Environmental Education Fund
Environmental Education Fund supports Emmet County schools and nonprofits with field trip transportation, equipment, and educator training to connect K–12 students with local ecology.
Funder: Petoskey-Harbor Springs Area Community Foundation
Due Dates: Rolling during the school year (submit before the proposed activity)
Funding Amounts: Up to $500 per request
Summary: Supports nature-based learning for K–12 students in Emmet County through field trip transportation, equipment, and educator training.
Key Information: Open to Emmet County schools and 501(c)(3) nonprofits providing K–12 environmental education in Emmet County.
Description
The Environmental Education Fund at the Petoskey-Harbor Springs Area Community Foundation supports nature-based learning for K–12 students in Emmet County. Established in 2009 by a donor who wanted local youth to connect with the ecology around them, the fund treats the county’s lakes, forests, springs, dunes, farmland, and Little Traverse Bay as an outdoor classroom. Its focus is environmental education, rather than outdoor recreation or athletics.
Current priorities include transportation to outdoor settings that complement classroom learning, equipment that encourages closer observation of local ecology, and specialized environmental education training for local educators and nonprofit staff. Since its creation, the fund has helped nearly 5,000 Emmet County children and teens learn from nature.
