Field trips allow children to experience the unusual and unexpected.
Field trips allow students to attach real-world meaning to abstract classroom ideas. The Multi Literacy Project, a Canadian-based education organization, contends that "real world experience is pivotal" in helping students make important life and classroom connections. The group also notes that students show advances in vocabulary acquisition, as well as an excitement about learning, after field trip experiences. Field trips enrich students' lives, from early childhood through college-level classes.
Parent-teacher Groups
Parent-teacher groups typically raise funds for school improvements. Teachers at some schools can opt to submit grant proposals to such groups for funding of special events and projects. While parent-teacher groups rarely pay for regular class field trip events, a special trip to an important event can make a compelling grant proposal. Parent-teacher groups also coordinate funding for trips with local and statewide arts organizations, which helps to increase award amounts.
Local Foundations
Some family and business foundations provide specialized grants for field trips focusing on topical destinations. For example, the Philanthropic Ventures Foundation in Oakland, California, coordinates donated funds from other foundations and charities, including the Geballe Family, to pay for field trips. Grants, capped at a specific amount, pay for transportation, admission to the venue and food, if required as part of the excursion. Funding opportunities pay only for kindergarten through fifth grade.
State Organizations
State organizations also offer funds for classroom field trips that emphasize state attractions and locations. The Nevada Natural Resource Education Council, for instance, awards grants for bus transportation and museum entrance fees for schools with a high percentage of students receiving free and reduced lunches. While all schools have access to the funds, the program favors low-income school sites. The Georgia Nature Center offers grants funded by the World Environmental Organization. Awards use the number of students attending the event to determine the funding amount. Low-income schools receive additional money per student.
Professional Societies, Associations and Councils
Professional associations and societies often offer field trip grants that support the organization's mission. Councils, both local and statewide, also offer funding for trips to locations associated with the groups. The Georgia Council for the Arts, for example, offers matching grants for hands-on projects featuring the arts. The council's efforts support statewide arts programs, including the Center for Puppetry Arts, where student programs involve arts-in-education training.
National Companies
Big-box retailers and branches of large chain stores also offer field trip grants. Target Corporation, for example, supports field trips emphasizing art and cultural experiences. The company focuses on trips with an educational focus and off-site travel linked to reading. The company states that donations total more than $3 million every week. Walmart and Sam's Club stores offer grants for education projects. The small awards assist in paying for field-trip transportation and admission fees for nonprofit organizations, including public, private and charter schools. You can apply for both grants through the local stores.
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