Announcement letters will be sent to teachers in the Bellaire, Central Lake, Elk Rapids, Kalkaska, and Mancelona schools: SEOP Announcement Letter

These grants will support science and nature experiences in the 2026-2027 school year. Examples include:field tripsto a nature center, lab, hatchery, museum, or other educational opportunity that includes outdoor activities to observe nature, collect data, undertake restoration or other active engagement with the outdoor. These field trips and activities should include engagement with experts and practitioners in ecology, conservation, restoration, science, engineering or other relevant area of study.

This grant can fund fees and equipment to support activities and experiences.
There are other funding sources available for transportation so we prefer your grant money needs only focus on the activity itself. (see the SEOP Grant Ideas link)

Things that will not be funded: recordings, videos, subscriptions, science kits (unless they are explicitly intended for outdoor use), traveling exhibits or other pre-packaged educational offerings.

We try to fund as many schools as we can, even if that means partially funding some requests.
Keep that in mind as you prepare your application. If you submit more than one request please list in priority order.
Here is a link to a table that lists ideas that TLA supports. However, don’t limit yourself to this list.

Application Process–

To apply for SEOP Grant for the school year 2026-2027, please complete and submit the online application no later than April 30, 2026. Grant awards will be announced by May 2026.

Feedback Agreement

Getting feedback about your grant is very important. It not only allows us to communicate to our members the success of the program, it also gives us ideas to continually expand and improve the process. In order to be eligible for a grant, you must agree to provide TLA with feedback on your project. Feedback should be provided once your project is complete, no later than the end of the granted school year. Additional information on the feedback agreement may be found on the SEOP Grant Feedback Agreement and Requirements page. Please also share your experience using your own school communication systems (newsletters, letters to parents, web postings, etc.). This helps to expand awareness of the grant program.

Grant Application Timeline

April 30, 2026	SEOP Grant Application Deadline
May 2026	Announcement of SEOP Grant Awards, Check will be delivered immediately after this announcement
June 10, 2027 or sooner	Teacher/Student feedback reporting on the use of the SEOP Grant for school year 2026-2027
June 10, 2027 or sooner	Response from your administrator for school year 2026-2027. Please ask your principal or superintendent to comment on how they think the grant has impacted the students. This is not mandatory, but TLA would be very happy to hear from the administration including any suggestions for improvement.