Environmental Education Grants

Northumberland County

• Bucknell University: $29,997 for an “Air Quality Sensor Toolkit and Workshop for K-12 Schools.” Bucknell University will create an air quality sensor toolkit to support student-directed science education (grades 6-12) and will host a workshop for formal educators from the area, including the Lower Anthracite Coal Region, to support the use of the toolkit.

Lackawanna County

• Keystone College: $18,812 for the “Environmental Explorers: The Woodland Campus at Keystone Campus” program, which, in partnership with the Scranton School District, will host Environmental Explorers – The Woodland Campus at Keystone College program, a five-day immersive program designed to engage students through inquiry-based projects, citizen science, and cross-disciplinary activities that explore the environmental factors affecting water quality.
• Northeastern Educational Intermediate Unit 19: $30,000 for the “Flowing Forward: A Watershed Education Initiative for Grades 3-5" program, which prepares teachers from over 20 local school districts to lead a Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience (MWEE) while incorporating instructional strategies aligned with Pennsylvania’s STEELS and Environment Literacy and Sustainability Standards.

Lehigh

• Lehigh County Conservation District: $5,000 for the “Reclaiming Roots: From Classroom to Courtyard” program, which, in partnership with Whitehall-Coplay Middle School, will transform an underutilized courtyard into a vibrant outdoor classroom that will offer hands-on learning opportunities that connect students to concepts of climate resilience, water systems, and sustainability

Luzerne

• Luzerne Conservation District: $4,987 for “Fostering Inclusive Connections to the Watershed,” which, in partnership with Eastern Pennsylvania Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation and North Branch Land Trust, will hold six high school level workshops for underserved communities. The workshops will address PA Academic Standards and engage the audience in hands-on activities, classroom, and field experiences.

Schuylkill County

• Schuylkill Conservation District: $3,751 for the “Outdoor Wildlife Learning Summer Nature Camp,” which, partnering with Assumption Blessed Virgin Mary School in an environmental justice area, will deliver the nonformal four-week Outdoor Wilderness Learning (OWL) Summer Nature Camp in 2026, with funding requested for three weeks.

Wayne

• Lacawac Sanctuary Foundation: $29,905 for the launch of “WAVE: Water Camp: Action for a Viable Environment,” a regional education and engagement initiative designed to address the interconnected challenges of water quality and climate resilience in northeastern Pennsylvania.
• Wayne Conservation District: $867 for “Under the Leaves: Exploring the Lacakwaxen River,” a hands-on streamside workshop for members of the public to learn about stream ecology and water quality using the Stroud Leaf Pack Network, tree identification, and fishing recreation, in partnership with volunteers from Trout Unlimited chapter #462.

Erie

• Gannon University: $30,000 for the “Breaking Barriers: Shoreline Scholars Summer Program,” a free week-long summer camp designed for low-income and underserved middle school aged (grades 6-8) youth. Each day will have an educational theme based on the Lake Erie watershed, including the relation between land-based activities and water quality, and will feature science, history, and art all aligned with PA STEELS standards.
• Groundwork Erie: $29,983 for “Community Resilience Teams: Mapping, Learning, and Taking Action in Erie,” which will implement Community Resilience Teams: Mapping, Learning, and Taking Action, an intergenerational environmental education project engaging 48 residents from Erie’s Environmental Justice neighborhoods. Participants will study air, water, soil, brownfields, heat, and health through hands-on workshops, mapping, and data collection using Groundwork USA’s Environmental Justice Literacy Curriculum. 
• Regional Science Consortium at Presque Isle Center: $30,000 for the “Community Environmental Workshop Series: Protection Water Quality Through Land Stewardship,” which will host four community interactive workshops for the general public/families at the Tom Ridge Environmental Center, providing base knowledge about land use, stormwater runoff, pollutants (including nutrients), and water quality which provide in-home/personal property solutions.
• Presque Isle Light Station: $30,000 for “The Sunflower Project: Using Phytoremediation to Remove Heavy Metals at Historic Site,” which will develop and implement The Sunflower Project — a 4-part series spanning the academic year for students Grades 4-9 from 3-5 school districts, educating on industrial pollution.
• Erie County Conservation District: $30,000 for the “Hidden Creeks Public Art Project,” which will create and install 8 public art pieces and accompanying signs, 2 stand-alone signs, and an interactive website to highlight the history of the Mill Creek Flood, the engineering of the Mill Creek Tube, the impact on water quality by burying a creek beneath city infrastructure, and how the community can assist with the preservation and conservation of our water supply.

Dauphin

• Pennsylvania State University: $30,000 for the “Teaching the Air We Breathe: Empowering Teachers for Student-led Environmental Research” program, which will provide professional development for 20 secondary educators on using PurpleAir PM2.5 sensors, Air Quality Index (AQI) interpretation, and PA STEELS standards that emphasizes the Environmental Justice implications of air quality in marginalized communities.

Lancaster County

• Riverstewards, Inc.: $4,900 for the “Riparian Native Food Forest Pilot,” which, in partnership with educator SC Wharton, proposes to establish a 100 sq. ft. Miyawaki Native Food Forest in a riparian area of Lancaster County with the help of students in 4th and 6th grade.

Perry

• LEAF Project: $29,348 for the “From Creek to Crop: Youth Water Monitoring and Sustainability Project.” LEAF will partner with ALLARM to equip youth leaders to build a deeper relationship with Shermans Creek, the waterway that nourishes our farm and community. Youth will develop a stream-monitoring SOP to understand water quality, non-point source pollution, and soil and water conservation on our land.

• Pennsylvania Resources Council, Inc: $22,485 for “Zero Waste at Home.” PRC will conduct eight Zero Waste at Home workshops for adult residents in Environmental Justice communities in Southeastern and Southwestern Pennsylvania. The program addresses common barriers to sustainable living by providing practical, low-cost strategies to reduce household waste and consumption. (Beaver, Fayette, Allegheny, and Delaware counties)
• The Watersmith Guild, Inc.: $28,894 for the “First Waves Regional Series” program that fuses paddleboarding, river exploration, conservation, and the art of filmmaking with hands-on environmental education to engage underserved youth across Western Pennsylvania. Through 20 workshops and 65 non-formal education modules, students explore waterways, conduct citizen science research, study connections between air, land, and water quality, and create their own environmental documentaries. (Cambria, Erie, Allegheny, Beaver, and Indiana counties)
• Pennsylvania State University: $30,000 for the “Supporting the Robust Environmental Education Pipeline Within Science-U Summer Camps,” project which strengthens Science-U’s Environmental Education Pipeline by delivering cohesive, grade-aligned environmental learning for students in grades 2–12. Updated 2026 programming includes Earth Keepers, Eco Investigators, Middle School Ecology, and ArtLab, each offering hands-on field studies, STEELS-aligned lessons, and citizen science investigations. (Centre and Huntingdon counties)
• Lower Merion Conservancy: $30,000 for “Growing Greener Communities: Building Resilient Neighborhoods Through Partnership and Education,” an environmental education initiative that teaches community members how green landscaping can conserve and build soil, create habitat, sequester carbon, and improve water quality. (Delaware, Philadelphia, and Montgomery counties) 
• The Pennsylvania State University: $64,125 for “The Penn State K-12 Sustainability Summit,” which will bring together 50 education leaders from 25 school districts and Intermediate Units to strengthen K12-University partnerships for sustainability. This third annual two-day event will support educators in advancing STEELS standards, pursuing PDE Pathways to Green Schools recognition, and collaborating on curricular projects. (Huntingdon and Centre counties)
• Allentown City School District: $12,543 for the “Third Grade Climate Camp Water Data Detectives: Comparing PA Ecosystems” program. Third grade students at Central STREAM Academy will compare climate and water quality across three environments: Jordan Park, Hawk Mountain, and Lake Nockamixon, through field-based data collection using multiparameter kits. (Lehigh, Berks, and Bucks counties)
• BLaST Intermediate Unit 17: $29,870 for BLaST Intermediate Unit 17 to lead “Cross Connectors: Environmental Education for Real World Application,” a formal education initiative designed to connect high school, grades 9-12, and college students through environmental literacy, watershed awareness, and community action projects. (Lycoming and Bradford counties)
• Spirit and Truth Fellowship: $29,897 for “Faith-based Climate Justice Education Initiative in Philadelphia.” The Climate Witness Project (CWP), operating out of Spirit and Truth Fellowship (STF), will work with partners in the low-income community of Hunting Park (HP), Philadelphia to (a) run three more bilingual 10-wk solar installer vocational training courses prioritizing local residents; and (b) run one 4-wk course to train residents in applying cool roof coatings. (Philadelphia and Delaware counties)
• California Area School District: $29,823 for “Teaching Sustainability Through Honeybee Behavior and Genetics” workshops. California Area School District, with three partner districts, will lead nine monthly workshops on honeybee science and environmental education. Aligned with PA STEELS standards, sessions will use honeybee behavior and data to explore environmental challenges through hands-on experiments and expert guidance. (Washington and Allegheny counties) 
• Women for a Healthy Environment: $30,000 for the implementation of the “Eco-Student Stewardship Program (ESSP)” for grades 6-12 in PA Environmental Justice communities. ESSP is aligned to PA STEELS standards and will be implemented through school- and community-based workshops. Workshops will cover topics including: Clean & Safe Water, Air Quality & Climate Change, and Waste, students will conduct hands-on investigations, interpret data, and design a student-led Community Service Learning (CSL) project. (Westmoreland and Allegheny counties) 
• Private Industry Council of Westmoreland/Fayette, Inc.: $20,347 for “Environmental Education.” PIC Water Wise Summer Camp is a 10-day educational program in Lemont Furnace, PA, for 20 middle school students in Westmoreland or Fayette County School Districts to explore the importance of healthy waterways. (Westmoreland and Fayette counties) 
• Chester County Economic Development Foundation (CCEDF): $64,982 for CCEDF to launch “The Climate Connect: PA's Weather and Air Quality Explorers,” a state-wide program engaging students in grades K-8 with hands-on environmental learning through the installation of portable weather and air-quality stations, interactive related educational lessons, and real-time data collection.(Statewide)
• Pennsylvania Envirothon Inc.: $55,173 for the “Pennsylvania Envirothon,” one of the longest-running, hands-on environmental education programs, training high school students in five STEELS-aligned topics: Soils/Land Use, Aquatic Ecology, Wildlife, Forestry, and Current Environmental Issues such as climate change and water quality. (Statewide)