We’re back! The Community Foundation of New Jersey today announced the Field Trip New Jersey Fund, which it founded in 2016 to provide opportunities for students in under-served communities to connect classroom learning with real-life experiences, is back for the 2021-2022 school year.
Educators at schools in New Jersey districts serving a majority of students from low-income families may apply for grants of up to $700 to cover transportation costs for field trips to arts and culture sites, historic landmarks, nature preserves and science institutions in New Jersey, and to visit college campuses throughout the Mid-Atlantic region.
“With everything New Jersey schools have faced in the past year and a half, and all the challenges our students and educators have overcome, we know the time is right to safely start exploring again,” said Madeline Rivera, program officer at the Community Foundation of New Jersey. “The Field Trip New Jersey Fund connects classroom learning with real-life experiences and enables students to envision themselves as future college students, researchers, artists, and leaders.”
There are two grant cycles for the 2021-2022 school year. The Fall Cycle runs now through October 8, 2021, with grant announcements expected by October 25, 2021. The Winter Cycle runs between January 3, 2021 and February 28, 2022, with grant announcements expected on or before March 14, 2022.
The application and additional grant guidelines are available online at www.fieldtripnj.org.
“While nearly all school field trips were canceled in the last school year, the reality is field trips have been declining in number well before the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Margarethe Laurenzi, Chief Philanthropic Officer at the Community Foundation of New Jersey. “Districts across the state have been sending students on fewer field trips, with an increasing number of schools passing the bill to parent groups. The lack of resources is exacerbated in districts where schools are serving a higher proportion of low-income and at-risk children and their families.”
To date, the Field Trip New Jersey Fund has made $185,000 in grants supporting 593 field trips across the state. Popular destinations include the Liberty Science Center in Jersey City, the Adventure Aquarium in Camden, the Cape May County Zoo, the New Jersey State House, the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, Duke Farms, the Statue of Liberty National Monument, the Wheaton Arts and Cultural Center in Millville, among many other locations. Newark’s Central High School has brought its Environmental Studies Academy students to the PSE&G Energy & Environmental Resource Center in Salem for a hands-on experience in green technology.
A component of the Field Trip New Jersey Fund is the Pi Chubb Newark Field Trip Fund, available to all public, charter, and non-profit private schools in Newark, grades pre-Kindergarten through 12. The Victoria Foundation established the endowed fund in memory of Percy “Pi” Chubb III, a philanthropist and former vice chairman of The Chubb Corporation.
With questions about Field Trip New Jersey, contact Madeline Rivera at the Community Foundation of New Jersey at 9973) 267-5533 or mrivera@cfnj.org.