Applications open for Wayfinder Society Mini-Grant Program

Focus Areas

• You have shown you are committed to continuing your work to prevent plastic pollution through furthering your education or conducting projects on a local, regional, national, or international scale. Example areas of focus include, but are not limited to:
  • Zero Waste
  • Social Justice
  • Environmental Justice
  • Philosophy
  • Social Science
  • Marketing
  • Business Communications
  • Policy
  • Chemistry
  • Science

Benefits

• Each winner will also receive:
  • Social media coverage on Algalita’s social media channels.
  • The opportunity to contribute to a blog post on the Wayfinder Society website.

Funding Information

• Each mini-grant will range from $300 – $2000.
• They will be awarding a total of $15,000 USD in this round of mini-grants.

Eligibility Criteria

• To be eligible to apply for a Wayfinder Society Student Mini-Grant, you need to:
  • Be between the ages of 11-25 on the application deadline,
  • Have an individual account (or student account through your teacher) on Wayfinder Society,
  • Have successfully completed these 2 Actions: The Story of Plastic – Watch the Film and The Story of Plastic – System Mapping by following the instructions and completing the form at the bottom of the page,
  • Be dedicated to ending plastic pollution in your classroom, school, community, or beyond.
  • They do not discriminate against its applicants based on race, color, ethnicity, national origin, creed, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or disability.

Selection Criteria

• Everyone’s contribution to ending plastic pollution is unique, so they encourage you to be true to yourself during this application process!  Their judges will look at the following criteria when reviewing your application:
  • You have participated in Wayfinder Society’s online program.
  • You have completed and been awarded the Hours for the required Actions listed above.
  • Your Hours must have been earned on an individual basis, not through a team account.  Also note, that while there are only 2 required Actions, your total Hours (you can find this in your Profile) at the time of your application will be considered as an indicator of your involvement in the program and may be used by judges for selection of finalists.

Application Requirements

• You have included two references, and a letter of recommendation:
  • Your references should be adults who have a good understanding of your work to solve plastic pollution and can vouch for you. Basically, you want this person to give you a glowing review!
  • The written recommendation should not exceed 3000 characters (about 500 words). Let your reference know this when you ask them if they can write a recommendation for you.
  • Examples of people who may be a good references include teachers, mentors, school counselors, youth program representatives, coaches, employers, etc.
  • Your family members cannot be listed as references.
  • They may contact your references to ask them about you, so make sure to get their permission before including them as a reference.

For more information, visit Algalita Marine Research and Education.