SPRINGFIELD – Nearly $40,000 in grants for 24 schoolyard habitat projects throughout Illinois have been awarded by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and the Illinois Conservation Foundation for the 2026 application period.

The Illinois Schoolyard Habitat Action Grant Program supports the development or enhancement of wildlife habitat on school grounds and other public spaces. Funding is provided through donations to the Illinois Conservation Foundation and program sponsor the Daniel F. and Ada L. Rice Foundation.

Since the program’s inception, nearly $473,000 in Illinois Schoolyard Habitat Action Grant funding has been distributed statewide.

Below are schools in our area receiving grants.

• DeSoto Grade School, DeSoto – $1,684. Sixth through eighth grades, pollinator garden.
• Murphysboro Middle School, Murphysboro – $1,237.32. Sixth through eighth grades, pollinator garden.
• Pope County High School, Golconda – $1,860.03. Grades 9-12, butterfly garden.
• Christopher Elementary School, Christopher – $1,858. Preschool through kindergarten, pollinator garden.