Greenprints for the Future
Wild Classroom’s Sustainability Project Fund
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Congratulations to our 2025-2026 recipients!
- Christine Goulet; William Diamond Middle School; Lexington, Massachusetts
- Dede Henderson; South Hamilton CSD; Jewell, Iowa
- Delores Williams; Generations Forward Learning Farm; Chancellor, Alabama
- Jacob Murrie; Great Hearts Invictus; Helotes, Texas
- Karissa Clarr; Ayni Learning Space; Ruskin, Florida
- Kelsy Achtenberg; The Innovation School; Bismarck, North Dakota
- Melissa Bright; Somerset County 4-H Association; Bridgewater, New Jersey
- Morgan Peake-Lozano; Tomball Star Academy; Tomball, Texas
- Robert Roth; Charles P. Murray Middle School; Wilmington, North Carolina
- Yevgeny Pevzner; Kearns Junior High School; Kearns, Utah
New for the 2025-2026 school year, Wild Classroom offers a program that supports educators in guiding their students toward meaningful environmental action.
This opportunity provides financial and personalized support, along with ready-to-use teaching resources, to help educators lead their students in designing and carrying out real-world sustainability projects in their schools and communities. Whether they are addressing biodiversity loss, food waste, energy use, or other local issues, students will apply classroom learning to create change that benefits both people and nature.
How it works
Educators interested in applying will be asked to
1) Use our provided Wild Classroom activity (for grades K-5) or (for grades 6-12) with their students to
- Reflect on their connection to nature
- Identify an environmental issue in their school or community
- Design a creative solution to address the problem.
2) Select one student’s solution proposal and submit with the application for funding by December 12, 2025.
3) If selected, implement the proposed solution with their students and submit all requirements by May 1, 2026 (see requirements below).
Examples of environmental issues for solution proposals
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Snacks & lunches in lots of wrappers
Too much packaging creates more trash.
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Cars/buses are running longer
Which creates air pollution and wastes fuel
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Lots of leftover food thrown away
Good food ends up in the trash instead of being saved, shared, or composted
© Paul Rogers / WWF-UK
Few birds, bees or butterflies
Pollinators and wildlife are disappearing, which can affect plants and food
© Paul Rogers / WWF-UK
Litter on playgrounds, sidewalks, etc.
Trash harms the environment and animals
© Istockphoto.com / WWF-Canada
Lights or electronics are left on when not in use
Wasting energy that could be saved
How recipients will be selected
The Wild Classroom team will review submitted proposals and use the rubric below to evaluate how well each solution:
- Shows understanding of nature’s importance and how it affects everyday life (30%)
- Addresses an environmental threat and positively impacts the school or local community (30%)
- Demonstrates creativity, collaboration, and critical thinking (20%)
- Has longevity (20%)
What you will receive
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Financial support to fund student-led environmental projects
A maximum of 10 educators will be selected for the funding opportunity, with each receiving $1,000 to help support the implementation of their submitted project.
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Guidance from our team to help you every step of the way
Recipients also receive personalized guidance from Wild Classroom throughout the project's design and implementation. This includes an exclusive kickoff webinar, helpful tools and resources to aid in your project-based teaching, and readily available one-on-one assistance from Wild Classroom team members.
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Recognition on WWF channels
Recipients will be recognized and celebrated across WWF and Wild Classroom communications.
Need to knows
Who can apply
WWF employees, WWF board members, and individuals on the Specially Designated Nationals list are ineligible. To be eligible for Wild Classroom's Sustainability Project Fund, applicants must
- Work with students in grades K-12, in a formal or nonformal education setting
- Reside and teach in a U.S. state or territory
- Be at least 18 years of age
Requirements of awardees: Upon selection
Recipients will be notified and required to complete/submit the following in early 2026
- W9 tax form
- ACH wire transfer form
- Signed agreement acknowledging terms and conditions
- Completed facilitator pre-survey
- Attend or view kickoff webinar hosted by Wild Classroom
- Signed transparency letter from administration (public school educators only)
Requirements of awardees: At project completion
Once the project/solution has been implemented, recipients will be required to submit the following by May 1, 2026
- Completed facilitator post survey
- Photo/video capture of project implementation that can be shared to Wild Classroom community and public
- Media consent forms from the participating students' guardians
- Written recap report describing the project's implementation and what project-specific outcomes were achieved
Key dates
- August/September/October 2025: Complete activity with students
- December 12, 2025: Application deadline
- January 2026: Recipients notified
- February 2026: Deadline for required recipients forms
- May 1, 2026: Deadline for project wrap-up materials
Questions?
We’re happy to help! Email [email protected]