2022-2023 NPS 21st CCLC Greening STEM Grants

The National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF) is proud to announce the awardees of this year’s NPS-21st Century Community Learning Centers (CCLC) Greening STEM Grant. 

For the third year in a row, NEEF has partnered with the National Park Service (NPS) and the US Department of Education (ED) to deliver STEM programming that engages youth from underresourced and/or underrepresented communities in citizen science, environmental monitoring, and other STEM activities at NPS sites across the country. 

Funding from this grant will support place-based after-school education programs for students participating in 21st CCLC programs, which provide academic enrichment opportunities during non-school hours. These programs will utilize components of NEEF’s Greening STEM model with a focus on NPS-related subject matter. They will also provide educators with strategies for hands-on, inquiry-based education, as well as opportunities for professional development and collaboration with 21^st CCLC center staff.

Following project completion, all resources and related content developed under these grants will be made available via ED’s You4Youth professional learning portal. For examples of successful past projects, visit NEEF’s Greening STEM Spaces page.

“Thanks to the support of our partners at the National Park Service and Department of Education, we have been able to slowly increase the number of programs each year, culminating in a record of nine awardees this year,” said Robert Sendrey, program director for K-12 environmental education at NEEF. “This shows the success this grant has had in forging long-lasting relationships between 21^st CCLC programs and NPS sites.”