Through federal funding opportunities of up to $5,000, NOAA Planet Stewards supports educators working in formal and informal educational settings to carry out hands-on action-based stewardship projects with elementary through college age students, as well as the general public.
conservation, restoration, and/or protection of human communities and/or natural resources from environmental issues in:
- Marine debris
- Habitat conservation and restoration
- Carbon footprint reduction
- Carbon sequestration
Educators requesting support from NOAA Planet Stewards must submit an application and supporting documents by midnight (Pacific Time) June 4, 2023. Applicants will be contacted regarding the status of their submission no later than July 31, 2023. If approved, educators shall use the funds to carry out their project during the 2023/2024 academic year.
Educators leading stewardship projects will be required to send a detailed progress report every six months until the project is completed. For projects taking place during the 2023/2024 academic year, the first progress report is due by midnight (Pacific Time), January 28, 2024. A final report must be submitted within one month of completing the project, but no later than July 28, 2024.
Preference will be given to:
- Educators actively working in pairs or groups.
- Educators proposing projects that engage multiple classrooms, grade bands, entire schools, or multiple schools.
- Educators with organizational leadership roles, skills, or other activities that give the applicant an advantage in completing their project.
- Projects which engage underserved and underrepresented audiences. The NOAA Office of Education defines these audiences as follows:
Underserved audiences: Populations who receive inadequate or inequitable services, who experience quality-of-life disparities, and who by design have little power or influence over outside decisions that impact their daily quality of life.
Underrepresented audiences: Populations in STEM who are categorized in the following racial or ethnic minority groups (Blacks or African Americans; Hispanics or Latinos; American Indians or Alaska Natives, and Native Pacific Islanders) based on their representation in STEM education or employment being smaller than their representation in the U.S. population.
- Projects engaging partners external to the submitting educator’s school or organization, especially partners that provide tangible in-kind support.
- Projects designed/with plans to persist beyond the federal funding period.