Environmental Literacy Program: Increasing community resilience to extreme weather & climate change

Agency: Department of Commerce

11.008 -- NOAA Mission-Related Education Awards

Archived opportunityLast Updated: May 13, 2026

Description

The goal of this funding opportunity is for communities to have sufficient collective environmental literacy to take actions that build resilience to extreme weather and climate change in ways that contribute to community health, social cohesion, and socio-economic equity. These communities will be composed of children, youth, and adults who participate in formal and/or informal education experiences that develop their knowledge, skills, and confidence to: 1) reason about the ways that human and natural systems interact globally and locally, including the acknowledgement of disproportionately distributed vulnerabilities; 2) participate in civic processes; and 3) incorporate scientific information, cultural knowledge, and diverse community values. Efforts to build environmental literacy should ultimately aim to reduce risks from current and future environmental hazards through climate-smart and inclusive decision making and long-term stewardship of healthy ecosystems, all the while promoting a low-carbon economy.

Projects should demonstrate how they will engage children, youth, and/or adults to build these capabilities, particularly through active and social learning, during the award period. Projects should leverage and incorporate relevant state and local resilience plans and collaborate with individuals and institutions that are involved in efforts to develop or implement those plans. Projects may focus on a single location or multiple locations and a single type of environmental hazard or a range of hazards that impact a community or communities. Projects will be based on the established scientific evidence about current and future extreme weather and climate change hazards facing communities and should consider relevant socioeconomic, cultural, and ecological factors in the targeted location(s). Particular attention should be paid to community members that have greater exposure to, and fewer resources to deal with, extreme weather and/or climate change impacts. Projects should support diversity, equity, inclusion, and climate justice in all aspects of the project.

Eligibility

Eligible applicants

Miscellaneous

Other

Additional information

For both priorities of this funding opportunity, eligible applicants are limited to institutions of higher education; K-12 public and independent schools and school systems; other nonprofits, including community-based organizations and informal education institutions, such as museums, zoos, and aquariums; state and local government agencies; and Indian tribal governments in the United States. For-profit organizations, foreign institutions, and individuals are not eligible to apply; however, for-profit organizations, foreign institutions, and individuals may participate as project partners. Likewise, federal agencies are not eligible to receive federal assistance under this announcement, but may be project partners. Priority 1 awards will support new projects taking place in the Central and Eastern Regions of the United States. These regions include the following states: Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. The entirety of a project must only serve audiences located in one or more of the listed states. Inclusion of a location not in this list of states will result in disqualification of the pre-application and full application to this Priority.Priority 2 awards will support the evolution of projects funded under the 2015-2018 funding opportunities from this program (NOAA-SEC-OED-2015-2004408, NOAA-SEC-OED-2016-2004737, and NOAA-SEC-OED-2018-2005455). The full list of awards that support or have supported eligible projects can be found here: https://go.usa.gov/xFWXS. Project impacts do need to occur in a specific region or regions of the United States. It is strongly encouraged that an individual serve as a PI on only one application submitted to this funding opportunity. Institutions may submit more than one application and individuals may serve as co-PIs or key personnel on more than one application. Federal employees may not serve as PIs or co-PIs on any application, although they may be included as key personnel.

Grantor contact information

Description

You can contact the Environmental Literacy Program grants team at oed.grants@noaa.gov. For further information about the NOAA Office of Education, please visit the office website at http://www.noaa.gov/office-education.

Email

Work

oed.grants@noaa.gov

Documents

File name	Description	Last updated
NOAA-SEC-OED-2022-2006995_NOFO_Report.pdf	Full Announcement	Sep 15, 2021 12:28 PM UTC

Link to additional information

Archived: April 16, 2022

Application process

This site is a work in progress. Go to www.grants.gov to apply, track application status, and subscribe to updates.

Award

$5,000,000

Program Funding

Expected awards

$250,000

Award Minimum

$500,000

Award Maximum

Funding opportunity number:

NOAA-SEC-OED-2022-2006995

Cost sharing or matching requirement:

Funding instrument type:

Cooperative agreement

Opportunity Category:

Discretionary

Opportunity Category Explanation:

Category of Funding Activity:

Environment

Natural resources

Science technology and other research and development

Category Explanation:

History

Version:

Posted date:

September 15, 2021

Archive date:

April 16, 2022