Tens of millions of Americans enjoy fishing and boating every year. Anglers are often introduced to fishing and boating at an early age and can look back and remember the days they've spent fishing with friends and family with enjoyment. Fishing adds value to our lives and helps provide an escape from every day life. It is a physically active pastime and schools can provide an introduction to these lifelong activities.

The Future Fisherman Foundation and the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation are partnering to sponsor the Physical Education - "Physh Ed" - Grants Initiative. These grants provide funding to help get fishing and/or boating classes started in your school. Grants are awarded to schools to offer fishing and boating education programs as a part of a cross curricular curriculum that meets state academic standards.

These grants provide up to $2,500 to certified teachers to help establish a fishing and/or boating education program in their school. Our partnership provides a researched based curriculum, hands-on training, equipment discounts, and ongoing guidance from the Foundation staff and its partners. During the summer prior to their program implementation, each school sends one teacher to attend a 5-day hands-on skill-based training workshop in angling skills and sustainable program development.

Transportation, lodging and meals are all covered by the grant funds. Experienced professionals in the field of aquatic education, fishing, boating and conservation deliver workshop educational sessions both in the classroom and on the water in the following subjects:

• Angling and boating-basic skill progression and safety
• Fly fishing and fly tying
• Spincasting
• Aquatic Conservation
• Programming and Partnerships
• Equipment and tackle-purchasing, maintaining and repairing

View a Photo Essay of a successful boating (kayaking) program (pdf, 293kb).

PROGRAM GOALS

Grants in the amount of $2,500 are available to:

• Incorporate quality, viable fishing and/or boating activities into curriculum-based K-12 classes.
• Incorporate fishing and/or boating activities as a regular part of a student's school activities.
• Emphasize the relationship between fishing and boating and lifetime physical/mental health.
• Connect students with the benefits of outdoor education and recreational activities and to raise awareness and concern for aquatic resources.

Provide funding to schools to help enable community based partnerships for program sustainability.

ELIGIBLE PROGRAMS

Applicants must meet the following requirements:

• Certified elementary, middle or high school education teacher(s) employed by either a public, private or charter school.
• Employed at an institution capable of receiving and administering grant funds. All grant checks will be made out to a school or an affiliated school organization.
• Send a school representative to the mandatory training, scheduled for five days in July, 2009, in Traverse City, MI.

Programs must meet the following requirements in order to be eligible:

• Programs must devote multiple class periods to the sports of fishing, boating, or a combination of both and provide students at least two on-the-water fishing and/or boating experience during grant period. The on-the-water experience does not need to take place in a boat.
• Activities must include instruction in one or more of the following: spin-casting, bait-casting, fly fishing, ice fishing, canoeing, or kayaking. Activities must also include a resource management or conservation element.
• Program proposals must be cross-curricular and need to demonstrate integration of at least two subject areas.

Grants funds are not available to solely support clubs or after-school programs. However, applicants are strongly encouraged to include an after-hours program component.

AWARD CRITERIA

Eligible proposals will be jointly reviewed by a panel consisting of partner representatives, state agency personnel, and professionals within the education field. Proposals will be evaluated based on the following criterion:

• Need: Likelihood that the fishing and/or boating education program will enhance current physical health and development of students; ability to provide additional venues and/or equipment/materials for physical education and recreational activity.
• Capacity: Ability of school to support a viable fishing and/or boating program within current curriculum.
• Program Design: Demonstration of meaningful and appropriate instruction that will provide students the opportunity to learn valuable fishing and boating skills as well as demonstration of cross curricular involvement of two supporting subject areas.
• Student Assessment: Use of multiple methods that will document student knowledge, skills, and experiential outcomes in fishing and/or boating, as well as achievement of school and program objectives.
• Sustainability: The ability and commitment of the school and its partners to continue or enhance the fishing and/or boating program in the future.
• Budget: Appropriate equipment and materials listed for program design, total budget adheres to $2,500 limit.
• Program activities should be available to all classroom students regardless of age, sex, race, religion, or physical/mental ability.

APPLYING FOR FUNDING

Grant funds are awarded in the amount of $2,500. Primary program objectives must be completed within one year of grant award. Grant awards will be based on funding the Future Fisherman Foundation receives from outside organizations, foundations and government agencies. The Future Fisherman Foundation works diligently to ensure funding meets projected program growth, but funds vary on a yearly basis based on the fluctuating nature of the economy. The Future Fisherman Foundation strives to award the maximum number of schools that meet the stated eligibility requirements.

The completed application, including budget form must be submitted electronically as individual attachments to peapp@asafishing.org. The documents must be saved as the name of the school applying. For example: myschoolname.doc. Please include the name of the school applying in the subject line of your email.

The application period for 2009 closed Monday, February 9, 2009.

IMPORTANT NOTE: By submitting an application, you are certifying that the fishing and/or boating program you are proposing is supported by your school administration as well as the teachers of the two required subject areas you plan to integrate. Should your program be funded, a formal contract will be provided to you requiring the signatures of school administrators.

Upon submission of the application, grantees will receive an e-mail to confirm receipt of their application. Successful grantees will be notified via e-mail no later than March 30, 2009. Applicants must respond to your notification email by Monday April 6th, 2009 to be considered for funding.

Please visit www.futurefishermanfoundation.org/programs/physh_ed/ for more information and resources related to the Physh Ed grant program.