March 27, 2017
The Community Foundation of New Jersey and the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation today announced that the Field Trip New Jersey program will award more than $73,000 in grants to schools supporting educational field trips.
The 116 grants make it possible for thousands of students in low-income communities to visit arts and culture sites, historic landmarks, nature preserves, and science institutions in New Jersey, as well as college campuses throughout the Mid-Atlantic region.
“When you think back on your school years, you may not remember every lesson you learned sitting at your desk, but you do remember the field trips you took and how they changed your life,” said Hans Dekker, president of the Community Foundation of New Jersey. “At a time when schools are facing budget cuts and other pressures, field trips are often the first to go. We can’t let our students miss out on these opportunities.”
Field Trip New Jersey grants will enable students to visit the Liberty Science Center, the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, the Adventure Aquarium in Camden, the Cape May County Zoo, the New Jersey State House, Duke Farms, the Statue of Liberty National Monument, and the Wheaton Arts and Cultural Center, among many other locations.
Newark’s Central High School will bring its Environmental Studies Academy students to the PSE&G Energy & Environmental Resource Center in Salem for a hands-on experience in green technology.
“School field trips measurably improve a child’s learning experience and can 
have lasting impact,” said Chris Daggett, president and CEO of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, which piloted the launch of the Field Trip New Jersey program with CFNJ. “By working together, we can ensure more of New Jersey’s young people are not only exposed to arts and culture, science and nature, and higher education, but also able to imagine a brighter future for themselves.”
College visits will include Rutgers University, The College of New Jersey, Kean University, Howard University, Delaware State University, Morgan State University, and Yale University.
Last fall, the Victoria Foundation made a $1 million grant to establish the Pi Chubb Field Trip Newark Fund to support field trips for Newark schools. Forty-two schools from Newark will take field trips this year thanks to that gift.
Field Trip New Jersey is administered by the Community Foundation of New Jersey. In addition to the Dodge and Victoria Foundations, other funding partners include the Henry and Marilyn Taub Foundation, the PSEG Foundation, and the New Jersey Historical Commission.
The Field Trip New Jersey fund is open to schools with more than 65 percent of students eligible for free and reduced lunches under the National School Lunch Program. Educators apply for grants of up to $700 to cover transportation costs for the field trips.
The foundations invite all who share a commitment to experiential learning to support the fund to ensure even more students, no matter their circumstances, can benefit from the power of field trips.
To learn more about Field Trip New Jersey or to donate, please visit fieldtripnj.org or email info@fieldtripnj.org.