EPA Environmental Education Grants
Eligibility
- K–12 schools, nonprofit organizations, colleges and universities, state and local government agencies
- Projects must promote environmental awareness and stewardship through education
- Priority is given to projects in underserved communities or those with documented environmental justice connections
- California-based applicants are eligible, the EPA's National program funds projects across all states
- Tribal organizations and tribal colleges are also eligible
Goals
The EPA Environmental Education Grants program funds projects that:
- Build environmental literacy, helping people understand environmental issues and make informed decisions
- Support stewardship behaviors through hands-on, experiential learning
- Connect climate education, environmental science, and sustainability to student and community action
- Reach populations that are disproportionately impacted by environmental challenges
Application Due Date
Annual competition. The 2026 cycle closed on March 3, 2026. Subscribe to EPA Education updates at epa.gov/education to get notified when the next cycle opens, typically announced in the fall for a late winter/early spring deadline.
Grant Award Amount
Individual awards typically range from $50,000 to $100,000. Total national funding per competition cycle is approximately $2 to $3.5 million, supporting roughly 25–40 projects nationally each year.
Allowable Purchases (aligned with Forward Education solutions)
EPA EE grants fund curriculum development, educator training, and hands-on program delivery related to environmental education. Equipment and materials that directly support the educational program are allowable budget items.
Forward Education products that fit EPA EE grant programs
- Coding for Climate kit: purpose-built for climate and environmental science education. Students code sensors to collect environmental data, a direct match for EPA EE program goals around stewardship and literacy.
- CHARGE (micro:bit climate sensor): measures real-world climate and environmental data. Supports the kind of place-based, experiential learning that EPA reviewers look for.
- Smart Hydroponics kit: connects food systems, water use, and sustainability, highly relevant for environmental stewardship goals in urban or underserved communities.
- MicroChat (AI literacy platform): can support student research and analysis phases of environmental education projects, including using AI tools to explore climate data and communicate findings.
Keep in Mind
Applications that explicitly serve communities with environmental justice concerns, near industrial sites, with high pollution burden, or with low environmental health outcomes, score higher in review.
The EPA wants to see how you'll measure environmental literacy gains and stewardship behaviors. Build an evaluation plan into your proposal from the start.
Subscribe at epa.gov/education now so you're ready when the next solicitation opens. Use this year to document your program model and gather any baseline data.
Projects that involve partnerships between schools, nonprofits, and community organizations tend to score better than single-organization proposals.
We'll help you build an EPA EE grant application that reviewers remember.
Forward Education has helped schools and nonprofits across the country connect hands-on climate and environmental science curriculum to grant requirements. We'll help you scope a program model, identify the right Forward Ed tools, and draft the narrative language your application needs.
- Program design that connects climate education goals to measurable student outcomes
- Budget narrative language for equipment and curriculum line items
- Evaluation framework suggestions based on what EPA reviewers look for
- Partnership guidance on connecting with community organizations that can strengthen your application
The Forward Education Grant Guide
Plain-English guide to federal competitive grants, state funding, and private STEM grants, including a chapter on environmental education funding sources like EPA EE.
Download the Grant Guide
