The Climate Change Education Unit within the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) would like to share information about a state-funded grant opportunity that may be of interest to members of the New Jersey Science Teachers Association.
As you may already be aware, with the adoption of the 2020 New Jersey Student Learning Standards (NJSLS), New Jersey became the first state in the nation to require the integration of climate change education across instructional disciplines (i.e., visual and performing arts; comprehensive health and physical education; science; social studies; world languages; computer science and design thinking; career readiness, life literacies, and key skills). Additionally, the 2023 NJSLS in English language arts and mathematics identify the standards through which climate change topics can be integrated as an interdisciplinary, authentic learning experience.
The Climate Literacy Innovation Opportunity (CLIO) grant program will provide up to 15 awards of $45,863 to support public school districts’ implementation of climate change education within interdisciplinary out-of-school time programs. As the name suggests, this grant is meant to support innovative projects that may be difficult to accomplish during the school day, such as work-based learning, credit-bearing coursework (summer bridge, accelerated programming, or credit recovery), intergenerational community education efforts, or multi-day experiential learning opportunities, as appropriate. Applications for this competitive grant opportunity are due by 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, February 12, 2026. Additional details about the grant program and application instructions can be found in the Notice of Grant Opportunity posted on the NJDOE’s Office of Grants Management website.
Any questions about the CLIO grant program can be sent to ClimateEducation@doe.nj.gov.
