Indiana Thriving Schools is a program of Earth Charter Indiana that supports schools and students working toward a peaceful, just, sustainable future, guided by the principles of the Earth Charter .

ITSC Overview

The Indiana Thriving Schools Challenge is a project based learning grant 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 funding to implement student-led sustainability projects.

• 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 after-school garden club, individual classroom, entire grade or entire school. Youth involvement is mandatory.

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 Engagement, 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.

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

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: