This action approves an award in the amount of $100,000 to the to IVY academy, INC

This $100,000 Project Grant award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Environmental Education Grants Program (CFDA 66.951) will support Ivy Academy, Inc., a non-profit charter school in Tennessee, to design, demonstrate, and disseminate environmental education practices, methods, and techniques to increase environmental literacy. Key activities include recruiting an Environmental Education Advisory Board, planning an environmental education conference and cohorts, and developing post-secondary degree and certificate programs in environmental education. The project will award $2,500 sub-grants to 10 local educational agencies, colleges/universities, state agencies, or tribal organizations to serve as inaugural members of the advisory board and assist with implementation. The anticipated outcomes include increased public awareness and knowledge about environmental issues, as well as providing students, teachers, and community members the skills to make informed environmental decisions. The project period runs from September 1, 2024, to August 31, 2026.

The funds received from this grant will be used to implement a project which will design, demonstrate, and disseminate environmental education practices, methods, and techniques, that will serve to increase environmental literacy.activities:activities to be performed during this project period include: recruiting members for the environmental education advisory board; meeting with potential and committed advisory board members to ensure the understanding of and commitment to their roles; planning the environmental education conference and cohorts, using the north american association for environmental education's (naaee) environmental education guidelines for excellence to guide activities and plan professional development and environmental education training. The advisory board will also work towards developing post-secondary degrees and certificate programs in tennessee's institutions of higher education.subrecipient:the subawards will consist of ten qualifying organizations receiving subawards of $2,500 each. The subrecipients will be either a local education agency, college or university, state education or environmental agency or tribal organization - (501(c)(3)), tribal education agency, or noncommercial educational broadcasting entity as defined and licensed by the federal communication commission and will therefore meet required eligibility criteria listed in section III (a). IVY academy's director of communication and outreach will evaluate all potential subrecipients to determine eligibility and ensure suitability for involvement in the environmental education advisory board. All award subrecipients will be inaugural members of the environmental education advisory board, which will advise tennessee educators around incorporation of environmental education and climate change education, work with educators to develop and document best practices in environmental education and climate change education in the state, develop leaders in environmental education and climate change education who can train fellow educators, and work towards the creation of EE degree/certificate programs from tennessee institutes of higher education. Outcomes:the anticipated deliverables of this project include increasing the public's awareness and knowledge about environmental issues, while providing students, teachers, and community members the skills necessary to make informed decisions and to take responsible actions. Expected outcomes of the project include an increased awareness of environmental issues in tennessee. The intended beneficiaries are communities within the state of tennessee.