Scholarships and Awards

Download the Scholarship form: MS Word or pdf

Award Nomination Information and Forms


Scholarship Overview

We want to see you in Raleigh at our 19th Annual conference. To make attendance possible for some members whose institutions don't cover the fees, EENC is providing a limited number of scholarships to current members. Scholarships cover up to 75% of conference registration fees.


Scholarships are offered in the following categories:

K-12 Classroom Teachers

EE is critical at the K-12 level, and EENC strives to help as many classroom teachers as possible include EE in their regular lesson plans. Recognizing that classroom teachers often earn modest salaries, and that many classroom teachers may not initially identify themselves as Environmental Educators per se, scholarships are earmarked for this category in an effort to encourage their participation.

Non-Formal Educators

EENC recognizes that many non-formal EE positions are budgeted well below the salary levels of equivalent positions in other professions, and that many non-formal Environmental Educators devote their careers to EE based on their passion for the field, often at the sacrifice of financial gain. In an effort to ensure that these dedicated members of the profession are able to attend the state conference, scholarships are earmarked in this category.

College Students

Young professionals are critical to the continuing vibrancy of the field of Environmental Education, and attending a professional conference is one of the best networking opportunities available to help emerging professionals get established in the field. In addition, conference sessions often provide information on best practices and cutting edge ideas that may not be included in all degree programs, so attendance by college students helps promote excellence in EE among these up-and-coming practitioners. Recognizing that college students are earning little or no money during their studies, and often are incurring debt, scholarships are offered in this category in an effort to encourage their participation.

Under-Represented Demographics

Diversity Scholarship: EENC recognizes that the U.S. and North Carolina are quickly changing to a society composed of diverse populations. These demographic changes have critical implications for the field of environmental education. The growth of different populations has diversified the makeup of our schools, workplaces and neighborhoods, creating a need to reflect upon and address the needs of a diverse society. An important step toward understanding and addressing such needs is to strive for our own population within the field of EE to reflect the demographics of the population as a whole. In an effort to support individuals of under-represented populations in entering and excelling in the field of EE, scholarships are offered in this category to encourage their participation.


Application Process--Scholarship applicants must:

All scholarships are paid as a reimbursement of conference fees. All scholarship recipients must register for the conference and pay full conference fees at the time of registration. Please use the online registration system, and use the Google Checkout online payment system.

All scholarship applicants will be notified whether they did or did not receive a scholarship and the amount of scholarship if approved, two weeks prior to the conference. If scholarship is not approved, payment will be reimbursed and registration cancelled, without penalty, if requested.

If scholarship IS approved, payment of the scholarship amount will be sent to the recipient upon completion of the conference and documentation of attendance. Scholarship recipients will receive reimbursement for the approved percentage of their registration fees. If scholarship recipients do not attend the conference, they are not eligible for any scholarship funds. Refunds for cancellations are subject to the cancellation policy. Scholarship recipients are asked to write a thank you letter to one of the conference sponsors (name and address will be provided by the Fundraising Chair). A copy of the letter is requested before scholarship reimbursement is made.

Mail scholarship application, postmarked by the October 1 deadline to:

Frank McKay, EENC Scholarship Chairman
Exploris Middle School
207 East Hargett Street
Raleigh, NC 27601

If you have questions, contact Frank about scholarship details: fmckay@explorismiddleschool.org


I don't really need a scholarship, but I'd like to trade some volunteer time for reduced conference rates. Can I do that?

Answer: We have opportunities for a few volunteers to help with specific aspects of the conference, for which they may become eligible for a volunteer scholarship. For more information, contact Diane Silver at eenc-business@diane-silver.com