2025 Indiana Thriving Schools Challenge Grant open October 2- November 15, 2024
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2025 Indiana Thriving Schools Challenge Grant open October 2- November 15, 2024 〰️
Indiana Thriving Schools & Students
A program of Earth Charter Indiana
We aim to support Indiana schools and students in their work towards a sustainable future, following the principles of the Earth Charter.
Become a Indiana Thriving School!!
The Indiana Thriving Schools Challenge is a project based learning grants program for Indiana K-12 schools, with precedence given to schools in Marion County and underserved rural communities. Project funding is available to schools in need of financial support, maximizing the opportunity for all schools in our community to participate in tackling sustainability. Selected schools will be eligible for up to $5,000 total in funding to implement up to 3 projects. The dedicated teachers and staff who champion the implementation of the projects at selected schools will receive a stipend of up to $1,000 with no strings attached. For projects that have multiple Champions, decisions regarding how to split the stipend is at the discretion of the Champions.
Projects must be within the 3 Pillars of the ITSC program: School Gardens; Energy & Waste Reduction; Climate & Sustainability Curriculum Creation.
Examples include: gardens, composting, zero waste cafeterias, LED conversions, recycling programs and more.
Priority consideration will be given to: projects emphasizing circular economy and civic engagement; schools within historically underserved communities based on the percentage of students receiving Free and Reduced Meal assistance, demographics of the student body, median household income, proximity to grocery stores and more.
All schools will be considered for grant funding, priority is given to ensure funding is dispersed through an equitable lens.
All schools must have students involved with ideation and implementation, generally known as a Green Team, but can also be but not limited to an afterschool garden club, individual classroom, entire grade or entire school. Youth involvement is mandatory.
2023/24 ITSC Cohort William McKinley 39’s Green Team
2023/24 ITSC cohort Lakeside Elementary’s Green Team
Exciting news!
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Exciting news! 〰️
The Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has announced several top schools, school districts, lawmakers and others as recipients of the 2024 Best of Green Schools Awards, an annual recognition in collaboration with the Green Schools National Network.
Earth Charter Indiana’s Director of Equitable Initiatives, Tatjana Rebelle, was honored with an Ambassador award for their role in empowering K-12 schools to adopt dynamic sustainability practices in Indiana through numerous funding initiatives.
Other recipients include Boston Public Schools, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Amanda Talantis, a school teacher in Gulf Shores, Ala. The full list of awardees and the rationale for their selection can be found here.
ITSC cohort Victory College Prep as an elementary school classroom has their butterfly release.
Our Beginning
In 2019 Earth Charter Indiana and the Indianapolis Office of Sustainability partnered to initiate the Indianapolis Thriving School Challenge. This program sprang from the city of Indianapolis's THRIVE Program to create more sustainable and resilient communities. Initially, the ITSC program not only distributed funding but certifications for schools starting and continuing to lead the charge in sustainability projects throughout Indianapolis.
”These projects represent the talent and ambition of a young generation working to create a safer, healthier, better world. We are taking your example as inspiration.”
— mayor joe hogsett 2021 indiana thriving schools challenge celebration
ITSC cohort Holy Angels student with ITSC decal beside their indoor garden tower.
The Indiana Thriving Schools Challenge is a project based learning grants program for all Indiana K-12 schools. Project funding is available to schools in need of financial support, maximizing the opportunity for all schools in our community to participate in tackling sustainability. Selected schools will be eligible for up to $5,000 in funding to implement up to 3 new projects, as well as to improve upon or expand existing projects. The dedicated teachers and staff who champion the implementation of new projects at selected schools will receive a stipend of up to $1,000 with no strings attached.
Past ITSC cohort Green Team proudly showing off their recycling efforts.
Our Mission
Education in sustainability engages children and young adults around important topics like environmental stewardship, social responsibility, waste reduction, circular economy, systems thinking, place- and problem-based learning, and conservation of resources. Creating new projects will provide students, educators, and parents alike with hands-on project implementation experience. Through project-based learning, students will exercise critical thinking, creativity, and communication skills in the context of creating authentic, meaningful projects. These skills and knowledge will be crucial to the development of innovative solutions to the challenges of the 21st century.
Since 2019 the Indiana Thriving Schools Challenge has provided:
112
K-12 Indiana Schools grants
87K
Students impacted by projects
$300K
Grant funding and stipends for educators
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Created in 2001 by John Gibson and Jerry King, Earth Charter Indiana is inspired by the Earth Charter declaration at the Peace Palace in The Hague, Netherlands, in 2000. The Earth Charter is a proclamation of fundamental principles for building a just, sustainable and peaceful global society in the twenty-first century. ECI was incorporated as a nonprofit corporation (501C3) in 2004. Earth Charter Indiana is the only U.S. chapter of the Earth Charter and has a fraternal relationship with Earth Charter International.