Environmental Education Grants

Columbia

• Columbia County Conservation District was awarded $5,000 to host “Composting Towards a Climate Solution.” Activities will address how composting can help combat climate change while improving water quality.

Tioga

• Wellsboro Area School District was awarded $1,351 for “Mussels in the Classroom.” Students will study native mussels and the American Eel in the classroom and learn how these species can help improve water quality.

Carbon

• Carbon County Environmental Education Center was awarded $4,458 for its “Making the Dead Come Alive” educator workshop that marries elements of museum science with environmental education.

Lehigh

• Lehigh County Conservation District was awarded $4,969 for the “Orefield Middle School Outdoor Experience.” Seventh grade field experiences will include investigations, interdisciplinary lessons, stream monitoring and data collection.
• Wildlands Conservancy was awarded $4,994 for its “Clean Water Connections: Exploring Watersheds by Trail” program that will integrate biking and boating to deliver PA STEELS standards-based programming. Wildlands Conservancy was also awarded $22,194 for the “Environmentor: Climate Change in Our Watershed” project. High School students will participate in hands-on programs and serve as EnvironMentors for middle school students. Additionally, teachers will be trained on managing vermiculture composting units.

Luzerne

• Luzerne Intermediate Unit 18 was awarded $30,000 for “Engaging School Communities in Environmental Stewardship through the Visual Arts” to provide professional development to teachers (grades 5-8) on the PA Environmental Literacy and Sustainability and Arts and Humanities Academic Standards.
• Wyoming Valley West High School was awarded $4,995 for “Vertical Harvesting Using Hydroponics in the Classroom.” Science and home economic classes will be engaged in standards-based activities addressing water quality, soil and land and water conservation.

Monroe

• Monroe County Conservation District was awarded $10,400 for the “From Current to Classroom: Educating Through Electrofishing.” A new fisheries science program, utilizing electrofishing, will help increase students’ awareness of aquatic ecosystem and inspire stewardship.

Northampton

• The Nurture Nature Center was awarded $29,983 for “Connecting Climate Change and Agriculture: Programming to Increase Knowledge of Local Foods and Regenerative Agriculture.” Youth, adults and growers will be engaged in hands-on activities and demonstrations.

Pike

• Pocono Environmental Education Center was awarded $29,711 for “PEEC Into the Classroom” to deliver diverse environmental education programs, including classroom activities and day and overnight field experiences.   

Wayne

• Delaware Highlands Conservancy was awarded $30,000 for “Conservation Education Programs 2025-2026” including 25 new STEELS standards-based programs addressing climate resiliency, water quality, land management and a healthy environment. Additionally, the project will provide a Mobile Education Display to 3 libraries to enhance the public's understanding of plants, water, habitat, and wildlife.
• Lacawac Sanctuary Foundation was awarded $15,482 for its “Youth Environmental Stewardship Institute of NEPA” project to provide hands-on conservation workshops to students grades 9-12, addressing climate change, water quality, leadership development, environmental advocacy and potential career pathways.

Armstrong

• Armstrong Center for Community Learning was awarded $7,704 for the “Community Climate Change & Waste Reduction Education Program,” including eco-camps, library “Escape Rooms,” and family waste reduction and recycling programs.

Clarion

• Clarion County Conservation District was awarded $19,009 for “Enhancing Water and Climate Education in Clarion County” to host a series of webinars and hands-on in person workshops.

Erie

• Regional Science Consortium at Presque Isle Center was awarded $30,000 for “Coding for Climate Change: Using robotics to engineer solutions.” Through hands-on investigations, students (grades 3-12) will explore climate change and water-themed issues in the field, in the lab and in a robotics classroom.
• The Arts Council of Erie has been awarded $30,000 to host “The Art & Science of Water: A multi-disciplinary immersive summer camp experience.” Youth (grades 4-8) will be engaged in in Food, Sustainability, and Streams programming and implement a stewardship action project.

Indiana

• Indiana County Conservation District was awarded $10,180 for “Indiana County Environmental Futures: Education for Water, Climate, and Environmental Justice.” Hands-on activities will include classroom and field experiences. A water quality lender kit, to support teaching and learning, will be developed.

Lawrence

• Ellwood City Area School District has been awarded $29,250 for “Sustainable Solutions at Ellwood City Area School District.” The project will launch a comprehensive aquaponics program, that fosters environmental literacy and stewardship.
• Lawrence County Conservation District was awarded $4,905 for “Nature Camps for Lawrence County.” The project to host two separate age-appropriate camps that address the relationship between climate change and water quality. 

Venango

• Venango Conservation District was awarded $4,457 for its “Venango County Youth Agriculture Education Initiative” that will provide outdoor experiences to school students grades 6-12 at a local farm. Climate change and water activities will address several Pennsylvania Environmental Literacy and Sustainability standards.

Adams

• Adams County Conservation District was awarded $4,889 for “Tour of Best Management Practices at the Adams County Ag Center” to host a Best Management Practice (BMP) tour for youth and adults. Signage will describe BMPs and QR codes will provide links to quizzes, surveys, mapping/locational exercises, and hands-on activities.
• Gettysburg College was awarded $4,998 for its “Renewable Energy and Energy Audit MWEE” project. Renewable energy and energy audit resource loan kits (grades 4-9) and related teacher training(s) will be provided.

Dauphin

• Dauphin County Conservation District was awarded $5,000 for the “2025 Stormwater Management for Homeowners Workshop.” Partnering with municipal leaders, workshops will be delivered that address runoff and other sources of non-point source pollution.

Perry

• LEAF Project Inc. was awarded $29,560 for its “Cultivating Resilience & Youth Leaders: Adapting to Climate Change on the Farm” project. The youth led initiative will address implementation of “climate-smart” farm and food system practices. Information will be shared digitally and during events, workshops and school programs.

• Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania was awarded $5,000 to offer “Clairton Middle/High School Watershed and Science Education” programming that will include both classroom and field work in Allegheny and Butler counties.
• Blair County Conservation District was awarded $30,000 for “Regional Education on Healthy Soils, Riparian Buffers and Urban Green Spaces.”  Interactive Stormwater Management programs and learning stations will be delivered to students, families and community members from Blair and Huntingdon counties.
• Farm Arts Collective, Inc. was awarded $15,000 for its “Agri-Cultural Climate-Change Programming Created and Realized by Farm Arts Collective” project that will deliver climate change and other environmental programming in Wayne and Lackawanna counties including staged performances, workshops, and community led discussions.
• Greener Partners was awarded $22,429 for “Sustainable and Plant-Forward Food Education” that will deliver hands-on, garden-based lessons to five schools, in Delaware and Philadelphia counties, that address climate change impacts and personal actions to support a healthy planet.
• Mountain Watershed Association was awarded $30,000 to conduct “Expanding Outdoor Education in the Youghiogheny River Watershed” in Allegheny, Fayette, Somerset, and Westmoreland counties. The project will provide immersive hands-on programs, free community workshops, organized nature walks, fishing clinics, and service-learning opportunities.
• Pennsylvania Envirothon Inc. was awarded $51,700 for the “2026 Pennsylvania Envirothon” to engage high student teams from at least 60 counties. The teams’ knowledge will be tested in Soils/Land Use, Aquatic Ecology, Wildlife, Forestry, and a Current Environmental Issues (i.e., climate change, water quality/quantity, and green infrastructure). Additionally, student teams will prepare and present a solution to a given environmental scenario. The high-ranking team will participate in the National Conservation Foundation Envirothon.
• Pennsylvania Resources Council Inc. was awarded $28,424 to conduct 8 “Small Scale Composting for Urban Communities” workshops in Allegheny, Beaver, Fayette and Delaware counties, focusing on reducing food waste and implementing indoor composting methods.
• Pennsylvania State University was awarded $28,100 to deliver “Equipping Educators through First Investigation of Stream Health Protocol Workshops.”  Educators from Butler, Centre and Cumberland counties will learn First Investigation of Stream Health (FISH) protocol and be provided supplies to guide middle and high school youth investigations.
• Pennsylvania State University was awarded $30,000 for the “Penn State K-12 Sustainability Summit 2025.” The project will host 50 education leaders from 22 school districts to help increase sustainability efforts in the K-12 space.
• Pennsylvania State University was awarded $30,000 to deliver a “Per-and Poly-Fluorinated Alkyl Substances (PFAS) workshop for Extension Educators and Volunteers.” Participants from Beaver, Cumberland, Jefferson, Lancaster/York, Northampton and Westmoreland counties will learn about PFAs fundamentals and management and, in turn, deliver community education programs.
• Pennsylvania State University was awarded $29,994 for “Supporting the Robust Environmental Education Pipeline with Science-U Summer Camps” to deliver inquiry-based, learner driven programs to youth from Centre and Huntingdon counties.  Program content will feature pressing environmental issues, action steps and related career paths.
• Philadelphia Ethical Society was awarded $5,000 for the “Camp Linden Children's Summer Program 2025-26.” The project will host summer camp sessions that engage at least 150 school-age children from Chester and Philadelphia counties in lessons and activities addressing nature, climate change and water pollution.
• Stroud Water Research Center Inc. was awarded $30,000 for the “Development of Outdoor Learning at Five School Sites: Cohort 25-26” program.  In full collaboration with school districts located in Chester, Lancaster and Lebanon counties, the project will offer teacher curriculum development trainings and provide guidance for developing outdoor learning spaces on school sites. 
• Spirit & Truth Fellowship was awarded $24,090 for its “Faith-Based Climate Justice Educational Initiative in Philadelphia.” Engaging residents in Chester, Delaware and Philadelphia counties, the project will host fall trainings for church-based leadership, monthly meetings, a blog and an annual meeting.  Additionally, it will deliver solar and cool-roof installation courses to vocational students and community residents.
• The Watersmith Guild, Inc. was awarded $27,188 to provide 18 “First Waves” workshops in Allegheny, Butler, Cambria, Erie, Indiana and Somerset counties. Youth will engage in river and stewardship experiences and create digital media documentary films about their adventures. 
• Willistown Conservation Trust was awarded $5,000 to engage municipal leaders, residents and organizations from Chester and Delaware counties in its “Darby & Cobbs Creek Community Science Monitoring Program.”  During three interactive workshops, data will be discussed and actionable steps to improve local waterways will be explored.