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Mini-Grant Program and
Fiscal Sponsorship

Mini-Grants

What difference would $250 make for your teaching?  Could it pay for that workshop you’ve been dreaming of taking?  Materials for a professional development course you want to facilitate? Resources for an environmental education project in your community?  

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EENC recognizes that in our field, sometimes a little bit goes a long way in making a difference for the teachers, non-formal educators, government employees, students and volunteers we work with.  Open to all paying members of EENC, the goal of this grant is to provide support to promote excellence in environmental education across North Carolina.

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EENC will award $2500 in mini-grants in 2023.  Accepted proposals can range from $50 to $250. Each member can submit one proposal per year, either on their own behalf or on behalf of an organization or school.  Funding will be distributed on a reimbursement basis to awardees after their projects are completed.

 

2023 GRANT TIMELINE:

  • January 13: RFP Opens

  • February 28: Application Deadline

  • April 1: All applicants notified of status via email

  • April 10-December 1: Eligible project dates

  • December 14: Final deadline for project reports

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ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA:

Who May Apply:

Professional, Student, Senior, New to EE, Life, and all Organizational members of EENC.  Honorary members are not eligible.  

  • Preference may be given to first-time mini-grant recipients and applicants who were EENC members prior to January 1, 2023, but all eligible members are welcome to apply.

 

What You Can Apply For:

Anything that would promote excellence for environmental education in NC, including but not limited to: professional development course fees, substitute teacher fees to allow professional development attendance, student field trip fees, educational books or materials for facility/classroom/workshop, garden resources, staff time to deliver programming to a new audience, etc.

  • Ineligible requests include: food purchases for professional development (individual or event) and anything related to EENC’s conference, mini-conference, events and workshops (please see our other scholarship applications for those events).
  • ​Food for community-based events is an eligible request when it is integral to the success of the program, especially for events that build relationships with communities of color, low-income communities, and other historically excluded groups.
  • Location: Projects must occur in NC and recipient must live in NC
  • Project Time Frame: Proposed projects must start on/after April 10, 2023 and be completed by December 1, 2023.

 

TO APPLY:

The application deadline was 11:59 pm, February 28, 2023.  Applications for 2024 mini-grants will open in mid-January 2024.

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The response options to our questions are intentionally short because we do NOT want you investing a significant amount of time applying for a $50-$250 grant.  We recommend keeping your applications as simple and clear as possible, but know that this is generally a competitive application process.  Our reviewers will use a detailed rubric, so be sure to answer each question fully.  Learn more about our review process and what we're looking for here

Fiscal Sponsorship

Are you a classroom teacher, independent contractor, or other educator without nonprofit 501(c)3 status? If you need help qualifying for grants or accepting tax-deductible charitable contributions, EENC can serve as a fiscal sponsor for environmental education projects as a service to our membership.  The goals outlined in the projects must align with the mission and goals of EENC. Want to take advantage of this?  

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  1. Contact the EENC Executive Director with your proposed project. Email director@eenc.org to set up a time to talk about your idea!

  2. Put together a 1-2 page proposal. Tell us about your project mission or goals, project plan, estimated budget, and anything else you think the EENC Board of Directors should know.

  3. The Executive Director will bring your proposal before the Board to review at the next monthly meeting. There needs to be a strong alignment of the project goals with environmental education or environmental literacy for your project to be approved.

  4. If the Board approves your project, you and the Executive Director will sign a formal agreement to cover roles, reporting, fees, recognition, and other details.

  5. After all four of the above steps are complete, you can begin submitting grant applications and reaching out to potential sponsors to support your project!

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