Environmental education connects people — particularly children and young people — to the natural world, builds understanding of ecological systems, and develops the knowledge and values needed to care for and act on environmental challenges. With climate change, biodiversity loss, and ocean pollution among the defining challenges of this century, environmental literacy has never been more important. Grant funding supports sustainability education in schools, outdoor education, nature play, citizen science programmes, and the community learning that builds environmental understanding across generations.
Why environmental education matters
The state of environmental education
Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water
State education departments
Sustainability in schools through:
- Curriculum frameworks
- Sustainability coordinators in some schools
- Sustainability grants (variable by state)
Department of Agriculture
NRM groups (Natural Resource Management)
Regional natural resource management funding — community and school environmental education.
Clean Up Australia
Landcare Australia
Community and school landcare — environmental stewardship education.
Planet Ark
WWF Australia
Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF)
Foundation for National Parks and Wildlife
Environmental education in national park contexts.
State-based environmental trusts
Great Barrier Reef Foundation
Reef literacy and education programmes.
School-based sustainability education
Nature play and outdoor education
Citizen science in schools
Climate change education
Landcare and restoration in schools
Indigenous ecological knowledge
Community environmental education
Outdoor education
Marine and ocean education
Food and farming literacy
Cool Australia is one of Australia's largest environmental education resources:
- Free, curriculum-aligned digital resources for teachers
- Climate change, sustainability, and First Nations content
- Used by approximately 60,000 teachers
- A compelling model for philanthropically funded digital education at scale
Curriculum alignment
Applications that align with Australian Curriculum requirements are easier for teachers to implement — and therefore more likely to achieve reach. Show curriculum links.
Teacher capacity
Environmental education requires confident teachers — professional development for educators is as important as student-facing programmes. Applications that build teacher capacity alongside student delivery have greater leverage.
Action orientation
Research shows that climate anxiety in young people is reduced when education includes agency — what young people can do. Applications that include student-led action projects are more effective.
Indigenous ecological knowledge
Two-way learning — combining Western science with Indigenous ecological knowledge — is both culturally important and educationally powerful. Applications that integrate First Nations perspectives are well-positioned.
Tahua's grants management platform supports environmental education funders and sustainability organisations — with school programme tracking, student outcome measurement, teacher training data, and the reporting tools that help environmental education funders demonstrate their investment in building a generation of environmentally literate and engaged Australians.