Great Lakes Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) for Indigenous Communities 2024

Background
The Great Lakes Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) program, managed by NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, supports environmental education programs for students and teachers. The program engages youth in meaningful watershed educational experiences (MWEEs) and provides professional development to classroom teachers. It aims to expand environmental literacy throughout the region, including support for state-level capacity building. The Great Lakes B-WET region was established in 2011 with funding provided by the Environmental Protection Agency through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.

Grant Details
The B-WET program promotes place-based experiential learning for K-12 students and professional development for teachers. It fosters the growth of new, innovative programs, encourages capacity-building, and environmental education partnerships.

The primary delivery of B-WET is through competitive grants that promote MWEEs. The MWEE framework focuses on investigations into local environmental issues and leads to informed action. The Great Lakes B-WET funding announcement focuses on a single priority area: MWEEs for K-12 students that incorporate Indigenous Traditional Ecological Knowledge. Projects should be for a period between 12-24 months with no cost sharing required under this program.

Eligibility Requirements
Eligible applicants include K-12 public and independent schools, institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations, regional, state, or local government agencies, interstate agencies, and Indian tribal governments. For-profit organizations, foreign organizations, and foreign public entities are not eligible to apply; however, they may participate as project partners with an eligible applicant.

Applicants may be physically located in any U.S. state; however, education projects must target teachers and/or students located in the Great Lakes region.

Period of Performance
The project start date should not begin before August 1, 2024. Awards will be made in a single allotment of funding with an award period of up to 2 years.

Grant Value
It is anticipated that approximately $300,000 will be available in FY 2024 in award amounts to be determined by the proposals and available funds. NOAA anticipates making approximately three to six new awards, subject to the availability of appropriations.

For each proposal the total Federal amount that may be requested from NOAA should not exceed $100,000. The minimum Federal amount to request from NOAA is $50,000.

Place of Performance
Projects may be physically located in any U.S. state; however, they must target students in the Great Lakes region defined as counties in the Great Lakes watershed in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.