WE NHEEd to Get Outside Grant Information
We NHEEd to Get Outside, Again (and always)!
Since 2018 we've awarded $85,492 that enabled 10,266 students to get outside! This grant is open to NH schools or 501(c)3 non-profit organizations 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 weight is also given to applicants who plan in the "off season" (late fall, winter, and early spring), as this provides new and different outdoor experiences and supports environmental education centers around the state at a time when they have fewer visitors. The grant funds can be used to cover transportation costs, student entry fees, program fees, or the purchase of equipment for outdoor observation and exploration experiences. We anticipate awarding grants in the range of $200-$2000.
We will accept applications to fund outdoor learning experiences taking place in 2025 starting on September 15, 2024. The deadline to apply is November 20, 2024. Awards will be announced mid-December 2024. Grants are awarded in early January 2025.
For the NHEE'd To Get Outside in 2025 round the grant committee will be using a rubric to help guide the review process. We strongly encourage applicants to review the rubric and frequently asked questions before filling out an application. You can also review the application here. We will only accept applications submitted via the google form using the link below.
On September 15 click here to apply. Follow us on facebook for updates.
Each year we receive more request than we can award which means there are children who are missing out on an opportunity to get outside. We need more sponsors to continue funding these opportunities. Please click here to contact NHEE if you are interested in becoming a sponsor or have ideas about finding sponsors.
Congratulations to the following 2024 grant recipients!
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Stark Village School - K-6th graders will get to use new books, magnifying glasses, binoculars, and more to enrich their science lessons and prepare them for a culminating trip to the Squam Lakes Natural Science Center.
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Lisbon Regional School - 5th & 6th graders will participate in a nature program at Prescott Environmental Education Center where they will make connections to language arts, social studies, science, and the environment.
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Broken Ground School - 3rd graders will be able connect their classroom studies about animal adaptations and a changing climate when they are able to see the live animals up close at the Squam Lakes Natural Science Center and learn even more.
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Wheelock Elementary School - On this class trip to Nature's Classroom 5th graders will have opportunities to connect with nature through hiking and exploration of the forest, streams, and swamps while building community and gaining team building skills.
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Beaver Meadow School - 1st graders and Kindergarten adventure buddies who explore the woods near their school throughout the school year will now get to explore together along the NH Audubon McLane Center trails and watch a live bird demonstration where students can discover how animals adapt to their habitat.
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Tiny Tots Preschool - Pre-K students will unleash their natural curiosities and imaginations while playing outside at their new mud kitchen where they can experiment and observe how water and dirt interact in all sorts of weather.
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Deerfield Community School - At Merrowvista Environmental Education Camp 6th grade students will build community and learn about themselves and their role in the environment, while exploring the outdoors.
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Harris Center for Conservation Education - Purchasing hip waders, telescoping nets, and pond watchers guides to support their aquatic macroinvertebrate studies programming will allow the Harris Center to continue to work with over 30 schools, as well as with adults, families and college student interns.
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Manchester High School West Outdoor Club - The club will go on monthly hiking trips and 4 camping trips throughout the school year. For many of these students it will be their first-time hiking and camping.
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Strafford School - 6th graders will take a trip to Nature's Classroom where they will hike and explore the marshes, woodlands and beaches where they can see first-hand the interdependency of the biotic and abiotic components of these environments that they studied in the classroom.
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Hollis Primary School - K-3rd graders environmental science lessons will be enhanced with binoculars and microscopes (including adaption one's so that all students can participate).
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Edward Fenn Elementary School - With the purchase of microspikes and snowshoes 4th graders will be able to explore the White Mountains year round and see what they notice about short-term seasonal changes compared to the more long-term changes in landforms and landscapes. They might even notice changes in themselves as they get stronger and more comfortable hiking.
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Lisbon Regional Elementary School - PreK-6th graders will participate in "Snowshoe to Explore!", a cross curricular adventure exploring the local area around their school to study the winter landscape. They will create art pieces, create different types of homes that students learn about in Social Studies (Inuit people/igloos), study the structure and composition of snowflakes, as well as the impact the changing seasons has on animal and plant life, and will use their observations to write journal entries/stories/etc. Students will also use the snowshoes on a weekly basis during gym class as an alternative to being in the gym all winter long.
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Danbury Elementary School - In partnership with Newfound Lake Region Association, K-4th graders will explore their watershed and environment with a variety of hands-on exploration of nature. Students will participate in a nature scavenger hunt, an introduction to bird-watching, a nature craft, and aquatic invertebrate sampling.
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Mount Washington Observatory - 50 young students (second, third, fourth and sixth grades) at Effingham Elementary, Northeast Woodlands Charter School, and Madison Elementary School will get the chance to access the summit of Mount Washington either by the Mount Washington Cog Railway, Mt. Washington Auto Road or a snow coach.
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Stonewall Farm - Kenne Middle School Life Skills program 6th-8th grade students will participate in 10 trips to the farm to care for the farm animals, work in the gardens, and explore the woods throughout the seasons. These experiences allow opportunities to explore different sensory inputs, and sharpen observation skills by noticing how plants and animals react to different actions and inputs (i.e. food, water, loud noises).
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Unitarian Universalist Friends of Refugees (UUFOR) - Refugee and New American youth and their families will get to experience life outside of the city and explore the Flume Gorge rich in geologic history of the White Mountain Area.
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Lake Sunapee Protective Association - Richards Elementary School 5th grade students will visit the LSPA center to participate in our Watershed Discovery Day Program and 4th graders will go to The Fells for a full day Watershed Ecology experience (studying forest, meadow, lakeshore and stream habitats). Both of these trips are culminating experiences of a year-long monthly visit program conducted by LSPA education staff.
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Timberlane Regional High School - With the purchase of a classroom set of snowshoes Environmental Science, AP Environmental Science, Biology, and Botany students will be able to conduct year-round research projects in the 7 acre area near the school with a variety of habitats.
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Circle Program - The Circle girls and teens will work with the Squam Lakes Association on a service project to clean the Col trail, help with small trail maintenance projects, and participate in an educational training around tree/plant identification and animal prints.
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Sanborn Regional High School - With the purchase of a biltmore stick, clinometer, and Munsell soil book students will have the tools needed to explore and identify what is in our environment and be able to compete at the NH Envirothon.
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Nashua PAL - Through their positive choices at PAL and within the community youth will earn an overnight camping trip in the woods with Beaver Brook! This opportunity included night hiking (with glow sticks and flashlights) to identify nocturnal animal sounds, campfire safety for cooking and warmth, and much more.
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Southeast Land Trust - Youth from underserved school districts in Rockingham County participating in All-Terrain Learning Adventures (a nature-based mental wellness program offered in collaboration with the University of New Hampshire Extension's Health & Well-Being Team) will get to go on nature-based fields trips to places like Wallis Sands, Mendum's Pond, and Pawtuckaway State Park.
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Kearsarge Food Hub - 3rd & 4th graders from Bradford Elementary School will be welcomed back to Sweet Beet Farm allowing them to build off of their experiences as first graders, deepening their connection to the farm, allowing them to experience growing food for themselves and their neighbors, and the giving them a chance to connect with the earth and local Abenaki culture.
Click here to see descriptions of trips & projects funded over the years.
Add your trip to the list for next year!