soundwaters [Ct/ny]
2020 giving while living regional grant: $1,800

SoundWaters immediately used Woodard & Curran Foundation’s $1,800 grant to support its Distance Learning program during the COVID-19 crisis. The grant helped to support the SoundWaters organization as it entirely recreated its teaching and business model in the face of a global pandemic of uncertain duration, allowing the organization to begin to mobilize all of its resources to respond to the challenge. Practically overnight the staff developed a new science distance-learning library that was delivered to teachers online. The library covered eight key Long Island Sound topics to carry their science instruction through the end of the school year, including the creation of virtual outdoor field trips for students and teachers. SoundWaters created, produced and distributed 95 distinct science lessons to 600 schools at no cost (with a reach of 55,000 students).

Once the pandemic permits, SoundWaters is prepared to resume normal operations with students and schools visiting coastal sites in-person or sailing on their Schooner. At the same time, with the very real possibility that schools do not open in the fall (or they do open, but cannot take important field trips, like those to SoundWaters) they will continue to build their Distance Learning capabilities to bring engaging outdoor environmental science experiences into remote classrooms. Learning, exploration and discovery are year-round, full-time activities at SoundWaters, thanks to committed partners like the Woodard & Curran Foundation.

Thank you to Laura Tessier and Adam DeFranco, from Woodard & Curran, Inc.’s Rye Brook, NY, office, who nominated Soundwaters for a Foundation Giving While Living Regional Grant.