Experiential Nearshore Learning - GRPO | NPS NOIP18AC00138

Opportunity Information: Apply for NPS NOIP18AC00138

The Experiential Nearshore Learning - GRPO opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number NPS NOIP18AC00138) is a National Park Service cooperative agreement designed to build a place-based, hands-on curriculum that helps parents and children learn together in a nearshore, on-the-water setting. The central idea is not just to write lesson plans, but to create a practical curriculum that can guide a parent/child mentorship model where learning happens through direct experience in the local coastal environment. The project focuses on the nearshore waters and shoreline areas between Grand Portage National Monument and Isle Royale National Park, using those landscapes and waters as the "classroom" for real-world learning tied to the region's natural and cultural significance.

A defining feature of the project is that curriculum development starts with outreach rather than with top-down design. The primary objective is to build early input, ownership, and buy-in through a rigorous engagement process with local schools. Educators, students, and parents are meant to be actively involved from the beginning so the final curriculum reflects community priorities, is usable in real conditions, and feels locally grounded rather than imported. This approach treats schools and families as co-creators, which supports long-term adoption and increases the likelihood that the curriculum will actually be used by parent/child groups after development is complete.

The program is explicitly framed around shared environmental stewardship and public understanding. It aims to motivate youth participants to take part in protecting natural, cultural, and historical resources in their communities and beyond, building a sense of responsibility through participation rather than lecture. Students are expected to gain "real world" experience outside the classroom by engaging directly with natural and cultural resource projects and learning why these places matter. In addition, the work supports broader public education goals by improving how people understand ecological conservation areas, parks, and related recreational and historic landscapes, with an emphasis on connecting learning to the lived experience of being on the water and nearshore.

Partnership is a core requirement and guiding principle. The agreement is described as being carried out with Minnesota Sea Grant, and curriculum development is intended to occur in partnership with the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa along with other local stakeholders. That partnership context signals that the curriculum is meant to be culturally informed, locally relevant, and responsive to community knowledge and priorities. In practical terms, the end result envisioned by the opportunity is a finished curriculum that can be implemented by parent/child groups conducting experiential learning activities in the nearshore environment, strengthening connections among families, schools, parks, and local communities while reinforcing stewardship outcomes.

Administratively, this is a discretionary funding opportunity offered by the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, using a cooperative agreement instrument, which typically implies substantial involvement or collaboration with the federal partner during the project. The eligible applicants are public and state-controlled institutions of higher education. The opportunity listed an award ceiling of $150,000, anticipated a single award, and was originally posted on April 11, 2018 with an original closing date of April 24, 2018. The activity areas associated with the funding include employment, labor and training; environment and natural resources; and science and technology and other research and development, reflecting the blend of workforce/skills development, experiential education, and resource stewardship embedded in the project goals.

• The Department of the Interior, National Park Service in the employment, labor and training, environment, natural resources, science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Experiential Nearshore Learning - GRPO" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.945.
• This funding opportunity was created on Apr 11, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 24, 2018. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $150,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education.

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