Opportunity Information: Apply for NOAA NMFS HCPO 2022 2007118
The Fiscal Year 2022 Chesapeake Bay Watershed Education and Training Program (Chesapeake B-WET) School District Programming opportunity is a competitive federal grant program run by the U.S. Department of Commerce through NOAA. It is designed to strengthen K-12 environmental education across the Chesapeake Bay watershed by funding Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences (MWEEs), which are hands-on learning experiences that connect classroom instruction with outdoor, place-based fieldwork. The central idea is to help students understand their local watershed systems and build real-world stewardship skills that translate into informed civic action and long-term care for the Bay and its connected rivers, streams, and habitats.
At the heart of this opportunity are MWEEs, a structured approach to experiential learning that moves beyond a one-time field trip. Funded projects are expected to guide students through a full learning sequence that typically includes defining a local environmental issue, participating in outdoor investigations or field experiences, analyzing and synthesizing findings, drawing conclusions, and then taking some form of stewardship or civic action based on what they learned. The program emphasizes authenticity and local relevance, meaning projects should be grounded in environmental challenges and watershed features students can actually see and investigate in their communities throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed states.
The program has two funding priorities that are listed without ranking. The first priority focuses on implementing MWEEs directly in school districts, supporting programs that deliver these experiences to K-12 students through coordinated outdoor and classroom components. The second priority emphasizes building school district capacity for environmental literacy, which may include strengthening systems, partnerships, educator support, planning, or other elements that help districts sustain high-quality watershed education over time. Together, these priorities align with broader regional and federal goals, specifically the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement environmental literacy goal and the NOAA Education Strategic Plan.
This funding opportunity is offered as a discretionary award using a cooperative agreement, which generally means NOAA expects to have an active role in the project beyond simply providing funds, such as providing guidance, collaboration, or oversight consistent with federal cooperative agreement practices. The assistance listing is tied to CFDA (now Assistance Listing) number 11.457, and the activity areas center on education, the environment, and natural resources.
Eligibility is broad and includes many types of organizations that commonly deliver school-based environmental programming. Eligible applicants include state, county, and local governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations; and nonprofit organizations, including both 501(c)(3) nonprofits and non-501(c)(3) nonprofits (as long as they are not institutions of higher education). This wide eligibility is intended to support the kinds of partnerships often needed to deliver MWEEs at scale, such as collaborations among school districts, nonprofits, universities, nature centers, and local government agencies.
The award ceiling for individual grants under this announcement is $100,000, and NOAA anticipated making about 12 awards. The opportunity was posted on November 16, 2021, with an original application deadline of March 3, 2022. Applicants were also alerted that a separate Chesapeake B-WET funding announcement exists for Statewide K-12 Environmental Literacy Initiatives, indicating this particular competition is specifically aimed at school district programming and district-level implementation or capacity building rather than statewide coordination efforts.Apply for NOAA NMFS HCPO 2022 2007118
- The Department of Commerce in the education, environment, natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Fiscal Year 2022 Chesapeake Bay Watershed Education and Training Program/School District Programming" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 11.457.
- This funding opportunity was created on Nov 16, 2021.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Mar 03, 2022. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $100,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 12 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the FY 2022 Chesapeake Bay Watershed Education and Training (Chesapeake B-WET) School District Programming opportunity?
It is a competitive federal grant program administered by the U.S. Department of Commerce through NOAA. The program supports K-12 environmental education across the Chesapeake Bay watershed by funding Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences (MWEEs) that connect classroom learning with outdoor, place-based fieldwork.
What is the main purpose of this grant program?
The purpose is to strengthen K-12 environmental education in the Chesapeake Bay watershed by helping students understand local watershed systems and build real-world stewardship skills. Projects are expected to support informed civic action and long-term care for the Chesapeake Bay and its connected rivers, streams, and habitats.
What is a Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience (MWEE)?
An MWEE is a structured, hands-on learning experience that goes beyond a single field trip. It links classroom instruction to outdoor investigations and uses local watershed issues and features that students can see and study in their own communities.
What learning steps are projects expected to include as part of an MWEE?
Funded projects are expected to guide students through a full learning sequence that typically includes: defining a local environmental issue, participating in outdoor investigations or field experiences, analyzing and synthesizing findings, drawing conclusions, and taking some form of stewardship or civic action based on what was learned.
How is this different from a one-time field trip?
The program emphasizes authenticity and a complete learning sequence. Instead of a standalone outing, MWEEs are designed as coordinated classroom and outdoor components that build from investigation to analysis and lead to stewardship or civic action.
What geographic area does the program focus on?
The program focuses on the Chesapeake Bay watershed, with projects intended to be grounded in local environmental challenges and watershed features within communities throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed states.
What are the funding priorities for this opportunity?
There are two funding priorities listed without ranking: (1) implementing MWEEs directly in school districts by delivering coordinated outdoor and classroom experiences to K-12 students, and (2) building school district capacity for environmental literacy (for example, strengthening systems, partnerships, educator support, planning, or other elements that help districts sustain watershed education over time).
Are the funding priorities ranked or weighted?
No. The priorities are listed without ranking.
What kinds of projects fit the "school district programming" priority?
Projects that directly deliver MWEEs to K-12 students through coordinated classroom instruction and outdoor, place-based field experiences align with the school district programming priority.
What kinds of projects fit the "building district capacity" priority?
Projects that strengthen a district's ability to sustain high-quality watershed education over time align with this priority. Examples described include efforts related to systems, partnerships, educator support, planning, or similar capacity-building elements.
How does this opportunity connect to broader goals or plans?
The priorities are aligned with the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement environmental literacy goal and the NOAA Education Strategic Plan.
What type of federal award is this?
This opportunity is offered as a discretionary award using a cooperative agreement.
What does it mean that the award is a cooperative agreement?
A cooperative agreement generally means NOAA expects to have an active role in the project beyond providing funds, such as offering guidance, collaboration, or oversight consistent with federal cooperative agreement practices.
What is the Assistance Listing (CFDA) number for this program?
The assistance listing number associated with this opportunity is 11.457.
What activity areas does this funding support?
The activity areas center on education, the environment, and natural resources.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility includes: state, county, and local governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations; and nonprofit organizations, including both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3) nonprofits (as long as they are not institutions of higher education).
Can school districts apply?
Yes. Independent school districts are listed as eligible applicants.
Can nonprofit organizations apply?
Yes. Both 501(c)(3) nonprofits and non-501(c)(3) nonprofits are eligible, as long as they are not institutions of higher education.
Can colleges and universities apply?
Yes. Public and state-controlled institutions of higher education and private institutions of higher education are eligible.
Can tribal governments or tribal organizations apply?
Yes. Federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations are listed as eligible.
Why does the program allow such broad eligibility?
The wide eligibility is intended to support partnerships often needed to deliver MWEEs at scale, including collaborations among school districts, nonprofits, universities, nature centers, and local government agencies.
What is the maximum award amount for an individual grant?
The award ceiling for individual grants under this announcement is $100,000.
How many awards did NOAA anticipate making?
NOAA anticipated making about 12 awards.
When was the opportunity posted?
The opportunity was posted on November 16, 2021.
What was the original application deadline?
The original application deadline was March 3, 2022.
Is this the only Chesapeake B-WET funding announcement?
No. Applicants were alerted that a separate Chesapeake B-WET funding announcement exists for Statewide K-12 Environmental Literacy Initiatives.
How is this opportunity different from the statewide environmental literacy initiatives announcement?
This competition is specifically aimed at school district programming and district-level implementation or capacity building, rather than statewide coordination efforts.
What grade levels does the program serve?
The program is designed to strengthen K-12 environmental education and supports experiences delivered to K-12 students.
What kinds of outcomes are projects trying to achieve for students?
Projects aim to help students understand local watershed systems and develop stewardship skills, with learning that can translate into informed civic action and long-term care for the Chesapeake Bay and connected waterways and habitats.
What does "place-based" mean in the context of this grant?
It means learning is grounded in local relevance, using environmental challenges and watershed features that students can directly see and investigate in their own communities within the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
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