EE Funding

AEEA supports environmental and outdoor education through an annual mini-grant program. The program is designed to support, enhance, and expand the implementation of environmental and outdoor education throughout the state of Arkansas by classroom teachers and non-formal educators and organizations. AEEA funds projects that include, but are not limited to, direct hands-on education programs, educator professional development, and community engagement events. Educators have the opportunity to expand who learns about and experiences the outdoors and to ensure we all have opportunities to connect with the natural world we depend on.

For more on environmental education, see our page “What is Environmental Education.”

Grant Eligibility Requirements:

• Proposals must be submitted for consideration in either formal education or non-formal education
  • Formal education includes educational projects and activities conducted by school personnel at PreK, elementary, secondary, or college level.
  • Non-formal education includes educational projects and activities led by an organization other than a school, such as a nature center, government agency, non-profit organization, or community/civic organization.
• Eligible entities include schools, government agencies, and 501(c)3 registered non-profit organizations.
• Proposals must demonstrate the connection between the project objectives and environmental eudcation.
• Grant funds must be used within the calendar year of the award.
• Funds may be combined with other sources of funds to increase the size or impact of the project.

Preference will go to:

• Organizations, schools, and projects not previously funded by AEEA.
• Projects engaging audiences which have often been underserved in environmental and outdoor education programming. For this grant, underserved communities can include, but are not limited to, the socioeconomic status of the group, neurodiverse populations, and people with disabilities.

Areas of Focus:

• Environmental education in a school, non-formal education, or community setting.
• Outdoor education in a school, non-formal education, or community setting.
• Community education engagement around an environmental issue of local concern (project should have an education focus, not an advocacy focus).
• Positive youth development and environmental or outdoor education.
• Educator professional development in environmental and outdoor education.

What AEEA Does Not Fund:

• Direct grants to individuals
• General ongoing operation support including salaries
• Political campaigns, events, or lobbying activities
• Projects serving religious purposes
• Food and/or beverages
• Expenses incurred prior to receipt of AEEA grant award
• Any use not specified in the grant proposal and budget

Timeline:

• Applications open: September 2, 2025
  
• Deadline for applications: Friday, October 17, 2025
• Award notification announced:by Friday, December 5, 2025
• Funds will be distributed: January 2026
• Final grant report due to AEEA: January 2027

Grant Submission Requirments:

• Complete proposals and budgets must be received by AEEA by Friday, October 17, 2025.  

Salem Superstars 4-H Club – Mini-grant Recipient Highlight

The Salem Superstars 4-H Club outlined a plan to learn about Arkansas native songbirds and share their knowledge with other 4-H Clubs. Through educational field trips and guest lectures, the club learned about identifying songbird eggs, reproduction, and migration. Using the knowledge they gained, they created training kits that included 3D printed eggs. The training kits are now available to to other 4-Hers throughout the state learn about Arkansas songbirds.