(by Marc Nutter)

Did you know that NH Audubon is an organizational member of New Hampshire Environmental Educators? NHEE is a state-wide affiliate organization that facilitates an annual professional development conference, advocates for environmental literacy, and administers an awesome grant program to help get kids outside to experience nature firsthand.

Any NH School or 501c3 organization is eligible to apply, and the goal of the grant program is “to provide students hands-on, experiential, outdoor learning opportunities. These educational experiences can be to a variety of locations (e.g., nature center, museum, state park, conservation area, school grounds, among others) and must include an outdoor, experiential component. These outdoor experiences do not have to be science focused; since environmental education is interdisciplinary by nature, we encourage experiences that engage participants with the environment in creative ways through a range of subjects. We are especially interested in supporting experiences that involve observation and exploration directly “in” nature.”

Some of the schools we work with have been able to secure grants to help fund field trips to our Centers, up close experiences with our ambassador animals in their classrooms and schoolyards, and even to facilitate our 5th grade curriculum focused on Peregrine Falcons in Manchester. The current grant round is open through November 20, so if you are eligible to apply, please do! If you know of a class or other group that needs financial support to be able to prioritize outdoor learning experiences, please forward this email announcement to them!

All information regarding the NHEE’d to Get Outside grant program, its impact, the scoring rubric, and how to apply can be found here. For more information about other grants and resources offered by NH Audubon, please visit this webpage.