Eco Schools

The Eco Schools grants program funds environmental management projects that promote learning opportunities for students, teachers and the community.

Applications for the 2019 round closed on Monday 1 July 2019.

Purpose

The Eco Schools program funds schools to provide hands-on environmental education with strong student participation.

The program funds projects that feature:

environmental benefits – more efficient resource use and/or improvements to the local environment
student participation – the development of knowledge, values and behaviour that support environmental sustainability
teacher engagement – access to professional development and help with integrating environmental management with other aspects of the curriculum
partnership with the community – schools and the community exploring opportunities to work together to promote sustainability.

Funding available

80 individual grants of $3500 are awarded each year.

Who can apply?

All registered schools in NSW are eligible to apply. We particularly encourage projects for students with special needs.

When can applications be made?

Applications for the 2019 round have closed.

Resources for applicants

We’ve provided examples that show how you can:

link environmental projects with the curriculum
deliver projects to students with special needs
work with community organisations for environmental education.

Indicative costs (DOCX 76KB) are available to provide an idea of how much your project may cost.

When you apply for an Eco Schools grant you’ll be asked to select a project category, but you can draw ideas from examples in other categories.

Project categories

Guidelines and application forms expand

The program is currently closed to applications. The guidelines and application form below are for interest only.

2019 Program guidelines (PDF 311KB)

2019 Application guidelines (PDF 649KB)

2019 Application form (PDF 267KB)

Case studies expand

You can download case studies of previous projects from Learning from funded projects.

Planning and reporting expand

If you’ve received a grant under the Eco Schools program, you’ll need to use the standard forms listed in this section.

Project measures table

The project measures table (XLSX 72KB) will help you set the baseline for your project (its starting point), create targets and record progress.

You’ll need to update and submit the table every time you report on your project’s progress.

Progress reports and final report

As you move through your project you’ll have to submit progress reports. These will outline what you’ve achieved and what you’ll do next. Use the progress report form (PDF 47KB) for these reports. Photographs are a great way to show your project’s progress and we recommend including them in your reports.

Progress reports are reviewed by technical experts who can ensure you’re on the right track and give you feedback or advice. After your report is reviewed and accepted we’ll pay your next grant instalment.

When your project finishes you’ll have to submit a final report that says what it has achieved. Use the final report form (PDF 53KB) to do this.

Financial reports

Your final report must be accompanied by a financial report. See the Eco schools financial report example (XLS 56KB) for how to complete it.

If your grant was awarded in or after 2015, use the financial report form (2015 onwards) (XLSX 17KB)
If your grant was awarded before 2015, use the financial report form (before 2015) (PDF 17KB)

You’ll also need to send us a statutory declaration (PDF 10KB) to certify that the details in your final report and financial report are correct. After you’ve filled in the form you must print it and sign it by hand.

Where to send reports

Email reports and other documents to info@environmentaltrust.nsw.gov.au (50MB limit).

Acknowledgement requirement

Please acknowledge the funding you’ve received from the Trust in all publications and materials related to your project. We ask that you say:

This project has been assisted by the New South Wales Government through its Environmental Trust.

See Funding acknowledgement for more information.

Grants awarded expand

The successful 2019 projects are expected to be announced in November 2019. In the 2018 round, we received 199 applications and approved $3500 funding for each of 86 projects, totalling $301,000.