and design thinking.

The Worldviews Network - a collaboration of institutions that have pioneered Earth systems research, education and evaluation methods - is creating innovative approaches for engaging the American public in dialogues about human-induced global changes. Leveraging the power of immersive scientific visualization environments at informal science centers across the US, we are developing transformative educational processes that integrate the benefits of visual thinking, systems thinking, and design thinking. This "seeing, knowing, doing" approach empowers educators with tools and techniques that help audiences to visualize, comprehend, and address complex issues from a whole-systems perspective. The Worldviews Network will make explicit the interconnections of Earth's life support systems across time and space as well as inspire community participation in design processes by providing real-world examples of successful projects that are increasing the healthy functioning of regional and global ecosystems.

Award Number: NA10SEC0080017
Grant Dates: 10/01/2010 to 09/01/2013
PI: Ryan Wyatt
State: California   County:   San Francisco District: CA11
Partners: American Museum of Natural History · Denver Museum of Nature and Science · Institute for Learning Innovation · Fort Worth Museum of Science and History · NASA Ames Exploration Center · NASA Goddard Space Flight Center · Bell Museum · Elumenati · Journey Museum & Learning Center · University of Michigan / Museum of Natural History · University of North Carolina at Asheville · WGBH Educational Foundation ·

Chesapeake Bay Watershed Education Scale-up Initiative

National Geographic Society offsite link · Washington, District of Columbia
Funding: $1,921,378
Year: 2012
The Chesapeake Bay Watershed Education Scale-up Initiative is a project-based educational program that engages students in 21st century investigations of watershed concepts using real-time geospatial technology. The project's goal is to provide as many as 20,000 students across eight states with a dynamic, geographic learning experience that combines classroom learning activities with outdoor field experiences and technology-supported inquiry. To achieve this goal, the project will provide professional development for 400 educators across the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.

The Chesapeake Bay Watershed Education Scale-up Initiative is a project-based educational program that engages students in 21st century investigations of watershed concepts using real-time geospatial technology. The project's goal is to provide as many as 20,000 students across eight states with a dynamic, geographic learning experience that combines classroom learning activities with outdoor field experiences and technology-supported inquiry. To achieve this goal, the project will provide professional development for 400 educators across the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. This project builds on an existing educational citizen science project launched by the National Geographic Society in 2009 to study water quality in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed and has been designed to serve as a national model for the implementation of classroom and field-based learning.

Competition: 2012: NOAA Broad Agency Announcement for FY 2012—2013
Award Number: NA12SEC0080021
Grant Dates: 07/01/2012 to 09/30/2014
PI: Kathleen Schwille
State: District of Columbia   County:   District of Columbia District: DC00
Partners: Delaware Department of Education · Longwood University · Rowan University · Spotsylvania County Public Schools · Sultana Education Foundation · Concord University · Monroe Community College in Rochester · Mountain Institute · Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts · Renfrew Institute · Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania · Social Studies Coalition of Delaware (SSCD) · South Jersey Land and Water Trust · State University of New York at Buffalo · University of Delaware · University of Maryland / Center for Environmental Science / Appalachian Laboratory · University of Maryland (UMD) Baltimore County ·

Science on a Sphere – Earth Systems Display Center at Science Museum of Virginia

Funding: $297,396
Year: 2010
The Science Museum of Virginia has assembled a unique team of federal, state, and private institutions to create The Earth System Display Center based on the Science on a Sphere (SOS) platform. The goal of the Center is to capture the visitor's attention and spur interest in climate change literacy and how impacts on a local scale can have an aggregate effect globally.

The Science Museum of Virginia has assembled a unique team of federal, state, and private institutions to create The Earth System Display Center based on the Science on a Sphere (SOS) platform. The goal of the Center is to capture the visitor's attention and spur interest in climate change literacy and how impacts on a local scale can have an aggregate effect globally. Of particular significance are a docent training program to stimulate and facilitate visitor interaction with the Sphere through dialogue, and formative and summative evaluation of the impact of docent led Sphere experiences with the general public. SOS will anchor a new data display center for examining global impacts of energy consumption, stormwater management, agriculture practices, and climate change - tying together Earth system themes from four major projects now underway at the Science Museum in Richmond, Virginia. Use of NOAA data sets and the Sphere as a dynamic presentation tools coupled with flatscreens will enable the conveyance of local and statewide trends and issues into a compelling global context.

Award Number: NA10SEC0080023
Grant Dates: 10/01/2010 to 09/30/2012
PI: Richard Conti
State: Virginia   County:   Richmond City District: VA04
Partners: University of Wisconsin–Madison / Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies (CIMSS) · George Mason University / Center for Climate Change Communication (4C) · James Madison University · NASA Goddard Space Flight Center · Virginia State University (VSU) ·

Learn, Prepare, Act – Resilient Citizens Make Resilient Communities

Funding: $477,052
Year: 2015
The Science Museum of Virginia’s three-year informal climate change resilience education project, “Your Actions Matter: Resilient Citizens Make Resilient Communities,” yielded three overarching lessons learned: 1) understand and use organizational strengths and limitations to advance resilience education, 2) Arts and Humanities are critical for resilience education, and 3) localize the story of climate change and its solutions.

The Science Museum of Virginia’s three-year informal climate change resilience education project, “Your Actions Matter: Resilient Citizens Make Resilient Communities,” yielded three overarching lessons learned: 1) understand and use organizational strengths and limitations to advance resilience education, 2) Arts and Humanities are critical for resilience education, and 3) localize the story of climate change and its solutions. Our programming relied on planning and executing two, 5-week “Climate Connections” Lecture Series featuring national climate science researchers, three annual “Prepareathon” events to connect communities with emergency management personnel and services (as well as local meteorologists and climate scientists), two community-focused workshops to engage guests in building resilience to extreme precipitation and urban heat, producing dozens of radio and video programs for public dissemination of climate science concepts, hosting several “Extreme Event Challenge” facilitations for guests to assume manager roles in a crisis, designed numerous scripts and dataset playlists for daily SOS presentations, production of a large format film about cosmic perspectives on climate change, performed theatrical scripts of human sides of climate impacts, leveraged artistic expression and sonification of climate science datasets in public events and exhibits, and undertook the first citizen science climate change campaign in the Museum’s history. Our audiences regularly stretched from preschool learners to retirement-aged individuals, served many thousands from formal education and professional organizations, and that our programming regularly attracted audiences from government agencies, policymakers, fine arts institutions, and urban planners. Our audience reach easily surpassed 1.2 million people locally, nationally, and internationally, with most from metro-Richmond, Virginia. Based on formative evaluation, our substantial restructuring of our initially proposed programming model yielded high-impact educational outcomes. “Ready Row Homes: Preparing for a Hotter, Wetter Virginia” experience achieved highest educational impact of communicating both climate change science and individual resilience behaviors. Our SOS facilitations and Large Format Film, Cosmic Climate Cookbook, performed highly in communicating climate science, but relatively limited in resilience behavior. Extreme Event Challenge has high impact for communicating resilience strategies, but not as well in communicating climate science. Our informative climate science Lecture Series were comparatively limited in communicating resilience. This array of programming successes was greatly improved by collaborations with project partners: WCVE disseminated audio and video programs; George Mason University's Center for Climate Change Communication guided our storytelling techniques for SOS; NOAA assets (i.e., NWS, Chesapeake Bay Office, SOS Network) contributed information and speakers; Randi Korn & Associates provided evaluation; Resilient Virginia marketed programs and designed workshops; and Virginia Institute of Marine Science provided significant expertise through speakers and datasets. New, substantial project partners included Groundwork RVA (co-developed “Throwing Shade in RVA” teen program and participated in urban heat island citizen science projects); Alliance for Chesapeake Bay (provided free rain barrels and workshop educational content); Richmond City’s Department of Planning Review and Sustainability Office coordinated dissemination of outreach materials and executed urban heat island citizen science project; and Franklin Institute (helped guide development of a Virginia-specific facilitation of Ready Row Home hands-on experiences).

Award Number: NA15SEC0080009
Grant Dates: 12/31/2015 to 12/30/2018
PI: Jeremy Hoffman
State: Virginia   County:   Richmond City District: VA04
Partners: University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) Center for Science Education · George Mason University / Center for Climate Change Communication (4C) · Franklin Institute · Nature Conservancy Headquarters · Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) / Marine Advisory Services · NOAA Climate Program Office (CPO) · Resilient Virginia · Community Idea Stations · NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office · NOAA National Weather Service (NWS) Wakefield, VA Forecast Office · National Sea Grant College Program / Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) · Virginia Environmental Endowment · Virginia Commonwealth University / Center for Environmental Studies · Virginia Foundation for the Humanities · University of Richmond · Virginia Commonwealth University / School of the Arts · Virginia Commonwealth University / School of Engineering · Richmond City Sustainability · Portland State University / Sustaining Urban Places Research (SUPR) Lab · Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (VDEQ) · Virginia Department of Health · Sierra Club / Virginia Chapter · Virginia Academy of Science · Groundwork RVA · City of Richmond / Planning and Development Review · Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay · Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden / Beautiful RVA · Maryland Department of Health · Department of Energy and Environment · Enrichmond Foundation ·

Climate Resilience and Community-driven Action With a Hyperlocalized Public Forum

Funding: $307,685
Year: 2020
The Science Museum of Virginia will build upon its community science experience and its role as a trusted source of climate science information to lead “Climate Resilience and Community-driven Action with a Hyperlocalized Public Forum in Richmond, VA” in partnership with Virginia Community Voice, Groundwork RVA, Happily Natural Day, and Southside ReLeaf - local nonprofits with proven track records of effecting change through community engagement and urban greening initiatives.

The Science Museum of Virginia will build upon its community science experience and its role as a trusted source of climate science information to lead “Climate Resilience and Community-driven Action with a Hyperlocalized Public Forum in Richmond, VA” in partnership with Virginia Community Voice, Groundwork RVA, Happily Natural Day, and Southside ReLeaf - local nonprofits with proven track records of effecting change through community engagement and urban greening initiatives. This project supports Richmond’s work to heal social, racial, and environmental injustices by increasing community resilience to climate change through placemaking. Richmond served as both the Capital of the Confederacy and the United States’ second largest trading port for enslaved persons during the 19th century. In the 1930s and 1940s, redlining - the systematic denial of access to home loans, mortgage insurance, or credit based on an applicant’s race or ethnicity - effectively segregated people of color into less desirable urban neighborhoods. Research conducted both in Richmond and nationwide demonstrates that, today, formerly redlined neighborhoods tend to be significantly hotter, more prone to flooding, and experience poorer air quality than non-redlined areas. These neighborhoods also tend to be home to individuals - mostly Black and brown - with the fewest resources to adapt to the health and financial impacts of human-caused climate change, which continues to intensify each year. Richmond’s mayor and Office of Sustainability support this project, which will align community vision with existing planning efforts that seek to build a Richmond that is “a sustainable and resilient city with healthy air, clean water, and a flourishing ecosystem that nurtures healthy communities, increases resiliency to the effects of a changing climate through adaptation and mitigation, develops the built environment to enhance natural assets, and ensures all people have access to nature and healthy communities.” Because resiliency is a process, youth and adults participating in this project will explore hazards (specifically flooding and extreme heat); assess their vulnerability and risks (determine how climate change is currently harming, or will most likely harm, neighborhoods); investigate options (by determining which resilience-building strategies are most effective for each community and vision); prioritize and plan local resilience-building strategies (ensuring that residents’ vision can be realized); and take action by implementing and sustaining projects in the community with project partners. Strategies may include placemaking through planting trees, building permeable pathways, constructing shade structures, and creating community gardens to provide shade, fresh food, and neighborhood gathering spaces, as well as rainwater harvesting and bioretention rain gardens to mitigate stormwater issues. This project is unique because it will actively support nonprofits that engage historically underserved people whose voice is commonly left out of City planning efforts, increase their environmental literacy, and provide resources needed to enact their vision. RK&A will evaluate the project, which will build upon evaluation data from the Science Museum’s previous NOAA ELP-funded project - “Learn, Prepare, Act - Resilient Citizens Make Resilient Communities” - and a NOAA-funded project by the Museum of Science Boston - “Citizen Science, Civics, and Resilient Communities: Increasing Resilience Through Citizen-Created Data, Local Knowledge and Community Values.”

Award Number: NA20SEC0080007
Grant Dates: 12/31/2020 to 12/30/2023
PI: Elli Bosch
State: Virginia   County:   Richmond City District: VA04
Partners: Museum of Science Boston · NOAA Climate Program Office (CPO) · Virginia Department of Health · Groundwork RVA · City of Richmond / Mayor's Office · Virginia Community Voice · Happily Natural Day · Southside Releaf · Reforest Richmond · RVA Rapid Transit · Radio Poder—Richmond's Spanish Radio ·