Schools and school districts, nonprofits, colleges and universities, county conservation districts, and business have until January 11, 2019 to apply to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (“DEP”) for environmental education grants. Applicants can seek either a general grant of up to $25,000 or a mini-grant of up to $3000. Grants have been used by organizations to address important environmental education topics in their communities. Priority topics for 2019 grants include issues related to water, climate change, and environmental justice.
Over the past 25 years, more than $12 million worth of environmental education grants have been awarded. The program was established by the Environmental Education Act, which mandates setting aside 5% of civil penalties collected by DEP annually for environmental education in Pennsylvania. Information on the grants can be found here. Grant applications must be submitted online.