Water Smart Grant Application

An icon representing the Water Smart Grant program

A classroom grant offering for projects focused on caring for water.

The Tap Into Learning Water Smart Grant is open to teachers teaching grades 4-6 at a school within a Cal Water service area.

Check School EligibilityStep 1 of 3
Type your school name or city below to find your school.


Don’t see your school name listed? Find out if your school is eligible. 
Check now.

If you’re eligible and do not see your school in the pull-down menu or if you have any troubles with the application process or accessing the form, click here to inquire. We are happy to help.

Applicant InformationStep 2 of 3

Teacher Information

School Information

[webform_submission:values:choose_a_school_:entity:title]

[webform_submission:values:choose_a_school_:entity:field_address]
[webform_submission:values:choose_a_school_:entity:field_city], [webform_submission:values:choose_a_school_:entity:field_postal_code]
[webform_submission:values:choose_a_school_:entity:field_school_district]

Project Information

Grade Level
Class type

Principal Information

How Did You Hear About This Program?

Terms & ConditionsStep 3 of 3

Terms & Conditions - Water Smart Grant

CAL WATER’S TAP INTO LEARNING WATER SMART GRANT (“Program”)
OFFICIAL RULES
NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT NECESSARY TO ENTER OR BE SELECTED

SPONSOR: California Water Service Company (“Cal Water”), 1720 N. First Street, San Jose, CA 95112. 

OVERVIEW OF PROGRAM: This is a Program providing funding to Teachers for teacher-led water projects for grades four through six (each a “Grant”) located in one of Cal Water’s regulated service areas (collectively, “Territory”). The Grant offers an opportunity for upper elementary teachers to supplement their students’ learning through water-based projects focused on caring for water, while addressing global and local California water concerns. 

GRANTS: Grants will be awarded to a Teacher and the Grant shall consist of a gift card valued at $100.00. Each Grant will be issued with a Cal Water letter detailing the due date and content of the post-Grant award submission. Cal Water shall issue each Grant approved within thirty (30) days of Grant approval and Teacher agrees not to start the proposed project until receipt of the Grant; or if the Teacher begins before receiving funds, the Teacher does so at his/her own risk understanding that Cal Water has no financial liability (or any other liability) for the project. Any and all federal, state and local taxes associated with the receipt or use of a Grant are the sole responsibility of each recipient. Cal Water reserves the right to modify the terms of this section at any time.

ELIGIBILITY: To be eligible for this Program, a participant must be: [1] a Teacher engaged to teach in grades 4, 5 or 6; [2] teach at a school physically located within the Territory; and, [3] conduct a water-based project in their classroom focused on caring for water (conservation, quality, supply, etc.). All applicable federal, state, provincial, and local laws and regulations apply. Void where prohibited. A Teacher shall not be excluded from eligibility if the Teacher is also a participant in any other Tap Into Learning sponsored program. A Teacher shall only be eligible to receive one (1) Grant in any given Calendar Year as defined below and may only submit one (1) application at a time.

ENTRY PERIOD: Grants will be awarded on a year-round basis and the entry period will be rolling throughout each year. 

APPLICATION: During the Entry Period, a Teacher may apply for a Grant by submitting a completed application found on the Tap Into Learning website http://challenge.calwater.com/. Each Grant application will be confirmed received by email to the Teacher at the email provided in the application. Teacher’s eligibility will require verification that Teacher’s school site is within the Territory and Cal Water reserves the right to reject any Application from an unverified location.  There is no guarantee that an application will be awarded a Grant and Cal Water reserves the right to limit the number of Grants awarded in the Territory.

GRANT REQUIREMENTS: The award of a Grant shall bear with it the requirement that Teacher must complete a follow-up submission to Cal Water in accordance with the terms herein and the correspondence accompanying the Grant itself. Teacher has thirty (30) days from the receipt of the Grant to submit the follow-up materials to Cal Water. The follow-up shall include at minimum: (i) a teacher reflection of no more than 500 words; (ii) up to five (5) student quotes/feedback of no more than 500 words; and, (iii) a picture of the teacher and/or project but no students depicted. All Submissions become the property of Cal Water and may be used by Cal Water in perpetuity. 

PRIVACY: Cal Water will be collecting personal data about entrants. Cal Water will share this data in accordance with its privacy policy located on the internet at https://www.calwater.com/privacy-policy/. 

GOVERNING LAW: By entering, each participant agrees that all issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation, and enforceability of these Official Rules, participant’s rights and obligations, or the rights and obligations of the Sponsor in connection with the Program, shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of California. 

USE OF SUBMISSIONS: Except as specifically provided for herein, by entering the Program, the Teacher agrees that all recordings, copyrights, trademarks, ideas, concepts, acts, poses and performances, including without limitation all material composed, added, created or interpolated by it, from the inception of creation and irrespective of stage of development or completion, that are embodied in the Submission (collectively, “Work”), are commissioned hereunder on a “work-for-hire” basis. In the event the Work is found not to be a work-made-for-hire, the Teacher hereby assigns, transfers and grants to Cal Water all rights, including all exclusive exploitation rights, of every kind and nature (including all copyrights and neighboring rights, to the extent such assignment is allowed by law), in and to such Work. Such grant includes the right to reproduce and publish the Work as set forth herein. By entering the Program, Teacher agrees to have their Submission displayed on the Cal Water website without any fee or other form of compensation and agree that Cal Water may use the Submission in non-commercial communications or provide the Submission to other individuals and organizations for non-commercial use, news stories, newsletters, reports, slide shows, displays, web pages, and the like. Cal Water shall have no obligation (express or implied) to use any Submission, or to otherwise exploit any Submission, and Cal Water may at any time abandon the use of any Submission for any reason, with or without legal justification or excuse, and Teacher shall not be entitled to any damages or other relief by reason thereof.

LIMITATION OF LIABILITY: Cal Water is not responsible for any incorrect or inaccurate information, whether caused by website users or by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the Program; any error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation or transmission, communications line failure, theft or destruction or unauthorized access of the website; any injury or damage to participants or to any other person's computer(s) related to or resulting from participating in this Program, or downloading materials from or use of the website. Cal Water reserves the right in its sole discretion to cancel, modify or suspend this Program, should fraud, virus, bugs or other causes beyond the control of Cal Water corrupt the administration, security or proper play of the Program. In no event will Cal Water be responsible or liable for any damages or losses of any kind, including direct, indirect, incidental, consequential or punitive damages arising out of access to and use of the website http://challenge.calwater.com or the downloading from and/or printed material downloaded said site. Without limiting the foregoing, everything on this site is provided “as is” without warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, including but not limited to the implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose or non-infringement.  

QUESTIONS: Questions or inquiries concerning these Rules should be submitted to Christy Colby at CColby@calwater.com


 

Terms & Conditions

CAL WATER H2O CHALLENGE - CLASSROOM CHALLENGE ("Contest")

OFFICIAL RULES

NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN

SPONSOR : California Water Service Company ("Cal Water"), 1720 N. First Street, San Jose, CA 95112.

OVERVIEW OF CONTEST : This is a Contest soliciting class projects focused on caring about water ("Project") from elementary schools located in one of Cal Water's regulated service areas (collectively, "Territory"). The Contest is open to fourth, fifth and sixth grade classes, combination fourth/fifth grade classes, combination fifth/sixth grade classes, combination fourth/fifth/sixth grade classes, combination third/fourth grade classes, combination third/fourth/fifth grade classes, and combination third/fourth/fifth/sixth grade classes (individually, "Class") of up to 40 students. Class projects can include but are not limited to water conservation, water quality/reliability, alternative water sources, water cleanup, or protecting the watershed.

PRIZES : The following Prizes will be awarded to a winning Class, its Teacher and students (individually "Winner") as follows : ONE (1) GRAND PRIZE consisting of $3,500 for Class school supplies and/or other educational materials; a 3 day/2 night environmental science tent-camping experience in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area with NatureBridge for up to 40 Class students with up to 3 student chaperones; a certificate of recognition and a Cal Water Prize Pack for Class students. Approximate retail value ("ARV") of a Prize Pack is $25. ARV of the Grand Prize: $20,000, which will vary depending upon trip details and number of Students. ONE (1) SECOND PRIZE consisting of $2,500 for Class school supplies and/or other education materials; a pizza lunch party for the Class; a certificate of recognition and a Cal Water Prize Pack for the Class students. ARV of Second Prize: $5,000. ONE (1) THIRD PRIZE consisting of $2,000 for Class school supplies and/or educational materials; a certificate recognition and Cal Water Prize Pack for Class students. ARV of Third Prize: $3,500. ONE (1) FOURTH PRIZE consisting of $1,000 for Class school supplies and/or educational materials; a certificate of recognition and a Cal Water Prize Pack for the Class students. ARV of Fourth Prize: $2,500. PARTICIPANT AWARD FOR EACH ELIGIBLE CLASS that is not a Prize Winner consisting of a $50 gift card for Class school supplies and/or education materials and a certificate of recognition for Class students.

Prize components may not be separated and are not redeemable for cash or transferable. No substitution allowed except, at Sponsor's sole discretion, a prize of equal or greater value may be substituted. All prizes will be awarded provided there are at least five eligible entries received, and prizes are validly claimed by April 26, 2019, after which no alternate Winners will be selected and no unclaimed prizes awarded. Any and all federal, state and local taxes associated with the receipt or use of a prize are the sole responsibility of each recipient. Monetary awards will be in the form of checks made payable to the elementary school on behalf of the winning Class.

ELIGIBILITY : To be eligible for this Contest, at the time of entering, a participant must be: [1] an elementary school Class;[2] physically located within the Territory;[3] composed of not more than forty (40) students; and [4] willing to have its Submission published and/or otherwise distributed by Cal Water. Contest governed by U.S. land California law. All applicable federal, state, provincial, and local laws and regulations apply. Void where prohibited.

ENTRY PERIOD : Contest will begin on or about May 20, 2018 and end at 11:59:59 PM, (Pacific Standard Time) February 28, 2019. Sponsor's computer is the official time keeping device for this Contest.

ENTRY : During the Entry Period, a Class Teacher may enter the Contest on behalf of a Class by: (1) agreeing to the these rules and additional terms of use below by its Submission; and (2) sending in a Submission electronically via the method detailed on http://challenge.calwater.com ("Entry"). A Submission for a Project should be in a portfolio style format with the following elements: [1] examples showing how the Project is integrated into Class curriculum; [2] graphs or other illustrations of student work; [3] photos; [4] videos; [5] letters from organizations related to the Project; [6] drawings;[7] newspaper clippings and social media reports; and [8] anything else that can help demonstrate the scope of the Contest except no music. (collectively, "Submission"). Sponsor's appointed judges will select the winners by applying the following criteria: 40% for environmental relevance, 45% for student learning, 10% for quality of presentation, and 5% for impact on teacher practice (collectively, "Criteria"). Only one Project Submission allowed per Class.

CONTEST MATERIALS ("Materials"): Materials include: [1] all information and material submitted by a Class and/or its Teacher in connection with the Contest, including the Submission and all other forms or releases required to be completed by Cal Water prior to or after Entry; [2] the Teacher's name as contained in the Submission; and [3] all photographs, artwork, writings, statements, dramatic materials, ideas, quotations and any other intellectual properties created by the Teacher or Class in connection with the Contest and submitted to Cal Water, including the Submission.

All legal responsibilities of each Class under these Rules will be assumed by the Teacher. Except as specifically provided for herein, by entering the Contest, the Teacher agrees that all recordings, copyrights, trademarks, ideas, concepts, acts, poses and performances, including without limitation all material composed, added, created or interpolated by it, from the inception of creation and irrespective of stage of development or completion, that are embodied in the Submission (collectively, "Work"), are commissioned hereunder on a "work-for-hire" basis. In the event the Work is found not to be a work-made-for-hire, the Teacher hereby assigns, transfers and grants to Cal Water all rights, including all exclusive exploitation rights, of every kind and nature (including all copyrights and neighboring rights, to the extent such assignment is allowed by law), in and to such Work. By entering the Contest, a Class and Teacher agree to have their Submission displayed on the Cal Water website without any fee or other form of compensation, and agree that Cal Water may use the Submission in non-commercial communications or provide the Submission to other individuals and organizations for non-commercial use, news stories, newsletters, reports, slide shows, displays, web pages, and the like.

SELECTION AND NOTIFICATION OF WINNERS : The Grand Prize Winner will be notified in an announcement at the Winner's school on or about April 5, 2019. The Second, Third and Fourth Prize Winners and the Local Prize Winners will each be notified by U.S. Mail on or about April 4, 2019; and all Participant award winners will each be notified by email on or about April 4, 2019. At the sole discretion of Cal Water, disqualification, forfeiture and the selection of an alternate Winners may result from any of the following: [1] potential Winner's failure to respond to notification within ten (10) days after receipt of notice; [2] the return of any notice or a prize as undeliverable; [3] potential Winner's failure to secure the execution and the return of Affidavit/Release/Prize Acceptance Forms for the Teacher and all Students within ten (10) days after mailing; [4] potential Grand Prize Winner's failure to be available to make the Trip on Sponsor-selected dates; [5] potential Winner's failure to validly claim any prize within ten (10) days after it is sent; [6] any other non-compliance with Rules. In the event of a prize forfeiture, Sponsor may, in its sole discretion, award or not award the forfeited prize to an alternate Winner. The Grand Prize Winner Class and chaperones must travel together on the same itinerary, and each person is solely responsible for obtaining all necessary travel documents (i.e., valid photo I.D. and credit card, etc.) before departure. All adults traveling and the parents of minor students travelling will be required to execute a Release of Liability before departure.

PRIVACY : Cal Water will be collecting personal data about entrants. Cal Water will share this data in accordance with its privacy policy located on the internet at https://www.calwater.com/privacy_statements/ .

GOVERNING LAW : By entering, each participant agrees that all issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation, and enforceability of these Official Rules, participant's rights and obligations, or the rights and obligations of the Sponsor in connection with the Contest, shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of California.

LIMITATION OF LIABILITY : Cal Water is not responsible for any incorrect or inaccurate information, whether caused by website users or by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the Contest; any error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation or transmission, communications line failure, theft or destruction or unauthorized access of the website; any injury or damage to participants or to any other person's computer(s) related to or resulting from participating in this Contest, or downloading materials from or use of the website. Cal Water reserves the right in its sole discretion to cancel, modify or suspend this Contest, should fraud, virus, bugs or other causes beyond the control of Cal Water corrupt the administration, security or proper play of the Contest. IN NO EVENT WILL CAL WATER BE RESPONSIBLE OR LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES OR LOSSES OF ANY KIND, INCLUDING DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF ACCESS TO AND USE OF THE WEBSITE http://challenge.calwater.com OR THE DOWNLOADING FROM AND/OR PRINTED MATERIAL DOWNLOADED FROM SAID SITE. WITHOUT LIMITING THE FOREGOING, EVERYTHING ON THIS SITE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR NON-INFRINGEMENT.

WINNERS LIST : To request a winners list, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope, to be received by December 31, 2019 to: California Water Service, Classroom Challenge, ATTN: Conservation Department, 2632 West 237th Street, Torrance, CA 90505.

QUESTIONS : Questions or inquiries concerning these Rules should be submitted to Ken Jenkins at kjenkins@calwater.com.