Professional Development
Be a Catalyst for Change…Become a Green Schools National Network Member
The green schools movement is the most critical education reform initiative of our time. Through the Green Schools National Network (GSNN) membership program, you can show your support and become a catalyst for change for green schools everywhere.
GSNN’s membership program is designed for leaders (like you!) who use sustainability to drive innovation in their classrooms, schools, or school districts. As a member of the program, you will learn from and be inspired by the people who are transforming schools across the country.
Choose from 5 different levels of membership: Individual, Nonprofit, preK-12 School, School District, or Corporate. Each level comes with its own set of benefits and discounts, some of which include: professional publications, a subscription to Green Teacher Magazine, discounted Green Schools Conference and Expo registration, discounted and free professional development opportunities, networking opportunities, and discounted fees for GSNN school and district coaching.
Visit GSNN’s membership website to learn more and sign up.
2017 Global Education Conference
The Global Education Conference is a free online event that brings together educators and innovators from around the world. The eighth annual conference will be held Monday, November 13 through Wednesday, November 16, 2017 (November 17th in some time zones). The entire virtual conference will be held online using the Blackboard Collaborate platform.
The Global Education Conference is a collaborative, inclusive, world-wide community initiative involving students, educators, and organizations at all levels. It is designed to significantly increase opportunities for building education-related connections around the globe while supporting cultural awareness and recognition of diversity. To attend this year’s conference and to be kept informed of the latest conference news and updates, please join this network.
This conference is also accepting proposals for presentations. The deadline to submit a proposal is November 1st. Lean more about the call for proposals here.
Association for Learning Environments LearningSCAPES 2017
LearningSCAPES is the conference for those who plan, design, equip, furnish, and maintain places where students learn. This year’s conference will be held October 26 – 29th at the Marriott Marquis in Atlanta, Georgia. Join your colleagues for groundbreaking educational sessions, inspiring keynote speakers, and a showcase of state-of-the-art tools that move learning into the future.
Registration is now open! Visit the website to learn more about conference programming, speakers, special events, and travel.
The Cloud Institute for Sustainability Education
The Cloud Institute for Sustainability Education works with schools and school districts to help them integrate Education for Sustainability (EfS) into their curriculum. Core services include consulting and leadership development (on-site and off-site); professional development and faculty coaching; curriculum design, assessment, mapping, and alignment; and school and community partnerships. The Cloud Institute holds an annual Summer Design Studio that enables educators, administrators, and program designers to learn how to design and embed EfS into curriculum, assessments, and programs.
Community Works Institute (CWI) supports and promotes exemplary teaching strategies and practices for K-16 educators and community programs that support students in becoming caring, responsible, and active members of their communities. CWI offers a variety of professional development opportunities for K-16 and community-based educators in the United States and internationally, including on-site training, retreats, coaching, and consulting. Their signature offering is a series of summer institutes that integrate field-tested service-learning best practices and principles of sustainability to engage K-16 students in academically based service that contributes to sustainable communities. Visit the website to learn more about this and other professional development opportunities.
At EcoRise, we believe in the power of teachers to ignite innovation and the potential of students to design a sustainable future for all. Our school-based program empowers youth to tackle real-world challenges in their schools and communities by teaching sustainability, design innovation, and social entrepreneurship. Over 350 schools have implemented our full program and 1,800 teachers in 26 countries have accessed our educational materials. Our curriculum, classroom grants, ongoing training, and support engages educators and students in meaningful learning experiences. Our program empowers teachers to confidently champion sustainability and innovation in their classroom, while students cultivate 21st century skills and sustainable living practices.
We offer:
- Online and in-person professional development, curriculum, and self-paced resources for green industry connections to K–12 educators, STEM educators, and Project-Based Learning teachers.
- For U.S.-based schools, we award micro grants to student-designed sustainability projects.
- Our committed partnership with like-minded institutions and corporate supporters to expand reach and impact.
Visit www.ecorise.org to learn more.
Edspaces is the gathering place for architects, dealers, preK-12 schools, colleges and universities, independent manufacturers representatives, exhibitors, and corporations to learn about trends and experience the latest products and services to enhance student learning. This year’s conference will be held October 25 – 27th in Kansas City, Missouri.
Registration is now open! Check out the website for a conference schedule; a listing of educational sessions, tours, and exhibitors; and hotel and travel information.
EL Education Site Seminar at Evergreen Community Charter School
December 4 – 5, 2017
Asheville, North Carolina
During this 2-day Site Seminar, you will learn how Evergreen Community Charter School uses “The Natural World” design principle to connect core practices in the dimensions of Culture & Character and Curriculum. The seminar will emphasize Evergreen’s integration of environmental education through its learning expeditions, culture and values, use of school-wide initiatives and events, and use of its natural schoolyard environment.
Seminar includes:
- Classroom visits highlighting EL Education curriculum practices
- Workshops on designing expeditions with Common Core standards and dimensions of student achievement: Knowledge & Skills, Character, and High Quality Work
- Focused discussion groups, including aligning EL Education, environmental education, social justice, and Common Core standards
- Environmental education experiences that inspire ways to create outdoor learning spaces
- Involvement in Evergreen’s Culture and Character traditions, including Crew and class meetings
- Workshops on nurturing school culture and on using data, including student self-assessment, to support deeper learning
- Conversations with parents about parent involvement, volunteerism, and sustaining school culture
Registration per Person
For schools in the EL Education Network: $450 payable to EL Education. Register online at www.elschools.org.
For schools NOT in the EL Network: $450 payable to Evergreen Community Charter School. Register by emailing marin.leroy@evergreenccs.org.
Detailed information on accommodations will be provided upon registration. The seminar includes lunch and snacks daily.
For more information, contact Marin Leroy, Environmental Education Coordinator at Evergreen Community Charter School by phone 828-298-2173 ext. 234 or email marin.leroy@evergreenccs.org.
Students, teachers, and organizations will celebrate global collaboration on September 21, 2017. On this day (and beyond), experienced global educators and professionals will host connective projects and events and invite public participation. The primary goals of this full day event are to demonstrate the power of global connectivity in classrooms, schools, institutions of informal learning, and universities around the world, and to introduce others to the tools, resources, and projects that are available to educators today. Learn more about the many ways you can participate and view resources ranging from lessons, books, and blogs to online communities and relevant projects.
Greening School Food: A Northwest Forum on Healthy, Climate-Friendly Food Service
September 25, 2017
Troutdale, Oregon
The event is co-sponsored by Washington Green Schools, Oregon Green Schools, and Friends of the Earth.
It is increasingly clear that reducing food waste and developing menus with a focus on healthy plant-forward foods are critical for fighting climate change and promoting better health. We will be bringing together K-12 sustainability coordinators, school food service directors, nutrition services staff, and leaders from non-profits working on healthy and sustainable food issues for a conversation on how to improve school menus for accelerated health outcomes while also reducing the climate impacts associated with school food service.
This unique gathering will provide a forum for key regional and national stakeholders to:
1) Share existing best practices,
2) Explore strategies for overcoming obstacles, and
3) Learn from innovative national organizations and regional nutrition services leaders.
Learn more and register or contact Jkraus-polk@foe.org with any questions.
Green Schools Alliance is an international organization that advances student success and saves schools resources by fostering whole school sustainability. Originally developed as a network created by schools for schools, the Alliance has evolved to provide integrated and organized support to students, school professionals, schools, and districts to foster sustainability work.
Alliance programs are scaled and developed from member ideas to make them more accessible for other member schools. The Alliance conducts work via its international coalition of schools, rooted in the idea that collaboration among schools brings the greatest change for sustainable learning environments and communities. They:
- promote student success through leadership training, project-based learning, and a support system.
- inspire school professionals through access to training, resources, and a community of fellow sustainability champions.
- provide schools with tools to accelerate whole school sustainability efforts through collective purchasing power, access to resources, and reporting and recognition systems.
- offer districts the programs to leverage high-volume purchasing power, foster collaborative communication, and gather system-wide information on school efforts.
Learn more about upcoming events and training programs.
Green Strides Webinar Series Calendar
The Green Strides Webinar Series provides school communities with the tools they need to reduce their schools’ environmental impact and costs; improve health and wellness; and teach effective environmental education. It provides all schools access to the resources that help them move toward the Pillars of the U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools recognition award. Sign up for Green Strides Webinar Series email updates to receive information on future webinars.
Best Practices in School Gardens
Presenter: Mary Dudley
Wednesday, September 27th 2017, 7:30-8:30pm EST
To overcome the challenges and be successful, you need to keep a few basic principles in mind. Doing so will add to the overall sustainability of a garden and allow for the school community to participate in the project. Based on several years of research and experience with dozens of school gardens, Mary and her colleagues will share their list of basic steps and best practices for school gardens.
Eco-System Monitoring Programs
Presenter: Daniel Shaw
Wednesday, October 25th 2017, 7:30-8:30pm EST
From climate change to natural disasters: how tiny critters invoke joy and reveal environmental secrets. There are many species of wildlife that school age citizen scientists can monitor. But most scatter when humans are around. By contrast, arthropods – animals with jointed legs and no backbones – are abundant, diverse, and found in all types of habitats. Building on his article in Green Teacher’s Summer 2016 issue, Dan will share the techniques he has used for 20 years to engage students in authentic field-based data collection. He will also explain how to add their findings to the databases of citizen science programs so that students’ work will have meaning beyond their own classrooms.
Telling your Story with Story Maps
Presenter: Joseph Kerski
Monday, October 30th 2017, 7:30-8:30pm EST
Join geographer Joseph Kerski as we explore the world of multimedia, web-based story maps. Government agencies, nonprofit organizations, private companies, and students and educators of all ages are using story maps to explain their mission; to show the results of their research; to inspire; to call attention to issues such as water quality, land use change, energy, or natural hazards; and for many other purposes. Story maps foster spatial thinking, critical thinking, communication skills, and immersive work with many technologies, including multimedia and web-based maps. Story maps can be embedded in your own web pages and presentations, and can also serve as tools to assess student learning. This webinar will include how story maps can be used in the classroom and in the field, the types that are available, and how they connect to the broader field of geotechnologies. Ways of creating and sharing story maps will be also be shown so that you will feel confident that you and your students can use, create, and share them.
North American Association for Environmental Education 2017 Annual Conference
The 46th Annual North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) Conference and 14th Annual Research Symposium is being held in San Juan, Puerto Rico from October 17 – 21, 2017.
For more than four decades, NAAEE has convened one of the leading annual conferences for environmental education professionals, designed to promote innovation, networking, learning, and dissemination of best practices. The annual Research Symposium, held in advance of the conference, attracts new and established researchers to examine in-progress environmental education research and promote dialogue between researchers and practitioners.
The 46th Annual Conference will challenge participants to think creatively and collectively about how to create a more sustainable future, and will pay tribute to the importance of the first international conference on environmental education, which was held in Tbilisi, Georgia in 1977. Participants will share ideas and innovation about how to build on the Tbilisi framework to imagine a better future and create a path forward for the field in the coming decade and beyond.
Visit the conference website to learn more about the conference and stay up-to-date on the latest programming and registration information.
Shelburne Farms is a nonprofit organization educating for a sustainable future. That means learning that links knowledge, inquiry, and action to help students build a healthy future for their communities and the planet. Its home campus is a 1,400-acre working farm, forest, and National Historic Landmark.
Shelburne Farms’ school programs staff support both student learning and professional development for educators. The ideas of place and sustainability are at the heart of its work. Shelburne Farms offers a variety of experiences that inspire deep connections to community, and a commitment to a healthy future.
Upcoming Programming
ABCs of Farm-Based Education October 2017
October 22 – 24, 2017
Are you looking to build a farm-based education program, or inspire your existing programming? At this workshop, you’ll fill your toolbox with kid-tested, educator approved activities, as you join a community of peers from around the region. Spend three days in hands-on, discussion and activity-based learning and explore Shelburne Farms’ dairy, farmyard, garden, and forest classrooms. Experience activities from Shelburne Farms’ publications Project Seasons and Cultivating Joy and Wonder as we discuss ways to engage school groups and farm visitors. In addition to activity sharing and program development, we will discuss tips for creating a safe learning environment and will have ample time for getting to know one another and our respective farm-based education sites. Learn more and register here.
General Resources
Experiential Tools: Resources for Teaching and Group Facilitation
Experiential Tools was founded by author and educator Jennifer Stanchfield to provide educators with quality, unique, and user-friendly methods to enhance learning, increase engagement, build community, facilitate group development, and engage learners in meaningful reflection and dialogue. Resources offered include consulting, professional development programs, workshops, books, and teaching and facilitation tools. Visit the website for a list of upcoming workshops.
Facing the Future is an international program, based out of Western Washington University, creating tools for educators that equip and motivate students to develop critical thinking skills, build global awareness, and engage in positive solutions for a sustainable future. The curriculum is organized around eight sustainability big ideas:
- Connecting with Nature
- Equity and Justice
- Health and Resiliency
- Interconnectedness
- Local to Global
- Peace and Collaboration
- Respect for Limits
- Universal Responsibility
Facing the Future curriculum materials and resources are available for K-12 teachers, teachers in colleges of education, and for some community college and undergraduate classes. All materials are developed for teachers, by teachers, with best teaching and learning practices in mind and are aligned with Common Core Standards, Next Generation Science Standards, and most state standards frameworks.
Fueling Our Future: A Facing the Future Professional Development Workshop
This online course has been designed to help K-12 educators learn how to use global sustainability as a context for teaching students about energy. Using Fueling Our Future: Exploring Sustainable Energy Use (middle and high school versions) as a guide, participants will gain background knowledge in energy, energy literacy, and sustainability; use the lens of sustainability to explore the social, economic, and environmental impacts of different energy sources; and identify ways to implement Fueling Our Future lessons in the classroom.
This course is free; however, participants are encouraged to have a copy of Fueling Our Future: Exploring Sustainable Energy Use to refer to throughout the course.
Grades of Green was founded in 2008 by four California moms who wanted a better world for their children. This nonprofit provides schools with free and easy access to over 40 activities that aim to instill environmental values in students. Activities are broken out into categories, including air, energy, toxins, waste, water, and earth. The organization also has a Youth Corps Eco Leadership Program that mentors 60 selected second through twelfth grade students to become eco-leaders. Participation in the program is free, though students must submit an application to be considered.
Keep America Beautiful Recycle Bowl Competition
Recycle-Bowl hopes to galvanize recycling in elementary, middle, and high schools across America through a national K-12 recycling competition. By participating, schools have the opportunity to win prizes and receive national recognition. Visit the competition website to learn more about competing, view the official rules, and register your school. Registration ends on October 13th, 2017 at midnight.
A product of the U.S. Green Building Council’s The Center for Green Schools, Learning Lab provides K-12 teachers and school leaders with comprehensive, project- and STEM-based curriculum that encourages student leadership, environmental literacy, and real-world action.
Discover best-in-class content, training, and tools. Access their curated catalogue of lesson plans, interactive projects, assessment opportunities, and other multimedia resources in English and Spanish. Lessons are mapped to meet current educational standards and were created by educators, for educators.
The Natural Inquirer program produces a variety of science education materials for PreK through grade 12. Natural Inquirer products are produced by the Forest Service, the Cradle of Forestry in America Interpretive Association, and other cooperators and partners. Their website includes lesson plans, activities, and resources for teachers as well as games, videos, and activities for kids.
Publications include:
Natural Inquirer is a free science education journal written for middle through high school age students. In 1998, Natural Inquirer was created so that scientists could share their research with students. Each article follows the same format as a scientific journal article by including an Introduction, Methods, Findings, and Discussion section. Additionally, each article has a Meet the Scientist section, Thinking About Science section, Thinking About the Environment section, and a FACTivity. The FACTivity is a hands-on activity that reinforces a concept from the article. All articles are correlated to National Education Standards.
Investi-gator is a free science journal written for upper elementary level students. The journal follows the same format as Natural Inquirer just written at a different level.
The Natural Inquirer Reader series was developed to meet the needs of PreK through second grade students. Each Reader focuses on one Forest Service scientist and their research. Readers contain glossaries, activities, and are correlated to National Education Standards.
This guidebook, a project of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies’ North American Conservation Education Strategy, demonstrates how to use systems concepts and tools to apply systems thinking to environmental education curricula using lessons from Project WILD, Project WET, and Project Learning Tree for grades 9-12.
The World’s Largest Lesson was developed by Project Everyone to introduce the United Nations’ Global Goals for Sustainable Development to children and young people and unite them in action to end extreme poverty, fight inequality and injustice, and tackle climate change. This year’s Lesson starts on September 18th. Visit the website to learn more about this project, find resources and lesson plans for each of the 17 goals, and to learn how you can join this global effort.
“Dreaming the Future” September Green Schools Catalyst Quarterly Related Resources
Beginner’s Guide to K-12 Design Thinking
Thomas Riddle, Assistant Director of the Roper Mountain Science Center and an Edutopia blogger, has assembled this comprehensive beginner’s guidebook to design thinking, including resources from recognized education organizations and websites such as Edutopia, D.School, The K-12 Lab, KQED Mind/Shift, and IDEO, to name a few.
Ecoliterate: How Educators Are Cultivating Emotional, Social, and Ecological Intelligence
From Amazon’s website: Hopeful, eloquent, and bold, Ecoliterate offers inspiring stories, practical guidance, and an exciting new model of education that builds – in vitally important ways – on the success of social and emotional learning by addressing today’s most important ecological issues.
This book shares stories of pioneering educators, students, and activists engaged in issues related to food, water, oil, and coal in communities from the mountains of Appalachia to a small village in the Arctic; the deserts of New Mexico to the coast of New Orleans; and the streets of Oakland, California to the hills of South Carolina.
Ecoliterate marks a rich collaboration between Daniel Goleman and the Center for Ecoliteracy, an organization best known for its pioneering work with school gardens, school lunches, and integrating ecological principles and sustainability into school curricula. For nearly twenty years the Center has worked with schools and organizations in more than 400 communities across the United States and numerous other countries.
Ecoliterate also presents five core practices of emotionally and socially engaged ecoliteracy and a professional development guide.
EDTech Blog: 9 Steps to a Future-Ready Education
In this blog post, author Jon Phillips presents nine steps for schools and administrators to consider for bringing future-ready momentum to the classroom, from embracing student-led learning and developing assessments, to community collaboration and planning for the future. Examples of schools implementing these practices are highlighted.
Future Ready Schools helps K-12 public, private, and charter school leaders plan and implement personalized, research-based digital learning strategies so all students can achieve their full potential. This project was created by the Alliance for Excellent Education, a Washington DC-based national policy and advocacy organization to help school districts develop comprehensive plans to achieve successful student learning outcomes by (1) transforming instructional pedagogy and practice while (2) simultaneously leveraging technology to personalize learning in the classroom.
Future Ready Schools offers the following tools and resources for schools and school leaders:
- Future Ready Framework: This research-based framework emphasizes empowered and innovative leadership and focuses on eight essential components (called gears), while keeping personalized student learning at the center of all decision-making.
- Interactive Planning Dashboard and 5 Step Process: This free online tool is designed to help district leadership teams plan systemically to use technology as a tool to effectively engage students, empower teachers, and improve learning outcomes. Through the dashboard, district leaders assess their district’s needs, identify gaps, obtain strategies, plan, and track their progress over time. The Interactive Planning Dashboard outlines a 5 Step Process – an implementation roadmap – that should take districts between 4-8 weeks to complete. The online planning template and comprehensive set of resources include research-based strategies to help district teams set goals, close the assessed gaps, and ask critical questions.
- Future Ready Hub: The Hub is a “one-stop shop” for all Future Ready Schools materials, tools, and activities and is a powerful online resource for district leaders. The Future Ready Hub offers school district leaders a variety of ways to share their own expertise and tap into the collective expertise of a broader community of education leaders.
KnowledgeWorks is a national organization committed to providing every learner with meaningful personalized learning experiences that ensure success in college, career, and civic life. Their website offers resources that address personalized learning, competency-based education, school design, policy, and the future of learning.
Systems Thinking Resources – Linda Booth Sweeney
Linda Booth Sweeney is a systems educator and award-winning author who works with people of all ages to develop systems literacy, or a deeper understanding of living systems. Her website’s “Systems Resource Room” contains a comprehensive listing of books, articles, websites, and curricula focused on various aspects of systems and system design. Resources are broken into categories: Learning About Systems, Working with Systems, Systems and Leadership, Systems Tools, Understanding How Systems Work, Systems Design, and Systems Thinking 4 Kids.
Waters Foundation: Systems Thinking in Education
The Waters Foundation’s Systems Thinking in Schools work is recognized worldwide for making systems thinking accessible and practical, both for children in classrooms as well as executives in boardrooms. With its mission to build systems thinking capacity in schools throughout the United States and around the world, the Waters Foundation focuses on developing generations of systems thinkers who apply 21st century skills in classrooms, schools, communities, and future workplaces. The Foundation’s website includes a searchable database of resources for educators; access to free, online learning modules and webinars; and professional development opportunities, including the annual Systems Thinking Institute.
Grants and Awards
BirdSleuth School Garden Grants
The Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s BirdSleuth program is looking for 20 dedicated teachers within the United States who strive to bring STEM and healthy living from the garden to the classroom. These teachers will receive a $500 – $2,000 grant, gardening supplies, and BirdSleuth’s Habitat Connections kit, thanks to sponsor Alaska Fertilizer. Funds may be used to support the building or revitalization of school gardens. In addition to food gardens, preference will be given to bird, pollinator, native habitat, rain, and other natural projects.
Applications will be accepted until 11:59pm ET on October 8, 2017. Learn more about timeline, eligibility, and applying here.
Captain Planet Foundation ecoSolution Grants
The Captain Planet Foundation’s ecoSolution Grants (previously called “Small Grants”) have been the defining basis of the organization’s work over the last 25 years. The Foundation has funded over 2,100 projects that have impacted 1.2 million youth around the world – actively fulfilling its mission to build the next generation of environmental stewards and change agents.
ecoSolution Grants range from $500-$2,500 and are intended to support solution-oriented, youth-led projects that result in real environmental outcomes. Visit the website to learn more about eligibility and restrictions, and to fill out an application. The next deadline for applications is January 31, 2018.
Chef Ann Foundation Project Produce Grants
The Chef Ann Foundation has teamed up with Skoop, a performance nutrition brand, to launch Project Produce: Fruit and Veggie Grants for Schools. These $2,500 grants help schools increase kids’ access to fresh fruits and veggies and nutrition education. Any district or independent school that participates in the National School Lunch Program is eligible to apply. Grants are determined on an ongoing basis depending on available funding. More information about grant requirements and submitting a proposal can be found on their website.
Constellation E2 Energy to Educate Grant Program
Constellation E2 Energy to Educate grants inspire students to think differently about energy. Through this unique grant program, Constellation has offered over 100,000 students in grades 6-12 and college opportunities to enhance their understanding of science and technology, and experience problem-solving today’s and tomorrow’s energy challenges.
Constellation is seeking proposals for hands-on projects which engage 100 or more students, within the following themes:
- Energy in Transportation
- Backyard Generation
- Zero Waste
Grant awards are up to $25,000 for grades 6-12 and up to $50,000 for colleges and universities. Applications must be submitted online by October 1, 2017. Grant awards will be announced in November 2017 during American Education Week.
FirstEnergy STEM Classroom Grants
FirstEnergy proudly supports classroom projects and teacher professional development initiatives focusing on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). One of the ways they support these activities is by offering STEM education grants of up to $1,000 to educators at schools and youth groups in communities served by its electric operating companies, other areas where they have facilities, and where they do business. More than 1,000 educators and youth group leaders have received classroom grants since the program began during the 1986-87 school year. Applications for the 2017 – 2018 school year are now available and must be submitted by September 22, 2017.
GetEdFunding is a curated collection of grants and awards created by education professionals for education professionals. Its database was designed to be easy-to-use and reliable, and all grant and funding opportunities are updated daily. Users can search by six criteria, including 43 areas of focus, 8 content areas, and 14 twenty-first century themes and skills, including environmental literacy. Once registered on the site, users can save grants of interest and return to them at any time.
Honeybee Conservancy Sponsor-A-Hive Program
The Honeybee Conservancy’s Sponsor-A-Hive program provides bees and equipment to help people safely set up, maintain, and observe on-site bee sanctuaries at schools, community gardens, and green spaces across the United States. The program provides honey bees, mason bees, and/or leafcutter bees; their homes; bee keeping equipment; and information on how to care for the bees. Bees are strategically placed in locations where they can bolster bee populations, advance science and environmental education, and pollinate locally grown food. Also provided is a Sponsor-A-Hive Teacher’s Kit, which is full of lesson plans and worksheets to teach students more about their bee home. It is designed to build reading and science skills, raise environmental awareness, and empower students to help the bees.
The 2018 application deadline is October 31, 2017.
The Lowe’s Toolbox for Education grant program is funded by the Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation, which has supported thousands of grassroots community and school projects in the communities where Lowe’s does business. Now in its 12th year of helping build better schools and communities, the Lowe’s Toolbox for Education program has provided over $54 million to more than 12,000 schools across the country. The deadline for submitting applications for this grant cycle is September 29, 2017. Visit the website to learn more about past grant recipients, view sample projects, and download a pre-application checklist.
Toshiba America Foundation Grants
Do you teach in an elementary school classroom? Do you have an innovative idea for improving math or science instruction in your classroom? Is your idea project-based learning with measurable outcomes? What do you need to make learning math and science fun for your students?
K-5 teachers are invited to apply online for a $1,000 Toshiba America Foundation grant to help bring an innovative hands-on project into their own classroom. With a Toshiba America Foundation grant, elementary teachers can bring their best new teaching ideas to life.
Grant applications are due on October 1st each year.
Grants are also available for teachers in grades 6-12 who are passionate about making science and mathematics more engaging for their students. Applications for grants less than $5,000 are accepted at any time. For grant requests of more than $5,000, application deadlines are February 1 and August 1 (or first business day of February and August).
Whole Kids Foundation U.S. School Garden Grants
Created in partnership with FoodCorps, the Whole Kids Foundation U.S. School Garden Grants program provides $2,000 monetary grants to K-12 schools, or non-profits working with K-12 schools, to support a new or existing edible garden on school grounds. Applications are due October 31, 2017 at 5:00pm CST.
Whole Kids Foundation Honey Bee Grant Program
In partnership with The Bee Cause Project, the Honey Bee Grant program allows K-12 schools and nonprofit organizations to receive support for an educational honey bee hive. Three grant options are available:
- Monetary grant of $1,500 to support the success of a honey bee hive educational program.
- Observation hive: equipment grant of a custom made indoor observation hive from The Bee Cause Project.
- Traditional hive: equipment grant of an outdoor top bar hive with Starter Kit from Bee Thinking.
All equipment grants include a small monetary grant that covers the first year of expenses. Grant recipients also receive remote consultation and assistance with Beekeeper partnership from The Bee Cause Project.
To apply for consideration, submit a Letter of Intent by 5pm CST on October 31, 2017. Full applications must be submitted by 5pm CST on November 15, 2017.
