Eligibility
Who?
Any private, public, or independent Canadian elementary or secondary school is eligible to apply for a WWF-Canada Green CommUnity School Grant.
Applications can be submitted by:
- Principals
- School Staff Members (Teacher, Guidance Counselor, etc.)
- Students, and
- Parent Counsel Members
Each project must be supervised by a school staff member AND be approved by the school principal in order to be eligible for a grant.
What?
Any "green" project that focuses on connecting students with nature and the environment is eligible! The WWF-Canada Green CommUnity School Grants Program aims to support school projects that will help reduce a community’s impact on the environment, increase understanding of environmental issues and solutions, stimulate environmental leadership, and inspire students and communities to take action.
Topics of interest to WWF-Canada may include, in no particular order:
- Water Conservation – projects that support the reduction of water use, conserve water, e.g. with rain barrels, or create freshwater ecosystems.
- Sustainable Transportation – projects that support the use of sustainable means of transport such as walking, biking, transit, carpooling, and ride sharing.
- Increased Energy Efficiency – projects that support a reduction in energy consumption (lighting, electricity, heating and cooling, etc.) through behavioural change and technology improvements.
- Increased Biodiversity on School Grounds – projects that support biodiversity health such as planting wildlife gardens, frog ponds, nest boxes, and projects that help local species at risk and connect students with nature.
- Local and Sustainable Food – projects that support sustainable food programs: locally grown, organic, pesticide-free, reduced packaging, fair trade, etc.
- Waste Reduction – projects that support the reduction of waste, including composting, recycling, and reduced packaging.
Successful projects will be ones that provide key lessons to students and aim to enhance their appreciation and respect for the environment. Remember that originality of your project counts too. Don’t be afraid to think outside of the compost box!
How?
- Applications must be submitted online through the online application form available on this website.
- Applications can be submitted in English or French.
- Multiple applications can be submitted per school, as long as the projects are distinct from one another.
- Submissions can be for new green initiatives or can help to grow a project that is already underway.
About the Grant Money
- You can receive up to $5,000 to make your green idea grow.
- WWF-Canada may support hard costs associated with the project including equipment, hardware, materials, technology etc., as long as the items are necessary to the successful completion of the project. Please note that expenses such as computers/laptops will not be funded.
Hard costs that improve the school’s overall environmental impact but do not contribute to the school’s curriculum or project/student learnings will not be funded. Examples include: hand dryers, water filtration systems, fluorescent lighting, high efficiency dishwashers, etc.
- WWF-Canada may support soft costs including some promotional and communication costs, however, the following costs will not be supported: software costs, staff costs or honorariums, food/beverage costs, entertainment costs, as well as any unspecified costs.
- Please be as detailed as possible when filling out your project costs in the budget form, as these are the only allowable expenses for your project.
- If selected as a grant recipient, schools will receive 75% of the funds upfront.
WWF will issue the final payment (remaining 25% of the grant) after receipt of a satisfactory progress report detailing how at least 50% of the project has been completed. If less than 50% is complete, due to the nature of the project, then the report must outline the next steps, and how the final payment will enable project completion.
- Please note, funds spent outside of the grant’s terms or time period will not be reimbursed by WWF-Canada.
- Projects based solely on improving the aesthetics of school grounds are not of particular interest to WWF-Canada.
- If your project will require additional funds outside of the grant from WWF, please detail how these funds will be sourced.
Have more questions? Check out the
FAQ or
contact us.