Grants

The Environmental Literacy Program offers competitive grant funding.

Education grants in support of NOAA's mission

Working at national, regional, and local levels, our funded projects educate and inspire people to use Earth systems science to improve ecosystem stewardship and increase resilience to environmental hazards. Education plays a critical role in achieving NOAA’s mission and vision. To make the best social, economic, and environmental decisions, individuals should have the ability to understand scientific processes, consider uncertainty, and reason about the ways human and natural systems interact (NOAA's Education Strategic Plan, 2021–2040). Since 2005, our grants have supported formal (K-12) and informal education projects that cultivate these skillsets among diverse audiences.

Environmental Literacy Program grants

NOAA's Office of Education regularly offers the environmental literacy grants competition. Since 2015, this competition has focused on helping communities build the environmental literacy necessary for resilience to extreme weather, climate change, and other environmental hazards. Read about our 2015-2022 awards.

NOAA's mission is directed toward a vision of the future where communities and their ecosystems are healthy and resilient in the face of sudden or prolonged environmental change. To achieve this vision, NOAA strives to understand current conditions, project future changes, and help people make informed decisions that reduce their vulnerability and increase their ability to cope with environmental hazards. Environmental literacy grants are creating new models for how education can improve community resilience. Read more about the theory behind these approaches in NOAA's Community Resilience Education Theory of Change.

ELP competition status

All deadlines for the Fiscal Year 2022 Environmental Literacy Program (ELP) Funding Opportunity have passed. This funding opportunity solicited projects that develop the collective environmental literacy necessary for communities to take actions that build resilience to extreme weather and climate change in ways that contribute to community health, social cohesion, and socio-economic equity. We are currently assessing when our next competition would be issued, but it would most likely not be until the fall of 2024.

Please check the Apply page for more information.

Competition History

2022-2023: Increasing community resilience to extreme weather and climate change
NOAA-SEC-OED-2022-2006995

Competition Summary

2020-2021: Supporting the education of K-12 students and the public for community resilience

NOAA-SEC-OED-2020-2006190

Competition Summary

2018-2019:Supporting the education of K-12 students and the public for community resilience
NOAA-SEC-OED-2018-2005455

Competition Summary

2016-2017: Strengthening the Public's and/or K-12 Students' Environmental Literacy for Community Resilience
NOAA-SEC-OED-2016-2004737

Competition Summary

2015: ELG for Community Resilience to Extreme Weather Events and Environmental Changes
NOAA-SEC-OED-2015-2004408

Competition Summary

2013: ELG for Building Capacity of Informal and Formal Educators

NOAA-SEC-OED-2013-2003614

2012: Ocean Education Partnership Grants

NOAA-SEC-OED-2012-2003333

2011-2012: ELG for Formal K-12 Education

NOAA-SEC-OED-2011-2002608

2010: ELG for Informal/Nonformal Education

NOAA-SEC-OED-2010-2002248

2009: Ocean Education Grants for AZA Aquariums

NOAA-SEC-OED-2009-2001842

2009: ELG for Science On a Sphere Network Capacity Building

SEC-OED-2009-2001662

2008-2009: ELG for Formal K-12 Education

SEC-OED-2009-2001282

2008: ELG for Spherical Display Systems for Earth Systems Science-Installations & Content

SEC-OED-2008-2001089

2007: ELG for Formal K-12 Education

SEC-OED-2007-2000863

2007: ELG for Free-choice Learning

SEC-OED-2007-2000859

2006: Science On a Sphere Installation Cooperative Agreements

USEC-OED-2006-2000625

2006: Environmental Literacy

SEC-OED-2006-2000467

2005: Environmental Literacy
USEC-OESD-2005-2000118
 

For questions about the Environmental Literacy Program, please email oed.grants@noaa.gov.