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Resources for Educators > Scholarships & Grants

If you know of available scholarships or grants, please send an email to ScholarshipsandGrants@nysmea.org.

Visit these sites for new announcements:

Business App Challenge
The Department of Commerce offers the Commerce Business Apps Challenge to motivate developers to find innovative ways to utilize Commerce and other publicly available data to help businesses identify opportunities, grow, enhance productivity and create jobs.  The deadline for entry is April 30, 2012.

Butler-Cooley Excellence in Teaching Award
The Turnaround Management Association and the John William Butler Foundation honor exceptional teachers who have changed the outcome of students' lives and the communities in which they live with the Butler-Cooley Excellence in Teaching Awards.  The deadline for applications is May 1, 2012.

Dorothy Stout Professional Development Grants     
The National Association of Geoscience Teachers awards grants to K-12 teachers and faculty and students at two-year colleges.  The grant supports professional growth in, or classroom teaching of, Earth science.  The deadline for application is April 15, 2012.

Earth Day Photo Contest
The Institute for Global Environmental Strategies is holding an Earth Day Photo Contest for students in grades 5-8.  During the week of Earth Day, April 16-27, 2012, students should take a photograph of something that is changing in their local environment, then submit the photo and explanation.  The deadline for entry is May 11, 2012.

Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training Grants
The EPA Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training Grants offer financial assistance to eligible entities to deliver environmental workforce development and job training programs that recruit, train, and place local unemployed and under-employed residents, offering the skills needed to secure full-time employment in the environmental field. The grants’ focus on training is on solid and hazardous waste remediation, environmental health and safety, and wastewater. The deadline for application is April 12, 2012.

Get to Know Your Wild Neighbors Contest
The Get to Know Your Wild Neighbors Contest will launch April 7, 2012 in partnership with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Association of Zoos and Aquariums, and partners. The contest invites American youth (19 and younger) to develop a deeper appreciation for their neighbors of other species by getting outdoors and creating art, writing, digital photography, videos, and music. The goal is to engage the power of art to help youth feel more connected with nature. Check out the launch events in select cities across the country.
       
Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes
The Gloria Barron Prize recognizes young people, ages 8-18, who have shown leadership and courage in public service to people and the planet.  The deadline for nomination is April 30, 2012.

Green in Action Awards
The GEF Green in Action award is given to schools, classes, and/or groups of green keepers who show exceptional initiative in sustainability projects. The deadline for entry is April 22, 2012.

Harry Passow Classroom Teacher Scholarship
The National Association for Gifted Children awards the A. Harry Passow Classroom Teacher Scholarship to teachers of grades K-12 who have shown excellence in teaching gifted students. The scholarship is designed to reimburse or defray the costs of continuing education. The deadline for application is April 16, 2012.

ING Unsung Heroes Awards
The ING Unsung Heroes program helps K-12 educators and their schools fund innovative classroom projects.  At least one award will be granted in each of the fifty states, provided one or more qualified applications are received from each state.  The deadline for application is April 30, 2012.

McCarthey Dressman Teacher Grants
The McCarthey Dressman Education Foundation partners with individuals to expand educational opportunities for America’s youth that inspire students by nurturing their curiosity about the world and their place in it.  Funding includes Academic Enrichment Grants and Teacher Development Grants.  For both grants, the deadline for application is April 15, 2012.

MASNA Scholarship
The Marine Aquarium Societies of North America offers the MASNA Scholarship to one full-time undergraduate and graduate student seeking a degree in the marine science field. The deadline for application is June 22, 2012.

MATE International ROV Competition
The MATE (Marine Advanced Technology Education) Center coordinates an international student ROV competition and a network of 19 regional ROV contests. The competitions connect students and educators with employers and working professionals from marine industries, highlight marine-related career opportunities, and promote the development of technical, problem solving, critical thinking, and teamwork skills. This year’s competition theme focuses on World War II shipwrecks and the role that ROVs play in assessing and addressing the potential environmental threat of any fuel oil that they may still contain.

Mia J. Tegner Memorial Research Grants
The Marine Conservation Institute offers Mia J. Tegner Memorial Research Grants in Historical Marine Ecology. The grants support young scientists studying what the oceans were like before humans began significantly altering marine ecosystems. The deadline for application is April 16, 2012.

Microsoft Partners in Learning
The Microsoft Partners in Learning 2012 U.S. Forum is a part of a global program consisting of regional forums culminating in a worldwide event recognizing innovative educators from around the world. The competition is open to all K–12 educators and school leaders. Educators apply with classroom projects using technology in innovative ways that positively impacts student learning. The deadline for application is May 15, 2012.

Ocean Education Partnership Grants
The NOAA Office of Education Ocean Education Partnership Grants are for projects designed to expand or develop professional development and other capacity-building activities for informal science educators and volunteers. A successful project will utilize the resources of multiple institutions which include at least three non-profit U.S. aquariums. Collaborative teams should involve applicants from multiple U.S. states and are strongly encouraged to include at least one aquarium that has not previously received a grant from NOAA’s Office of Education. There is special interest in collaborative teams that include aquariums representing a wide range of annual operating budgets, total visitorship numbers, and/or physical sizes. The deadline for applications is May 7, 2012. See the website for details; click on funding.

Ocean Guardian School Grants - California
Ocean Guardian School Grant funds are now available for area California schools to create a school- or community-based conservation project that focuses on current issues affecting local watersheds and the ocean while promoting best environmental practices. Check the website for eligible counties. The deadline for application is May 1, 2012.

Patagonia Environmental Grants
Patagonia offers grants to organizations that identify and work on root causes of problems and that approach issues with a commitment to long-term change, with a focus on organizations that build a strong base of citizen support. Applications are accepted year round at retail stores and twice yearly at the headquarters, with the next deadline for application at headquarters of April 30, 2012.

PLT Greenschools! Action Project Grants
Project Learning Tree’s GreenSchools! Action Project Grants fund projects that make a difference in young people's sense of responsibility toward their communities and in their understanding of their relationship to the environment. Examples of past grant projects include habitat restoration, watershed improvement, outdoor classrooms, and energy conservation. The deadline for application is May 15, 2012.

Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching
NSF is now accepting nominations for the 2012 Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST).  This year, the award will recognize outstanding mathematics and science teachers in grades K-6 for their contributions to improving teaching and learning.  The deadline for nomination is May 1, 2012.

Project Blue Planet
This contest from the Smithsonian National Zoological Park and partners challenges kids nationwide to get their schools and communities involved to improve the environment for marine life.  Depending on the school’s environmental priorities, there are four ways to achieve a “Seal” of Approval.  Project categories include waste, energy, habitat, and lifestyle.  The project deadline is June 1, 2012.

Rachel Carson Sense of Wonder Contest
The EPA and partners announce a poetry, essay, photo, and dance contest. Contestants will work across generations to share their own interactions with and reflections about the sense of water. The deadline for entry is June 1, 2012.

Science Prize for Inquiry-Based Instruction
This contest from Science magazine is designed to encourage innovation and excellence in education by recognizing outstanding, inquiry-based science and design-based engineering education modules. The deadline for entry is April 30, 2012.

Small Grants Programme – Migratory Species
The Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals has announced a call for proposals as part of the Small Grants Programme. The deadline for application is May 31, 2012. See the website for complete details.

Sol Hirsch Education Fund Grants
The National Weather Association awards grants to K-12 teachers to improve the study of meteorology. Selected teachers can use the funds to take accredited courses, attend workshops and conferences, or purchase materials for the classroom. The deadline for application is June 1, 2012.

State-Fish Art Project
The Wildlife Forever State-Fish Art Project challenges young artists to create an illustration of their state fish and a written composition on its behavior, habitat, and efforts to conserve it.   The deadline for entry is March 31, 2012.

Teams that Make a Difference Awards         
Pearson Education and the Association for Middle Level Education offer the Teams that Make a Difference awards program that identifies teams of teachers, parents, community members, and others who have created a program, activity, or strategy that focuses on student achievement or connects students with their communities.  The deadline for application is April 15, 2012.

ThinkQuest Competition
This competition challenges students to apply their critical thinking, communication, and technology skills to solve a real-world problem.  Participants may enroll in one or more of the following competition events: Projects, Digital Media, and Application Development.  The deadline for entry is April 25, 2012.

TogetherGreen Innovation Grants
The TogetherGreen Innovation Grants supports conservation partnerships that engage diverse communities and find innovative solutions to environmental challenges.  The deadline for application is April 2, 2012.

Urban Ocean Poetry Contest
The Aquarium of the Pacific hosts an annual Urban Ocean Poetry Contest for youth ages 13-18, in conjunction with the Aquarium’s Urban Ocean Festival, May 5-6, 2012 in Long Beach, California. The deadline for submission is April 6, 2012.

Wetlands Program Development Grants
The EPA’s Wetlands Program Development Grants offer financial assistance for wetland protection and enhancement for state, tribal, and local governments. Grants may be used to develop or enhance programs for protecting, managing, or restoring wetlands. Projects must be performed within Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and/or Washington. The deadline for application is April 9, 2012.

Win a Wireless Lab
The 2012 Win a Wireless Lab Sweepstakes will award three classroom technology packages. Public and private school employees are eligible to enter the sweepstakes once a day through May 3, 2012.

Windland Smith Rice International Photography Competition
The Nature’s Best Photography Windland Smith Rice International Awards competition is open. The deadline for submission is May 7, 2012. Note that there may be an entry fee for submission.

World Environment Day Contest
Students, teachers, classes, or schools across the globe participating in an environmental activity that involves students in grades K-12 are invited to enter their project into the Project Earth 2012 World Environment Day Contest. The deadline for entry is June 5, 2012.

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