Mini Grants

The Environmental Education Association of Illinois (EEAI) is soliciting proposals of up to $200 for the EEAI mini-grant program. The mini-grant program is designed to support, enhance and expand the implementation of environmental education throughout the state of Illinois.

Eligible Applicants:
Both formal and non-formal educators who are members of EEAI may apply.

Eligible Costs and Projects:
Requests should focus on projects/activities that help to educate students, visitors, or community members about natural resources or the environment. Examples of items eligible for funding include: equipment, books, program materials, displays, guest speakers, field trip expenses, etc.

Ineligible Costs:
Grant funds cannot be used for food or beverages, overhead, stipends or to reimburse any expenses prior to the grant period.

Funding and Payment:
The EEAI mini grant program will be a competitive process. A committee of EEAI members will evaluate each proposal based on the guidelines below. Project coordinators will be notified of acceptance in November. At this time, a check will be mailed from the EEAI treasurer.

Project Reporting:
A post-grant report is required within one year of the grant award.

EEAI’s criteria for judging the grant applications:
. Applications must be received by September 30, 2008
. Complete and attach application form along with the information requested below
. Limit proposals to a maximum of two pages NOT including the application form
. Proposals must be typed
. Send five copies of your application form and proposal
. A limit of one grant per facility will be awarded in any given year
. Applicants may re-apply each year

Download Application Form

$ Funded!! $

Congratulations 2007 Mini-Grant Recipients!

Congratulations to all of the 2007 Mini-Grant recipients. Below is a list of the recipients and a brief description of what the grant money will be used for:

Lorado Taft Field Campus, Oregon
Funding will be used to purchase a telescope, laser pointer and other tools to enhance the astronomy class currently being offered to schools attending Taft’s residential environmental education programs.

Bloom High School, Chicago Heights
Paper, cell phones and ink cartridges are currently being recycled at Bloom High School. This grant will allow the Science Club to purchase plastic bottle recycling bins so that students and staff will also be able to recycle their plastic bottles.

Claremont Academy, Chicago
The 4th grade students take part in a number of hands-on lessons to help them learn about local ecosystems. The culmination of this unit is a field trip to the Little Red Schoolhouse. Grant funds will be used to support this field trip.

Montini Catholic High School, Lombard
Students at Montini Catholic High School study the romantic writers of the 1800’s with a focus on the environmental issues discussed in Thoreau’s and other writer’s essays stories, and poetry. The students then take a field trip to the Morton Arboretum where they study in the woods and at the pond. Grant funds will be used to support this field trip.

St. Mary Immaculate Parish School, Plainfield
The school’s fourth grade students will research and design a butterfly garden. Funds will be used to purchase research materials and field guides that will help the students to decide which plants to use in the butterfly garden. The remainder of the funds will then be used to purchase plants.

McCully Heritage Project, Kampsville
Funding will be used to purchase bird egg replicas for the Native Nesters: Illinois Bird Habitat and Conservation exhibit. Through the exhibit, visitors will learn about native bird habitats; the importance of preserving bird habitat; and the history of the U.S. Migratory Bird Act.

Arcola High School, Arcola
Grant money will be used to purchase subscriptions to environmental magazines so that students in the school’s Environmental Science class will have current information on environmental issues.

Glenn Elementary, Normal
The 4th and 5th grade students at Glenn Elementary are participating in GLOBE (Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment). The grant money will be used to purchase a GPS unit to aid students with their data collection for the project.

Champaign County Forest Preserves, Homer
Funds will be used to purchase new enclosures for the animals housed at the Environmental Education Center.

Touch of Nature Environmental Center, Makanda
Grant money will be used to purchase new dip nets and macro invertebrate identification flash cards for Touch of Nature’s Learning about Lakes/Pondering Ponds workshop.