You’ve gotten the approval from the administrative board, the PTA are in love with the idea, and you know the students would benefit greatly from going beyond the classroom… so you’ve made up your mind, YOU’RE GOING TO CAMP!
Looking for a place to start? Discover our 3-step guide to kickstart your fundraising.
Step 1: Start By Researching Funding Opportunities
So you’re planning an outdoor education field trip, but first, how are you going to fund it?
It can be stressful as you try to gather the finances together for the trip, but it doesn’t have to be. In a STEM/STEAM-driven educational system, trips based around science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (aka Pali Institute) are what organizations are looking to fund! Spend some time researching grants and other funding opportunities online. As you do, compile a list of what’s available. There are so many fundraisers, grants, and scholarships that are ready to help a school like yours get to a camp like ours.
Step 2: Narrow In On All Your Options
Choose the right fundraising grants & scholarships for you.
With all of the foundations out there, it is important that you utilize your time wisely. Take the options you’ve found and decide which ones you want to apply for. By being selective, you can spend more time on creating a stellar proposal, increasing your chances at being the chosen one. You will find that each of these organizations have a list of qualifications for eligibility, so start there. Make sure that you aren’t reaching into the dark for funding. Know what you are looking for and what it takes to get it.
Step 3: Figure Out Timelines & Apply
Who is going to put the application together? Do you need financial statements & supporting material?
Once you have found that you are eligible, figure out the deadline dates. A lot of organizations have a window of which you can apply, don’t miss it! Next, find out who can actually put in the application then gather all that you need to proceed. Do they need some sort of financial statement or a written letter from your district? Pali Institute can help with your proposals as well, let us know what supporting material you will need for processing! From there, it’s grant writing time! There are a number of other resources online for this process.
Explore Grants, Scholarship & Funding Research:
Research can be time consuming and as fellow educators, we understand. There are too many options out there for you to give up your search. To take a little stress off your shoulders, check out the list below. Maybe one is for you and maybe it’s just help to get the gears moving to find one of your own. Either way…Don’t stop, believin’! Hold on to that feelin’, yeaa.
- Target Field Trip Grants
Website: https://corporate.target.com/corporate-responsibility/community/philanthropy/field-trip-grants
Award: $700 award to K-12 schools nationwide - Donors Choose
Website: https://www.donorschoose.org/
Award: You propose your need and people donate to it (kind of like GoFundMe) - American Honda Foundation
Website: https://www.honda.com/community/applying-for-a-grant
Award: $20,000 to $75,000 grant range over a one-year period - The NEA Foundation (National Endowment for the Arts)
Website: https://www.neafoundation.org/for-educators/
Award: Grants up to $5,000 exclusively to NEA members to enhance teaching and learning - Kinder Morgan Foundation
Website: https://www.kindermorgan.com/pages/community/km_foundation_guidelines.aspx
Award: $5,000 to $20,000 grants given once per calendar year - RJMA – Grants Development and Fundraising Council
Website: http://rjma.com/monthly-education-grants-alert/
Award: Robert J. Mills & Associates compiles a list of grant opportunities for schools, covering all aspects of school operations.