Youth Learning as Citizen Environmental Scientists (YLACES) Grants

Youth Learning as Citizen Environmental Scientists (YLACES) provides grant opportunities aimed at equipping young students, particularly in the K–12 range, with the tools and support necessary to engage in environmental research. The organization promotes experiential science education and seeks to empower students to contribute to environmental understanding through hands-on data collection and research dissemination. YLACES was established to encourage inquiry-based learning and citizen science by funding projects that enable student-led environmental investigations and peer-to-peer learning platforms. The grant program supports various needs faced by educators and their students, such as purchasing scientific equipment, covering costs for transportation to field sites, or providing mentorship to advance student research initiatives. The grants are intended to break down barriers that prevent youth from transitioning from passive environmental observation to active research. The organization underscores that environmental research must be a central focus of each grant proposal, and applicants are expected to commit to mentoring students throughout their research projects, ensuring outcomes are shared through open-access or non-proprietary platforms such as school websites, GLOBE, CitSci, or Purple Air. YLACES offers several types of grants depending on geography and project type. For U.S.-based educators, grants of up to $1,500 are available to fund equipment and supplies that enable student environmental data collection. Additionally, U.S.-based environmental educators and organizations may apply for up to $5,000 to support the implementation of local Student Research Symposia (SRS). These symposia, modeled after the GLOBE Regional SRS format, are one-day events featuring student researchers from a localized area, such as a school district or small region. Key components include peer review and exposure to STEM professionals. YLACES plans to fund up to seven of these SRS events in 2026. International applicants may also seek funding, with grants of up to $1,500 available to educators or organizations conducting youth-focused environmental data collection. However, international proposals must be endorsed by the GLOBE Program office in the applicant's home country. The international program aims to maintain consistency in project structure while extending support globally to youth environmental science efforts. Applicants may also propose multi-year projects of up to three years in duration. In such cases, applicants must detail how continued funding will sustain and expand their impact. Projects that include collaborative partnerships across organizations are encouraged, especially if shared funding and collective efforts will increase the project’s effectiveness. For all multi-year grants, annual reporting is mandatory. YLACES does not fund salaries or computer purchases. All grantees must commit to providing documentation such as photos, student quotes, and publication links that showcase the results of student research. This impact data may be shared publicly by YLACES across its communication channels. Grantees are also responsible for securing any necessary releases for content shared publicly. The deadline to apply for the current round is March 31, 2026.