B-WET is a competitive grants program that provides funding for locally relevant environmental education projects for K-12 audiences.

B-WET promotes student learning in their local communities and encourages capacity building for environmental education. B-WET funding supports states, school districts, and their partners to develop high-quality environmental education experiences for every student, as well as rigorous teacher training opportunities.

149

institutions were funded by B-WET to bring experiential environmental learning to K-12 audiences in 24 states and the District of Columbia in fiscal year 2023.

4,730

educators received professional development to help incorporate MWEEs into their classrooms in fiscal year 2023.

61,068

students participated in inquiry-based activities both in the classroom and outdoors through B-WET in fiscal year 2023.

The core component of B-WET-funded projects is the Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience (MWEE). The MWEE is a learner-centered framework that focuses on investigations into local environmental issues and leads to informed action. The B-WET program and the MWEE framework support environmental education, foster student success and interest in learning, and empower students to implement environmental solutions in their own communities. This in turn supports NOAA’s mission of science, service, and stewardship.

B-WET serves seven regions in the country. Regional implementation allows B-WET to be responsive to local education and environmental priorities. Each region connects grantees to their watershed, supported by relevant NOAA assets and local resources and expertise.

Six teens stand or sit on rocks that cross a stream. Two are holding sampling probes and another holds a clipboard. There is thick, shrubby vegetation on either side of the stream, and there are large mats of algae in the water.
California B-WET

The California B-WET program works in select counties and watersheds in the state and supports projects that advance the California Environmental Principles and Concepts and the Ocean and Climate Literacy Essential Principles. The California B-WET program emphasizes building capacity for implementation of climate change education in the classroom.

Teachers gather on dock next on river testing water quality.
Chesapeake B-WET

The Chesapeake B-WET program emphasizes the development of programming that reaches all students in a given grade level to create systemic change in school districts within the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Successful projects advance the environmental literacy goal of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement.

Three women stand in 6-foot high grasses surrounding a small body of water. One of these women holds a plankton tow above her head as the women head towards the water (a net with a small bucket underneath).
Great Lakes B-WET

The Great Lakes B-WET program funds projects that support Great Lakes literacy and stewardship priorities of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. Recent competitions have included a focus on serving indigenous communities, climate literacy, and capacity building.

 

three students are pictured from behind looking out over a marsh with binoculars
Gulf of Mexico B-WET

The Gulf of Mexico B-WET program serves the watersheds of the Gulf of Mexico. Gulf of Mexico B-WET projects support the priority issues of the Gulf of Mexico Alliance, a regional partnership with the goal of enhancing the ecological and economic health of the Gulf of Mexico. Gulf B-WET supports diversity through community partnerships and addresses Gulf issues including climate education. 

Five students sit along the ocean coast and stare out into the water.
Hawaiʻi B-WET

This program serves the state of Hawaiʻi with competitions that focus on priorities like Indigenous knowledge and science with an emphasis on climate. Participants in Hawaiʻi B-WET projects can become effective problem solvers, future community leaders, and engaged decision-makers tasked with managing Hawaiʻi’s limited island resources.

Two students wear waders by a large pond. One student is knee deep in the water and the other is holding a rake and wearing rain boots along the pond’s edge. There are red trees and houses in the background past the pond.
New England B-WET

The New England B-WET program focuses on the priorities and challenges facing New England communities by helping students and teachers understand and engage with their local watersheds through community partnerships and environmental action projects. New England B-WET also promotes building capacity for the field of environmental education at the local, state and regional level.

An elementary student sits on the grass along a creek wearing a raincoat and rain boats. She is writing on a clipboard.
Pacific Northwest B-WET

The Pacific Northwest B-WET program supports K-12 education projects located throughout the watersheds of Oregon and Washington that focus on locally relevant ocean and climate science, indigenous knowledge, and community partnerships.

For a brief overview of the B-WET program, take a look at our factsheet!

Watch an overview of the B-WET program (2019).