Deadline: July 15, 2022.

Youth Learning as Citizen Environmental Scientists offers grants to environmental educators for instruments and supplies to facilitate youth environmental research and data collection and to equip the rising generation with scientific thinking abilities.

​YLACES works to provide environmental research opportunities for all students. However, barriers such as lack of school resources, unsafe neighborhoods in which to conduct research and physical limitations of students create obstacles to achieving this goal.  Further, the negative environmental consequences of laws, regulations and policies, such as pollution, often disproportionately impact vulnerable populations such as minority, economically disadvantaged and immigrant communities. Therefore, the 2022 YLACES grant guidelines are designed to: 

• Provide equitable access to environmental research opportunities for all and 
• Support citizen science activities that will improve understanding of or help to address the environmental and human health challenges faced by the local community

ELIGIBILITY

YLACES is soliciting applications for grants. Those working with youth to do research projects through environmental citizen science are invited to submit proposals for support to help acquire the scientific instruments or other necessary data collection tools or materials.

GRANT

Grantees must commit to coaching students in doing research projects and sharing their observations and reports. Grants of up to $1,250 are available, although larger grants may be considered following consultation with Dr. Dixon Butler (dixon@ylaces.org).

APPLICATION

To apply for a grant, formal and informal educators are invited to submit a proposal of no more than three pages that addresses the following:

Brief description of the proposer’s organization, including population served, number of students/participants who will be included in the grant-related activities and their ages/grades. 

• Describe the proposed research project.
• Explain how student research will be incorporated into curricula or youth group activities?
• Describe how the quality of youth citizen science measurements will be assured, the protocols documented, and the data reported and shared?
• Explain how research results and conclusions will be documented and shared by participants?
• Describe how participant improvement in scientific ways of thinking will be assessed and reported to YLACES? 
• Will the proposed project seek to mitigate environmental injustices? If so, please explain.
• Will the proposed project provide opportunities for marginalized students (i.e., those with lack of access resulting from socio-economic, physical or emotional challenges)? If so, please explain.

In addition to the brief proposal, please include a resume of the applicant, including email and telephone number.

Grant proposals should be submitted by email to dixon@ylaces.org.

OFFICIAL LINK