Mini-Grants for Educators
Each year, we offer mini-grants to provide support to Champaign County educators who want to bring environmental education to their students through creative projects and learning materials.
Educators can apply for up to $500 for their grant.
Since 2006, our mini-grants have funded around $20,000 in educational projects at Champaign County schools. We’ve sponsored the purchase of classroom equipment and books, funded guest speakers, and underwritten the creation of outdoor learning areas and gardens, field trips, professional development, and more. After the completion of their project, grantees submit a one-paragraph report and photos for posting on the CCAS website. Thanks to the generous donations of our membership, as of 2023, we’ve been able to increase our grant funding from $250 to $500 per award.
Applications are due October 17, 2025.
More About Our Educator Mini-Grants
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Mini-grants have supported a wide variety conservation-themed projects, including native plant and pollinator gardens, field trips, birding and science lessons, and more! (Find summaries of recent projects on our blog.)
What can you spend the grant money on? Proposed uses include but are not limited to: books and other classroom resources, sketchbooks and other art supplies, native plants and seed, soil and compost, bird feeders and seed, bird baths, binoculars, and field trip costs. We encourage you to get creative!
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Generous donations to our Community-Supported Fund for Research, Education, and Conservation allow CCAS to provide support for local classrooms each year. If you would like to donate toward the fund, please send a check made out to CCAS to:
PO Box 882
Urbana, IL 61803-0882On the memo line, please write “CCAS Community-Supported Fund.”
You can also donate online!
