This year, the Target Field Trip Grants program is providing more than 470,000 students with the opportunity to learn outside the classroom through hands-on experiences at thousands of unique field trip destinations, by awarding $4 million to educators nationwide to fund 5,000 field trips. Since the program’s inception in 2006, Target has given 1.2 million students in all 50 states the opportunity to experience learning outside the classroom by awarding $9.8 million in grants.

Educators across the country recognize the importance of taking their students on field trips. The Target Field Trip Grants program allows educators to choose their own field trip and use the grant dollars to fund the experience. The grants are unrestricted and can be applied to any trip-related expenses, such as transportation costs, admission fees, supplies or resource materials.

“The Target Field Trip Grants program supports the many benefits of experiential learning outside the classroom,” said Laysha Ward, president, community relations, Target. “It helps fill a gap created by reduced educational funding and enables teachers to enhance their students’ classroom studies and daily textbook curriculum, while paving a path to graduation.”

Many of this year’s recipients aimed to better inform their students about the importance of being environmentally conscious individuals in today’s world by leading their students on science and environmental themed trips. The grants also helped fund trips to museums, theaters and local business establishments as well as to local colleges and universities, in an effort to bolster students’ academic aspirations for the future. A complete list of the 2009/2010 Field Trip Grants recipients is available at Target.com/fieldtrips.

“It is extremely important for students to have numerous learning opportunities outside the classroom. With the ever-rising prices of transportation and entry fees, being awarded this grant permits teachers the opportunity to give our students necessary, first-hand experiences without asking parents for so much additional money,” said grant recipient Joan Turner, kindergarten teacher, Phoebe Hearst School, Washington, D.C, whose students will experience the Brookside Gardens “Wings of Fancy Exhibit” in Silver Spring, Md.

“Field trips open the door to a child’s imagination and expand their classroom skills with seemingly limitless possibilities,” added Beth Prince, co-recipient of the Target Field Trip Grant at Phoebe Hearst School. “This program will allow thousands of teachers like me to act on what research states as being a crucial component to the learning process.”

Applications for the 2010/2011 Target Field Trip Grants program will be available online at Target.com/teachers from Aug. 1, 2010 through Oct. 1, 2010. For the 2010/2011 school year, Target again will award 5,000 field trips. Recipients will be notified in January 2011. Only one submission per applicant will be accepted and previous winners are welcome to apply. Field trips must take place during the 2011 calendar school year.

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Target March 25, 2010 press release

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