This grant is authorized under section 6 of the national environmental education act

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 9 awarded a $200,000 Project Grant to the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) under the Environmental Education Grants Program (CFDA 66.951), effective August 1, 2025, through July 31, 2027. The award supports the development and delivery of environmental education professional development programs targeting K-12 teachers across four California counties: Santa Barbara, Ventura, San Luis Obispo, and Kern. Working in partnership with local nonprofits, UCSB will design and implement two professional development offerings—a one-week summer institute and a six-month virtual series—to train up to 90 teachers in environmental problem-solving skills focused on local natural resource management and flooding mitigation.

The project deliverables include curriculum development for the professional development programs, teacher recruitment and enrollment, implementation of field-based and virtual learning activities, and ongoing technical assistance to support teachers in developing and executing action plans with their students. These action plans will engage approximately 8,000 K-12 students in community and school-based environmental improvement projects. The award includes federal funding of $100,000 with a matching cost-share contribution of $100,000 from UCSB, and aligns with the Powering the Great American Comeback Initiative's emphasis on cooperative federalism and cross-agency partnership in environmental education.

This environmental education grant's workplan aligns with pillar 3 of the powering the great american comeback initiative, 'permitting reform, cooperative federalism, and cross-agency partnership.' as detailed in the workplan, UC santa barbara's project will train and support teachers of K-12 students (5-18 years old) in four counties to encourage natural resource management through improving environmental problem-solving skills. The project will increase the capacity of up to 90 teachers to support youth in natural resource management, impacting up to 8,000 students. Teachers will learn about flooding in their local environments and will develop action plans for working with their students to implement action projects focused on their local school campus or community. This assistance agreement provides full federal funding in the amount of $100,000 and a recipient cost share overmatch of $100,000. Pre-award costs are approved back to 08/01/2025. See terms and conditions.activities:this project will increase public awareness and knowledge about environmental issues in four counties in california: santa barbara, ventura, SAN luis obispo, and kern and provide students and teachers the skills necessary to make informed decisions and to take responsible actions. Activities to be performed include: (1) working with local non-profits to develop two professional development programs (one week-long summer institute, and one six-month virtual series) for teachers, (2) recruiting teachers to participate, (3) implementing professional development that includes outdoor activities to connect teachers to the land and supports teachers in developing action plans for their students that engage the students in local action to improve the land on their school or community. The project will also (4) support classroom teachers in implementing their action plans through following up with teachers throughout the academic year and will (5) build a library of resources for teachers.subrecipient:the recipient will work with five local nonprofits that focus on environmental education explore ecology, wilderness youth project, santa barbara botanic gardens, santa barbara natural history museum) and community concerns (santa barbara community environmental council) to develop and implement professional development programs for local teachers that focuses on revitalizing land and sustainable food systems through activities that include outdoor activities that connect students to the land, a focus on solutions, interdisciplinary instruction, and uses the global competency model to support student and teacher learning and contribute to california's environmental education capacity building.outcomes:IT is anticipated that this project will result in the following deliverables: the development of two professional development programs focused on land, agriculture, and food systems. The cultivate schoolyard custodians program will implement 3 workshop sessions to support K-12 teachers in the development and implementation of projects that address hyper-local issues of long-term resource efficiency in and around their schoolyard. Cultivate global custodians through local action, a summer institute for teachers to identify local environmental issues related to agriculture and food systems, understand how those issues are connected to global issues of long-term resource efficiency, and learn strategies for developing an action project alongside their students. A website will be developed to house teacher resources and showcase student projects. Expected outcomes of the project include students who are empowered to act in their own communities as environmental custodians and for the schools to serve as examples for the community. In addition, the student projects led by the teachers will lead to schoolyard environments that are impro