This project provides funding to the artist boat, INC

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 6 awarded The Artist Boat, Inc. a Project Grant of $139,636 under the Environmental Education Grants Program (CFDA 66.951) on August 1, 2025, with a project completion date of July 31, 2027. The grant funds environmental education initiatives designed to increase environmental literacy and promote environmentally responsible behavior across five Texas communities: Galveston, League City, Houston, Texas City, and La Marque. The primary deliverables include professional development programming for six teachers and a comprehensive series of workshops for approximately 625 students in grades 7–12, covering environmental impact assessment, watershed and water quality management, inquiry-based learning, estuary natural features, and air pollution.

In collaboration with five school district subrecipients—Clear Creek Independent School District, Raul Yzaguirre Schools for Success, Texas City Independent School District, Odyssey Academy, Inc., and Galveston Independent School District—the grantee will facilitate student-led environmental stewardship research projects that address locally relevant environmental issues. These projects equip students and teachers with the knowledge and skills necessary to make informed environmental decisions and implement responsible stewardship actions within their communities. The initiative emphasizes inquiry-based learning and hands-on outdoor educational experiences designed to connect students directly with local environmental challenges and ecological systems.

To implement its project, which will design, demonstrate, and disseminate environmental education practices, methods, and techniques, that will serve to increase environmental literacy and encourage behavior that will benefit the environment in galveston, league city, houston, texas city, and LA marque, texas. The grantee will do this by providing six teachers a professional development program and 625 grade 7-12 students an environmental impact assessment workshop, a workshop on watersheds and water quality, a student inquiry-based workshop, an outdoor workshop on estuary natural features, a workshop on air pollution, and by facilitating student environmental stewardship research projects.activities:this project will increase public awareness and knowledge about environmental issues in galveston, league city, houston, texas city, and LA marque, texas, and provide students and teachers the skills necessary to make informed decisions and to take responsible actions. Activities to be performed during this project period include: providing six teachers a professional development program and 625 grade 7-12 students an environmental impact assessment workshop, a workshop on watersheds and water quality, a student inquiry-based workshop, an outdoor workshop on estuary natural features, a workshop on air pollution, and by facilitating student environmental stewardship research projects.subrecipient:clear creek independent school district, raul yzaguirre schools for success school district, texas city independent school district, odyssey academy, INC. Independent charter district, and galveston independent school district are the subaward recipients. Artist boat, INC. Will help help teams of students at schools within these school districts pick a locally relevant environmental issue and work with each other to implement a stewardship research project to address and improve the issue. Examples of potential projects are students increasing awareness over using trash and recycling cans or students implementing planting of native plants at their school. Through the subawards the subaward recipients will purchase supplies and/or software so students have the materials they need to complete the stewardship research projects.outcomes:IT is anticipated that this project will result in the following deliverables: six teachers provided a professional development program; 625 grade 7-12 students provided six educational workshop and assistance crafting environmental stewardship research projects; a completed evaluation of the program; and quarterly reports submitted to EPA throughout the project period. Expected outcomes of the project include: increased teacher knowledge of wetland ecology and coastal ecosystems, increased student knowledge of galveston BAY ecosystems and air pollution, increased environmental student literacy, and increased environmental stewardship by students and teachers. The intended beneficiaries include students and teachers of galveston, league city, houston, texas city, and LA marque, texas.