Eco Schools and Food Gardens in Schools Grants

The NSW Environmental Trust is calling for applications to their Eco Schools and Food Gardens in Schools programs. Applications for both programs close on Friday 18th May 2012.

The Eco Schools and Food Gardens in Schools Programs aim to provide grants to schools to give them the opportunity to involve their students and community in developing and implementing environmental management projects. 60 grants of $2,500 each will be offered in 2012 under the Eco Schools program, while 20 grants of $3,500 each will be offered under the Food Gardens program.

Schools that did not receive an Environmental Trust grant in 2011 are eligible to apply. Schools must also be registered on the Sustainable Schools NSW website. Pre-schools are not eligible to apply.

Eco Schools Program

The overall objective of the Eco Schools program is to support schools to develop best practice in environmental education and innovative solutions to environmental issues.

The program will fund school environmental management projects aimed at one or more of the following objectives:

• to promote the development of students' knowledge, values and behaviour that supports environmental sustainability


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  to promote participation of some or all students in identifying, designing, implementing and monitoring solutions that improve the quality of the school and local environment


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  to assist teachers to integrate school environmental management projects into school programs and therefore maximise student learning


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  to enable project related professional learning for teachers to gain practical and educational skills and knowledge about the environment


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  to encourage a whole of school approach to sustainable management of school operations


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  to fund schools to utilise the natural and built environment to facilitate student learning


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  to encourage schools to link with the local community (including other schools) to undertake activities which address local environmental issues


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  to promote more efficient resource use and improve the quality of the local environment


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  to enable schools to address community and government environmental concerns and priorities.

Further information on the Eco Schools Program is available on the NSW Environmental Trust website. The application form and guidelines document for this program are also available to download below.

Food Gardens in Schools Program

The overall objective of the Food Gardens in Schools program is to provide learning opportunities for students, teachers and other members of the school community about healthy sustainable living through growing and harvesting food in school gardens. The Program provides funding to establish food gardens in schools and utilise these for teachers’ and students’ learning across curricula.

The program will fund projects aimed at meeting the following objectives:

• the development of students' knowledge, values and behaviour that supports healthy sustainable living


• students' participation in designing, planting, harvesting and caring for school food gardens


• assisting teachers to integrate the school’s food garden program into curriculum delivery and therefore maximise student learning


• enabling project related professional learning for teachers to gain practical and educational skills and knowledge about food gardens


• supporting a whole of school approach to sustainable management of school food gardens


• extending the range of students’ learning experiences by offering food gardens that facilitate student learning


• enabling strong school and local community links


• promoting food garden projects that use resources efficiently and improve the quality of the local environment


• enabling schools to address community and government environmental concerns and priorities about healthy sustainable living


• integrating other health and student welfare initiatives in the school.

Further information on the Eco Schools Program is available on the NSW Environmental Trust website. The application form and guidelines document for this program are also available to download below.