Antonio J. Waring, Jr. Archaeological Laboratory

TARGET BACKS SCHOOL FIELD TRIPS

If teachers and administrators in your area are struggling to fund visits to your museum, Target Corporation can help. AAM President Ford W. Bell and Target officials recently collaborated to spread the word on the company’s expanded field trip grants program. This year, Target will award 5,000 educators nationwide with a grant of up to $800 to take students on exciting, enriching field trips. It’s easy to apply—just visit target.com/fieldtrips.

Applications for field trips between February 2011 and the end of the school year will be accepted online through Nov. 1. All educators, teachers and principals wishing to plan a field trip for students are eligible to apply, including previous grant recipients. Applicants must provide brief descriptions (no more than 2,000 words) of the field trip and its benefits, as well as a breakdown of expenses. Funds may be used to cover field trip-related costs such as transportation, ticket fees, resource materials and supplies. Other criteria for selection of grant recipients include the field trip’s tie-in to the school’s curriculum and the number of students who will be involved. Successful applicants will be notified in January 2011.

Established in 2006, Target Field Grants enables educators to take learning outside the classroom. This year, the Target Field Trip Grants program provided more than 470,000 students with the opportunity to learn through hands-on experiences at thousands of unique destinations. Last spring, $4 million was awarded to educators nationwide to fund 5,000 field trips. Since the program's inception, Target has awarded $9.8 million in grants, providing 1.2 million students in all 50 states the opportunity to experience learning outside the classroom.

Tell your local school officials about Target Field Grants so that both teachers and museums can take advantage of this opportunity. For more information, visit the Target website.