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Announcing the Greening STEM grants opportunity

March 23, 2023
Students planting a tree
Through a Greening STEM grant, eighth grade students from Gilbert Stuart Middle School in Providence, Rhode Island, lead an urban tree planting at their school, in partnership with the Northern Rhode Island Conservation, the Rhode Island Resource Conservation and Development Council and USDA Forest Service. Photo courtesy Molly Allard, Northern Rhode Island Conservation District.

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Providing meaningful science, technology, engineering and math experiences for middle and high school students while advancing the Forest Service mission: that’s the goal behind the Greening STEM grants program. The USDA Forest Service and the National Environmental Education Foundation are pleased to announce a call for applications for the 2023-2024 Greening STEM grants program.  

These grants allow Forest Service staff to work alongside formal and informal educators to design and deliver STEM programming that engages youth in place-based environmental learning. Even more? Students are introduced to possible natural resource and Forest Service careers.

The Greening STEM model uses the natural environment and real-world challenges to engage learners to deliver high-quality STEM education. All Forest Service Greening STEM projects must include elements of one or more of the Greening STEM design principles:

  • Place-based learning
  • Three-dimensional learning
  • Project-based learning
  • Community-based learning.

A competitive Greening STEM proposal infuses agency science and resources into school curricula and focuses on student-directed investigations of environmental issues affecting local public lands.

Since 2020, Greening STEM grants have provided funding—up to $10,000 per project—to support nine holistic STEM programs that work to address agency priorities. This year, $35,000 is available for projects in the 2023-2024 academic school year. Grants range from $5,000 to $10,000.

Grant applications are being accepted through April 30 and all Forest Service units and institutions that manage public lands within the State, Private, & Tribal Forestry network and partners may apply. The application must demonstrate active and collaborative involvement by Forest Service staff, a school or school district, and (optionally) a community-based nonprofit organization.

For questions about the grant program, contact Melissa Taggart, State, Private, & Tribal Forestry environmental education specialist, at melissa.taggart@usda.gov, or Robert Sendrey, environmental education program director for the National Environmental Education Foundation, at rsendrey@neefusa.org. Learn more about last year’s grantees and access the grant application at 2023-2024 USDA Forest Service Greening STEM Grants | NEEF (neefusa.org).