The National Wildlife Federation is offering two grant opportunities for HISD schools. Applications are due Monday, June 15.

One grant focuses on secondary schools interested in developing nature-based solutions to community stormwater runoff or flooding. The second is open to all grade levels and emphases energy literacy.

Energy and Sustainability Quality Assurance Analyst Stephanie Walker said schools should apply despite the uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Making the NWF grant applications a priority can prove to be instrumental in providing students with a meaningful educational opportunity during these difficult times,” Walker said. “These grants allow students to use their skills and implement solutions to problems faced by our community.”

Open to secondary schools, the Resilience Ambassadors Program provides grant recipients with a $3,000 award to implement a nature-based solution to community stormwater runoff or flooding next spring.

The program provides teachers with two professional development workshops this fall, as well as a $110 stipend per workshop, per teachers, and 12 hours of TEA-approved continuing education credits. It also includes a field trip for up to 30 students per campus, allowing them to participate in a Community Action Day at their local bayou in November.

Schools will also have access to classroom presentations and project consultations.

The second grant focuses on helping schools boost energy literacy for K-12 students and save money by saving energy. It is offered by the Student-Led Energy Reduction Campaign by NWF’s Eco-Schools USA and the Watt Watchers Program of Texas.

By implementing energy conservation measures and using energy-efficient technologies, schools can significantly cut energy use while engaging students in STEM investigations and project-based learning.

Participating schools must attend a professional development webinar in July, follow the Eco-Schools USA 7-Step Framework, and form an eco-action team made up of two teachers who attended the webinar and students. They also must launch a six-week energy reduction campaign and complete it by May 1, 2021 and conduct pre- and post-campaign energy audits with students.

Recipient schools will receive TEKS-aligned Watt Watchers of Texas curriculum, continuing professional education credits for teachers that attend the webinar, a seed grant of up to $350, site visits from NWF, and Eco-Schools USA recognition upon completion of the campaign.

For more information about either grant programs, contact Stephanie Walker at SWalker4@HoustonISD.org.