More than $40,000 in grants for 26 Illinois schoolyard habitat action projects have been awarded by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) and the Illinois Conservation Foundation (ICF) for the 2025 application period. The Illinois Schoolyard Habitat Action Grant program supports the development or enhancement of wildlife habitat on school grounds or other public places. Funding is provided through donations to the ICF. The Daniel F. and Ada L. Rice Foundation is the major sponsor of this program. Nearly $394,000 in Illinois Schoolyard Habitat Action Grant funding has been distributed since the program’s inception. The next Illinois Schoolyard Habitat Action Grant Program application window will open this spring through Dec. 3. Apply online at the IDNR education grants website. For additional information call 217-524-4126 or email dnr.teachkids@illinois.gov. The 2025 Illinois Schoolyard Habitat Action Grants recipients and their projects include:
Cook County
• Belmont-Cragin Elementary, Chicago – $1,360. Fourth through fifth grades, pollinator garden.
• Belmont-Cragin Elementary, Chicago – $1,850. Sixth through eighth grades, butterfly and pollinator garden.
• William P. Gray Elementary School, Chicago – $1,882.32. Fourth through sixth grades, pollinator garden.
• Women for Green Spaces with Orozco Community School, Chicago – $2,000. Preschool through eighth grade, woodland garden.
