MEEA Region 7 Grants
Comprehensive Small Grants - Deadline October 12, 2012
EPA Region 7 (Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska) received a grant from the EPA to administer a Comprehensive Small Grants Program. Kansas has primary responsibility for administration, but each state is responsible for within state administration
- Number and Value of Awards: The total estimated funding is $92,274. The Region 7 EELT expects to award between 4 and 5 grants of $5,000 or less in each of the four states in EPA Region 7.
- Cost Sharing Requirement: Applicants must demonstrate how they will provide non-federal matching funds of at least 25% of the total cost of the project.
- Notification and Start Date: Applicants will be notified on or before December 1, 2012 if they are finalists. Applicants should plan for project to start no earlier than January 1, 2013.
States will also receive $11,100 each to staff and fund position to manage grants over two years to: support capacity building, personnel, web support, travel, meeting expenses.
Applications are now open. Go to http://www.kacee.org/environmental-literacy-small-grants to download a copy of the proposal
Priorities for Funding
EPA Priorities
- Capacity Building: Increasing capacity to develop and deliver coordinated environmental education programs across a state or multiple states
- Educational Advancement: Utilizing environmental education as a catalyst to advance state or local education reform goals.
- Community Projects
- Human Health and the Environment
- Teaching Skills
- Career Development
Educational
Environmental
- Taking Action on Climate Change
- Improving Air Quality
- Assuring the Safety of Chemicals
- Cleaning Up Our Communities
- Protecting America's Waters
- Expanding the Conversation on Environmentalism and Working for Environmental Justice
- Building Strong State and Tribal Partnerships
- Expanding the Converstation on Environmentalism and Working for Environmental Justice
- Building Strong State and Tribal Partnerships
Missouri Environmental LIteracy Plan Priorities
In addition to meeting EPA’s strategic priorities, the Missouri Environmental Education Association (MEEA) will give priority to proposals that address the four goals of the Missouri Environmental Literacy Plan:
- Missouri students will be environmentally literate
- Formal and non-formal educators will understand and use best practices in environmental education
- Educational settings and resources will foster environmental literacy
- Environmental education in Missouri will be sustainable
Projects should also (where appropriate) include plans for assessing project effectiveness, for dissemination of ideas, for long term support, and make effective use of existing resources and initiatives in Missouri. Information on these is available at www.meea.org/projects/region7grants.shtml or by contacting Jan Weaver at weaverjc@missouri.edu
For example, funded projects might:
- Develop and disseminate best practices for building, using and maintaining school yard gardens
- Develop and disseminate best practices for providing significant outdoor educational experiences for students in every grade
- Develop and implement regional outreach and professional development events for educators
- Create or significantly expand the capacity of a regional or statewide environmental education network
- Develop multiple strategies and tools for assessing student environmental literacy
- Compile research on the impact of environmental education on desirable school outcomes
Background documents and resources
MIssouri Environmental Literacy Plan
Other resources
- Assessing Project Effectiveness - Think of ways you can assess what kind of difference your project made in your audience's caring about the environment, their understanding of it, and their willingness to act for it. You can start with Edutopia's page on assessment
- Dissemination of Ideas- Think of how you can share your idea within Missouri or with other states. Check the MEEA events page for a calendar of conferences where you might present.
- Long Term Support - Think of your project as a business where you provide a service or product, consider drafting a brief business plan to show how your project will continue after the initial support period is over - business plan template from the Small Business Administration
- Use of Existing Resources and Initiatives - visit the MEEA links and events pages to find local organizations, agencies and businesses that you might partner with on your proposal