Funding green projects at your school

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Sometimes being green can save you green, but not always. Sometimes it takes money to bring an idea to fruition. If you’re looking for funding for a school garden, LED light-bulbs, a compost bin, rain barrels, or some other project designed to make your school more earth-friendly, once you’ve got the principal’s approval, give these ideas a try:

- Ask neighbors, parents, or local businesses to sponsor your project. Put an announcement in your school newsletter, requesting donations.

- Ask the PTA or the principal for financial or volunteer assistance. Sometimes they set aside money for requests that come up during the year.

- Put the word out that your idea might be a good activity for a social service group or scout troop.

- Ask your local home-improvement store if they can donate items that you need. Some major chains give their store managers a monthly allowance for donations in kind.

- Negotiate a cost reduction from the store or service company that offers what you need.

- See if your local utility or city government has programs that might offer assistance. Our city offers free bike racks, for example.

- Ask a nearby church for support with donations or workdays.

- Ask a teacher to sponsor your project and request donations through donorschoose.org. See link below.

- See if your school district can provide items such as signs, fencing, or installation of items you purchase. We received “no-idling zone” signs, simply by requesting them from our district’s transportation department.

- Be creative, can you create your project using free materials? There’s a local cemetery near our school that offers landscape rocks free of charge. Craigslist.org is a great source for free or inexpensive used materials. Or ask your school community for ideas.

- Approach relevant departments of nearby universities or community colleges. You might find a teacher looking for a class project.

- Sell items like reusable shopping bags or water bottles. Be aware that you may need to pay sales tax, even if you’re raising money for a non-profit.

- Hold an event, like a craft activity, nature hike, or green speaker and ask for donations for your project.

- Hold a used book sale with books donated by parents.

- Ask a parent to teach a class or give a talk, then ask for donations for your project.

- Search for other school fundraising ideas online, there are many options. It’s good if you can tie the activity into your project with a green theme.

- Search for local sustainability-oriented organizations that might offer grants for small projects or might be able to offer other assistance, such as lending tools or organizing volunteers.

- Visit www.grantwrangler.com for opportunities to fund eco-friendly projects. Take special note of deadlines. Most grants for schools only require submission of an application.

- The following companies or organizations have offered grants that could be used for eco-friendly projects – Home Depot, Lowe’s, Scholastic Books, Captain Planet, Do Something Grant, National Gardening Association.

- Call local chapters of the Rotary Club, Lions Club, Junior League, and other civic groups to see if they offer grants for local projects.