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Great Lakes Green Schools Fellowship Program

Kids walking through a fall field
Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy

Great Lakes Green Schools Fellowship Program

EGLE is offering a brand-new Fellowship program for K-12 educators in the 2026-2027 school year, funded by the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. 

The Great Lakes Green Schools Fellowship will support a cohort of 30 Michigan K-12 educators in a year-long fellowship focused on helping K-12 schools implement Great Lakes Literacy Principles in ways that will support their buildings’ Michigan Green Schools certification. Benefits of the Fellowship include:

  • A mix of virtual and in-person professional development opportunities around Great Lakes science and Great Lakes Literacy Principles.
  • Training around best practices in place-based environmental stewardship education.
  • Networking with Great Lakes scientists and leaders to increase environmental career awareness.
  • Funding for registration and travel to:
  • Approximately $1,500 in funding to support youth-led Great Lakes stewardship action projects in Fellows’ schools.
MI Green Schools

Eligibility

  • Applicants must be a current, certified K-12 teacher in a Michigan school that is eligible for MI Green Schools certification.
  • Schools may be public, private, or charter academies. Homeschool educators are not eligible for this program.
  • All experience levels are welcome to apply, but priority will be given to educators who are new to the MI Green Schools program, new to EGLE Classroom resources, and/or new to environmental stewardship education.

Program Requirements

Selected Fellows will participate in ongoing training and professional development, design and implement a youth-led environmental action project focused on the Great Lakes, and apply for Michigan Green Schools certification in the 2026-2027 school year.

Ongoing training and professional development requirements

  • Attend monthly virtual training meetings from September 2026 – April 2027.
  • Participate in an in-person kickoff workshop in Flint on October 1, 2026. Following this workshop, Fellows will attend the Michigan Alliance for Environmental and Outdoor Education annual conference from October 2-4, 2026.
  • Participate in a regional in-person professional development workshop in Winter 2026-2027.

Youth-led environmental action project

  • With support from EGLE staff, community partners, and training workshops, Fellows will develop an idea for a youth-led environmental action project that reaches at least 100 youth in their community.
  • Project ideas will be developed in October-December 2026 and implemented from January – May 2027.

Michigan Green Schools certification

  • Fellows will submit their school’s application for 2026-2027 Michigan Green Schools certification between January 1 and March 1, 2027.

Application Information

  • Applications are open from May 1, 2026 – May 31, 2026.
  • Applicants will be notified of their status no later than June 30, 2026.
  • Funding for this information flows through the Fellows’ schools. Applicants must include contact information for an administrator at their school with the application.

 Apply now

Contact us

For questions about the Michigan Green Schools program, reach out to Samantha Lichtenwald at EGLE-MI-Green-Schools@Michigan.gov or 517-914-1257.

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