The Division of Wildlife offers Wildlife Education grants to local schools, government agencies, non-profit organizations and other school-oriented facilities to support wildlife-related education projects and programs. These grants are designed to provide funding for materials, equipment and activities that are otherwise unaffordable to the school or organization; they are not meant to provide on-going funding. Eligible projects include habitat improvement on the school/organization grounds, materials to support wildlife-related research and programs, field trips and professional development related to Ohio wildlife.
The goals of this grant program are to 1) encourage the youth of Ohio to progress from awareness and knowledge to the development of skills and attitudes required to facilitate responsible action for the benefit of people, wildlife, and the environment; 2) provide financial support for educators and youth to develop wildlife related projects and programs for use with school curricula and organizational programming; and 3) promote cooperation between schools, youth organizations, community groups and agencies in implementing projects and programs that foster wildlife conservation and environmental stewardship.
Examples of eligible projects include: planting trees, flowers, shrubs, or putting up nesting boxes in a school, park, or playground; planting a bird or pollinator garden in a schoolyard; installing a pond for aquatic habitat; establishing bird feeding stations; developing access trails to a wildlife habitat area for use in environmental studies; enhancing an area for environmental education programs in areas where habitat already exists; developing signage for nature trails; supplies and materials to enhance the study of wildlife on the school grounds or nearby nature areas (i.e. binoculars, spotting scopes, field investigation supplies, cameras and scientific equipment under $200, etc.); professional development for educators that focuses on native wildlife and habitat; or field trips for wildlife-related programs.
None is available.
Wildlife Education is considered any project or program that focuses on and benefits Ohio's wildlife and their habitats. Wildlife Education projects and programs function within the premise that every school or organization, regardless of size and location, can provide wildlife-related opportunities that can and should be part of an integrated education program. Wildlife Education programs include Project WILD, an international supplemental curriculum that is administered by the ODNR Division of Wildlife. The grant project coordinator(s) must have attended a Project WILD, Aquatic WILD, Growing Up WILD, Curious KIDSS, or Science and Civics workshop to be eligible for funding.
Only one grant per facility/site is permitted each State of Ohio fiscal year, which is July 1-June 30. A school district or organization can receive multiple grants per fiscal year if they have multiple sites.