2019 NOAA California Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) Program | NOAA NOS ONMS 2019 2005886

Opportunity Information: Apply for NOAA NOS ONMS 2019 2005886

The 2019 NOAA California Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) Program is a discretionary federal funding opportunity from the U.S. Department of Commerce (NOAA) that supports hands-on, locally relevant environmental education for kindergarten through high school students in California. The program is centered on creating and delivering Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences (MWEEs), which are structured learning sequences that connect classroom instruction with outdoor fieldwork. The intent is to help students understand how their local watersheds function, how those watersheds connect to the ocean, and why stewardship of coastal and marine resources, including protected places such as national marine sanctuaries, matters for communities and ecosystems.

At the core of the opportunity is the MWEE model, which typically includes several connected components: students start by defining an environmental issue or question that is relevant to their area, then participate in outdoor field experiences where they collect observations or data, followed by time spent analyzing what they found and drawing conclusions, and finally completing an action project that applies their learning in a real-world way. This approach is designed to move beyond one-time field trips by building a coherent learning progression that blends classroom learning and outdoor learning and ends with student action, reinforcing both academic understanding and civic responsibility.

The program places strong emphasis on alignment with established education frameworks. Funded projects are expected to advance the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), the California Environmental Literacy Standards, and the Ocean and Climate Literacy Essential Principles. In practical terms, this means proposals should show how activities build science and environmental literacy, use inquiry and evidence, and strengthen students ability to think systemically about watersheds, climate, and ocean connections. Projects are also meant to be authentic and community-connected, reflecting local environmental conditions, local priorities, and place-based learning.

Geographically, the opportunity defines specific California watersheds that frame eligibility and project focus. The Monterey Bay watershed is defined as the counties of San Mateo, Santa Cruz, Santa Clara, Monterey, San Benito, and San Luis Obispo. The San Francisco Bay watershed is defined as the counties of Marin, San Francisco, Alameda, Contra Costa, Sonoma, Mendocino, Humboldt, Del Norte, Trinity, Napa, and Santa Rosa (as listed in the notice). The Santa Barbara Channel watershed is defined as the counties of Santa Barbara and Ventura. Projects are expected to be relevant to these areas and to engage teachers and students who live, learn, and work within these watershed communities.

The intended participants include both teachers and students across K-12 grade levels. Teachers are broadly defined to include formal educators (school-based teachers) and non-formal educators (educators working outside traditional school settings) who serve kindergarten through high school. Students are defined as kindergarten through high school as well. This wording signals that proposals can involve partnerships between school districts and organizations such as environmental education nonprofits, nature centers, museums, universities, or other community-based education providers, so long as they are delivering strong K-12 watershed and ocean literacy experiences consistent with the MWEE approach.

In terms of funding mechanics, NOAA planned to use either cooperative agreements or grants, which are standard federal instruments for supporting programmatic work and partnerships. The opportunity listed an award ceiling of $100,000 and anticipated making about five awards. The CFDA number associated with the program is 11.429, and the opportunity was posted under Funding Opportunity Number NOAA NOS ONMS 2019 2005886. The application window opened with a creation date of January 31, 2019, and the original closing date was April 5, 2019.

Overall, this B-WET competition is best understood as a targeted investment in high-quality, place-based environmental education that ties California students learning to the real watersheds they depend on. The program is designed to strengthen science learning, cultivate ocean and watershed stewardship, and support educators in delivering experiences that are sustained, field-based, and connected to meaningful student action.

• The Department of Commerce in the environment, natural resources, science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "2019 NOAA California Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 11.429.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jan 31, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 05, 2019. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $100,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 5 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for NOAA NOS ONMS 2019 2005886

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