2025 PREP Grant Projects
Total Funds Awarded: $424,724.06
In 2025, 14 grantees were provided funds to complete environmental projects between August 2025 and December 2026. Read about each of the grantees and their projects below. Photos from the projects can be viewed on the Live Green Howard 2025 PREP Grant Projects Flickr album.
Civic Works
Project: Plugging into the Future: Energy Efficiency and Electrification Outreach for Low- and Moderate-Income Households in Howard County
A first-time PREP grantee, Civic Works is working to empower all Howard County residents to reduce their energy costs and make informed decisions about fossil fuel reduction and electrification to improve home health and comfort. Civic Works will also connect low-to-moderate income households with energy efficiency services, electrification upgrades, and critical home repair resources.
The PREP grant funds Civic Works outreach team and energy advisor staff, as well as outreach materials and supplies.
Howard Ecoworks
Project: Empowering Climate Action in Howard County
Howard EcoWorks is implementing years 4 (2025) and 5 (2026) of the EcoAmbassador program. The EcoAmbassador program is a summer program in which high school students gain experience in environmental stewardship, design and implement behavior change projects, conduct community outreach, and develop professional and communication skills.
The PREP grant supports program staffing, student stipends, and funds for student action projects.
Indian Cultural Association of Howard County
Project: Food Recovery Hub: Too Good to Waste Neighborhood Markets
A first-time PREP grantee, the Indian Cultural Association of Howard County (ICAHC) is working toward a goal of recovering 30,000 pounds of surplus food by hosting 30 weekly pop-up markets in food-insecure communities. This will reduce food waste while addressing food insecurity. ICAHC is also planning community events to promote environmentally friendly plant-rich diets and providing education materials about the benefits of reusable bag use for plastic reduction.
The PREP grant funds program staff, food transportation, market supplies, signage, and education events.
InTerfaith partners for the Chesapeake
Project: Strengthening Watershed Protection Partnerships in Howard County
Interfaith Partners for the Chesapeake (IPC) engages Howard County congregations in climate and environmental action. IPC offers one-one-one coaching sessions to Howard County congregations to provide educational resources and tools to primarily address waste reduction and stormwater mitigation. IPC will also host a “learning lab” educational event and convene four Howard County “hub gatherings” to provide congregations with tools and connections to spur environmental action.
The PREP grant supports staffing for event planning and execution, coaching, and outreach as well as supplies and speaker honorariums.
Interfaith Power & Light
Project: Continuing to Help Howard County Congregations Save Energy and Shift to Clean Power
Interfaith Power and Light (IPL) provides Howard County’s faith communities with energy education and coaching in energy conservation, electrification, and clean energy adoption to effectively reduce and avoid greenhouse gas emissions. Utilizing established and new relationships with Howard County congregations, IPL supports energy upgrades and solar projects and provides energy and climate education to congregation members.
The PREP grant supports staffing for a clean energy shepherd position and a paid intern, as well as outreach, overhead, and program supplies.
Friends of Patapsco Valley State Park
Project: Patapsco Valley State Park Mobile Visitor Center 2025
Friends of Patapsco Valley State Park is providing hands-on outreach and education opportunities within the state park and through after-school BioBlitz programs at 13 elementary schools within the Howard County Public School System during the 2025-2026 school year. In-park activities focus on litter reduction and breaking down language barriers in environmental education. The BioBlitz program provides students with a basic scientific introduction to the concept of biodiversity.
The PREP grant supports staffing for the Mobile Visitor Center and materials for the BioBlitz program.
The Howard County Conservancy
Project: Hands-on Climate Education for Howard County Secondary Students
The Howard County Conservancy is offering hands-on climate education opportunities for middle and high school students in the Howard County Public School System (HCPSS) via four Conservancy programs: Climate kNOWledge, Climate STEPS, the Watershed Report Card, and the Youth Climate Institute.
Climate kNOWledge provides HCPSS sixth graders with hands-on climate science education and a field experience for 10 middle schools. A program for ninth grade Earth Science students, Climate Sustainability Through Empowered and Proactive Solutions (Climate STEPS) is expanding to eight HCPSS high schools to support climate science education and student action projects. The PREP grant also supports the Watershed Report Card – now it its twelfth year – and the continued expansion of the Youth Climate Institute extracurricular program for up to 150 students within 10 Howard County-based chapters.
The PREP grant supports staffing to implement and oversee educational programs, honorariums for speakers, scholarships for Youth Climate Institute students, and materials and supplies for the four programs.
Oakland Mills Interfaith
Project: The Greening of Oakland Mills Interfaith Inc. 2025
Oakland Mills Interfaith (OMI) is a five-congregation interdenominational house of worship in Columbia. OMI will continue to provide education and engagement for congregants and community members in areas including composting, recycling, plastic reduction, environmental stewardship, and planting native plants. The grant supports composting activities and education, distribution of reusable shopping bags, litter and stream cleanups, an environmental fair, and continued teaching of environmentally conscious practices.
The PREP grant supports composting supplies and fees, reusable bags for giveaways, plants/trees, landscaping materials and tools, signage, instructional materials, event supplies, and outreach.
Owen Brown Interfaith Center
Project: Owen Brown Interfaith Center Electric Vehicle (EV) Chargers
Owen Brown Interfaith Center (OBIC) is a nonprofit community center in Columbia serving as the home of six diverse religious congregations and a childcare center. OBIC will increase publicly available electric vehicle charging in the Owen Brown community by installing two dual-port EV chargers in its parking lot.
The PREP grant supports the installation of two dual-port EV chargers in the Owen Brown Interfaith Center parking lot.
Patapsco Heritage Greenway
Project: Water Quality Monitoring and Education in the Patapsco Watershed
Patapsco Heritage Greenway (PHG) continues to monitor water quality twice monthly at 12 sites in the non-tidal Patapsco River watershed area from Woodbine to Elkridge. This year’s project includes monthly documentation of litter at monitoring sites to track plastic debris and bags. For the 2025 PREP grant, PGH will add a 13th site for water quality monitoring. Data collected is compiled in an annual Non-Tidal Patapsco River Report Card and is the basis for ongoing outreach events that provide education surrounding water quality and issues related to climate change.
The PREP grant supports a program manager and assistant, as well as water quality monitoring supplies.
Residences at Vantage Point
Project: Electric Vehicle Charging Stations
Residences at Vantage Point (RVP), a nonprofit retirement community for adults ages 60 and older in Columbia, returns as a PREP grantee following a successful plastics-reduction project in 2024. For the 2025 grant term, the community plans to increase their electric vehicle (EV) charging on site, adding two EV chargers to the community’s parking garage for use by RVP’s planned electric transit vehicle and residents, employees, and guests.
The PREP grant helps fund the purchase of two electric vehicle chargers and the associated installation costs.
The Community Ecology Institute
Project: Taking Local Climate Action: Land Stewardship, Food Sovereignty, and Waste Reduction
The Community Ecology Institute (CEI) is providing experiential education on how people can reimagine their suburban landscapes and reduce waste from home landscaping and gardening practices. This includes offering workshops on strategies for reducing food waste as well as organic and plastic waste.
The PREP grant supports staffing and supplies for waste-reduction workshops and the stewardship of Freetown Farm.
temple Isaiah
Project: Temple Isaiah Composting Program
Temple Isaiah is a first-time PREP grant recipient for 2025. The congregation will work to reduce plastic and food waste by implementing a composting program. Training will be provided to the general membership and auxiliary groups on proper waste sorting and disposal, as well as the benefits of composting. In addition to the composting program, Temple Isaiah will also participate in Howard County’s “20 Minute Cleanup” initiative by hosting a congregation-wide litter cleanup.
The PREP grant funds compost collection fees, supplies, and signage.
Upcycled
Project: Waste to Wonder
Upcycled is working to solidify its legacy of “upcycling” higher number plastics PP (#5) and HDPE (#2) into lumber to make a variety of structures including benches, tables, sheds and flower beds for donation back to the community. Upcycled will design and install educational plaques on previously donated structures and document the Waste to Wonder project on its website and social media. The project will conclude with a community trail cleanup and one outreach event to provide education about the relationship between plastic waste, stormwater systems, and the watershed.
The PREP grant funds staffing and overhead as well as the production of plaques.