'Field Trip New Jersey' Launches (Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation)

 

The Community Foundation of New Jersey and the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation are excited to announce the launch of Field Trip New Jersey, a new fund to support opportunities for students in underserved communities to connect classroom learning with real-life experiences. 

 

Educators at schools with 65 percent of students eligible for free and reduced lunches under the National School Lunch Program 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, as well as college campuses throughout the Mid-Atlantic region.

 

Schools may apply now through February 19 for field trips to take place between March 15 through the summer of 2016. Schools will be notified of the grant decision by March 9.

 

Field Trip New Jersey will be administered through the Community Foundation of New Jersey, which partnered with Dodge to commit $25,000 to launch this pilot program. With an additional $15,000 grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the funders hope to support more than 50 field trips at schools throughout New Jersey this round.  

 

“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 Chris Daggett, president and CEO of the Dodge Foundation. “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." 

 

“We know that field trips measurably improve the education experience and can have lasting impact,” said Hans Dekker, president of the Community Foundation of New Jersey. “By working together, we can now 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.”