Who We Are
OUR IMPACT
Chartered by Congress to build effective public-private partnerships, NEEF is harnessing the power of collaboration to make the environment more accessible, relevant, and connected to people's daily lives.
We're Here to Make a Difference
Established by the National Environmental Education Act (NEEA) in 1990, NEEF has over three decades of experience in cultivating an environmentally conscious and responsible public.
Here is how we made a difference in 2025.
How NEEF Makes an impact
Funding Communities
We mobilize public and private funding to support community-based projects and respond to critical and emerging needs in the fields of K-12 education, public land conservation, and health.
Increasing Competency
We promote environmental literacy and behavior change among groups such as public lands managers, health professionals, educators, and corporate employees, who then share this information with their own constituents and communities.
Working Together
We partner with educators, public lands groups, environmental organizations, local communities, and others who share our mission of making the environment more accessible and enjoyable for everyone.
K-12 Education
Growing Greening STEM, Welcoming More Learners
Greening STEM builds students' confidence, enthusiasm, and critical thinking while deepening their interest in science, awareness of its real-world relevance, and motivation to pursue STEM pathways.
In 2025, Greening STEM continued its upward trajectory, with projects awarded through partnerships with private funders.
New support from the Albemarle Foundation brought Greening STEM projects to Arkansas. The PPG Foundation funded projects in Ohio, North Carolina, and Alabama. A partnership with Discovery Education's Environmental Education Initiative awarded projects serving Discovery Education Network educators in South Carolina and Georgia. And the Arconic Foundation funded projects across Iowa, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Indiana, and Arkansas.
Greening STEM is connecting students to the natural world and inspiring the next generation of environmental leaders.
Here are their stories.
The Future Belongs to Those Who Grow It
Students in Lancaster, PA, are cultivating skills, stewardship, and careers in agriculture and environmental...
In Their Backyard, Yet Out of Reach: Local Students Discover the Smokies for the First Time
Middle schoolers connect science to nature in the Great Smoky Mountains through NEEF’s Greening STEM program...
This IU13 project in Lancaster, Pennsylvania earned a gubernatorial award from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Students with disabilities designed and built nest boxes for the Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area, a recognition of what young people can accomplish when given the tools and the terrain to learn outdoors.
NEEF partners with communities nationwide and equips educators with resources that connect STEM learning to the local environment. For many students, these projects offer a rare opportunity to engage deeply with the natural world.
Helping Teachers Address Climate Change and Student Well-Being
Equipping Teachers for Climate Emotions
As extreme weather intensifies, research shows young people are facing rising climate anxiety. NEEF and the Climate Mental Health Network studied how middle school students respond emotionally and what teachers need to support them.
The centerpiece of this year's K-12 work was the mid-year launch of the Climate Emotions Toolkit, an evidence-based, teacher-piloted resource that helps educators address not just what students know about the environment but how they feel about it.
To extend the work beyond the classroom, NEEF partnered with Hip Hop Public Health to produce "A Whole Lot," an animated music video on climate emotions that premiered on YouTube. Program Director Megan Willig represented NEEF in a Los Angeles Unified School District professional development series on the pilot, and the K-12 team presented at the Mid-Atlantic Climate Change Education Conference in Annapolis.
A companion to the Climate Emotions Toolkit, the video uses music, visuals, and story to explore self-care, community, and climate action.
Elevating Climate Education and Best Practices at Climate Week NYC
World-renowned climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe delivered the keynote at Climate Education in Action, a convening on how teachers address climate change and climate anxiety in the classroom.
NEEF co-hosted the event at the American Museum of Natural History with SubjectToClimate, the National Wildlife Federation's Climate and Resilience Education Taskforce, the Climate Mental Health Network, and the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication, bringing together educators, policymakers, and community leaders.
Conservation Impact
In 2025, NEEF's conservation program reached all 50 states and the District of Columbia, connecting people to their public lands through service and recreation. Annual signature events and community grants brought together new partners across the corporate, government, and nonprofit sectors.
By the Numbers
How NEEF's grants and National Public Lands Day efforts strengthened public lands across the country this year.
National Public Lands Day
The theme "Our Home Outdoors" set the tone for the 32nd National Public Lands Day, a reminder that public lands are where we gather, feel rooted, and develop a sense of place. More than 55,500 participants joined 916 events across the country, building on the prior year's participation. Volunteers contributed an estimated $9.4 million in service, with a particular highlight being the depth of local partnership: 330 events took place on state-managed parks and preserves, including three states that hosted NPLD events in nearly all of their parks.
This year's NPLD graphic was created by Lindsay Cordero, a veteran, artist, and certified scuba diver whose conservation-themed work captures the interconnectedness of people and the natural world.
55,500+
Volunteers
916+
Events
$9.4M
Volunteer Service
NPLD 2025 Interactive Graphic
We protect what we care about—and that is at the heart of what I am trying to do,” said Cordero. “How can people care about something they know nothing about?
Lindsay Cordero, Artist, Author, Veteran
Investing in Access, Habitat, and Healing
Across the country, NEEF's conservation grants share a common purpose: creating meaningful connections to the outdoors. Whether expanding access for people of all abilities, restoring habitat for native plants and pollinators, or helping veterans heal through nature, these programs turn public lands into places where communities thrive.
Helping Veterans Build New Lives Through the Power of Nature
NEEF grants, supported by the US Forest Service, connect veterans with nature to help them heal, find purpose, and transition back to civilian life.
Helping Veterans Heal Through Nature
Launched with support from the US Forest Service, NEEF's Veterans and Nature Grant Program funds programs that help veterans heal, reconnect, and rediscover purpose through the outdoors. Across the country, grantees paired time in nature with peer support and intentional programming, taking veterans kayaking, hiking, fishing, and into the wilderness to restore well-being and build lasting community. The results were clear: among participants, the vast majority reported feeling more relaxed and recharged, gained confidence navigating public lands, and planned to return to the outdoors on their own.
It’s been a long time since I felt this kind of bond. Everyone just got it—no need to explain.
Improving Access and Encouraging Biodiversity
In 2025, NEEF grants delivered real results in communities nationwide. With support from partners including Toyota Motor North America and the US Forest Service, grantees restored thousands of acres of pollinator habitat, removed barriers that keep people with disabilities from the outdoors, and gave veterans new pathways to heal through nature.
The conservation of native plants and pollinators (became) tangible and relevant for community members, including youth and families.
How Local Communities Are Restoring Pollinator Habitat Across the US
Thanks to a NEEF environmental grant, people are rebuilding pollinator habitat nationwide through hands-on...
Investing in Accessibility Makes Public Lands Available to All
People with disabilities can gain meaningful physical, mental, and social health benefits from time in nature...
A Natural Beauty: Toyota Tennessee Celebrates New State Park
Toyota and NEEF commit $150,000 to educational programs and conservation at Middle Fork Bottoms State Park...
NEEF's multi-year Community Impact Projects, developed in partnership with Toyota Motor North America, continued to take root in communities across the country. These projects represent a sustained investment in local parks and the communities around them. In Huntsville, Alabama, the inaugural project wrapped up in 2025 reaching nearly 1,000 people through new education programs and accessible infrastructure.
In Jackson, Tennessee, a new project launched with a nature hike for local children. And in Dallas, Texas; New Albany, Mississippi; and Evansville, Indiana, work advanced on pavilions, outdoor classrooms, and prairie restorations along with youth programming, transforming local greenspaces into lasting community assets.
Public Reach
Free, public-good resources and programs that informed, trained, and connected people nationwide
NEEF connects environmental health with human well-being, from providers tackling pediatric asthma, to veteran organizations helping members heal in nature, to families teaching sun safety. Through free resources and national media, NEEF reached people directly, nationwide.
NEEF & iHeart partnered to create a series of Public Service Announcements and a website dedicated to sustainability actions. Now in its sixth year, the iHeart Earth public engagement campaign, has an estimated media value of $2+ million.
100 Million +
Number of iHeartRadio impressions in 2025
Online Courses and Downloadable Resources
NEEF's free Environmental Management of Pediatric Asthma Online Course continued to draw clinicians and school health professionals seeking practical tools for addressing environmental asthma triggers. The course anchors a broader set of free resources, including the recently updated Environmental Management of Pediatric Asthma: Guidelines for Healthcare Providers, screening and intake forms, and intervention guidelines with patient handouts, giving providers support across the full course of care.
NEEF also offers the self-paced Nature Champion course, helping healthcare and mental health professionals prescribe nature for children's health, and SunWise, a free K-8 program on sun safety and UV radiation.
Webinar Series: Fostering Collaboration to Connect Veterans with Nature for Health
The Effective Approaches webinar brought veteran-serving organizations together to share practical strategies for connecting veterans with the outdoors. Nearly all attendees said they'd apply what they learned.
The Therapeutic Landscapes and Healing Environments webinar explored how nature and public lands support veterans' recovery. Drawing on his research, the speaker showed how the outdoors offers a path to healing.
Amplify Your Impact
Partner with NEEF to turn your commitment into measurable impact, connecting people to the outdoors in communities across the country.