About

A classroom grant offering for projects focused on caring for water.

Receive funding to address a local water issue through a classroom project. No portfolio required!

Overview

The Water Smart Grant is a grants program open to teachers conducting classroom projects about caring for water for grades 4-6. Classrooms must be part of a school in a Cal Water service area. Teachers apply for a $500 grant, explaining their proposed project, and are notified within 30 days of their grant status. If they become a grant recipient, teachers are asked to submit only a short follow-up on the project to Cal Water. This program is not a competition, but offers a low-barrier entry to project-learning within the classroom and is a wonderful opportunity to tackle local water issues with your students.

 

Introducing Group Grants:

Do you have a larger project in mind? We are happy to announce that we are now accepting group applications. Two or more teachers (up to four), can now apply as a group to conduct a single project with multiple classrooms. By applying as a group, each participating teacher is eligible for a $500 grant to apply to the singular project.  

Eligibility

Eligible teachers must:

- Teach grades 4, 5, or 6
- Teach at a school within a Cal Water service area - Check Your Address!
- Conduct a classroom project focused on caring for water (conservation, quality, supply, etc.)  

Teachers applying as a group:

- Are eligible for one grant per participating teacher 
- May include no more than 4 teachers 
- All teachers must teach at the same school within a Cal Water service area - Check Your Address!
- Must be working on a singular project with their combined classes

Participating Students:

- Are still eligible to participate in A Splash of Creativity and other Tap Into Learning offerings.

The Program Year:

- The Water Smart Grant program is considered to run from July 1st - June 30th.
- If a teacher receives a grant, they cannot apply for another grant until the next July 1st or after.
 

The Application

Interested teachers may apply for a grant by submitting a completed application form. A teacher can apply multiple times per year, but may only receive one grant per program year.

Each grant application will be confirmed by email to the teacher at the email provided in the application.

Applications are accepted all year.

Group Applications

And don't forget, we are now accepting group applications! Up to 4 teachers can apply as a group. Each teacher will be eligible for a $500 grant to work on the larger group project. 

To apply, the lead teacher should submit an application selecting to apply as a group. All participating teachers should be listed in the application form, along with their contact details. Each teacher will be contacted about the status of the grant, and if approved, each teacher will receive one $500 grant 

The Grant

Grant Recipients will be selected by a California Water Service Representative.

If selected for a grant, the submitting teacher will receive a $500 e-giftcard for use on their project. Teachers will also receive an email detailing the due date of follow-up materials. Approved grant requests will be distributed within 30 days of approval.

Also note, if participating as a group, each participating teacher will be sent a $500 e-giftcard, not just the submitting teacher.

Follow-Up Materials

After receiving grant funds, participating teachers have 30-90 days to submit back project materials. The timeframe is dependent upon the time needed specified in their application. These follow-up Materials include a 1-page coversheet and photos.

The cover sheet consists of:

- A teacher reflection (150-500 words)
- Up to five student quotes (150-500 words)

The Photos:

- The teacher is asked to submit photos of the project and/or participating teacher.
- Students should not be included in the submitted photos.
- Photos and coversheets will be submitted online through the Cal Water Tap Into Learning site.