Funding hands-on learning for Vermont and Upper Valley students and their teachers.
The Billings Farm Field Trip Fund provides scholarship support—including transportation—to remove financial and logistical barriers that keep under-resourced Vermont and New Hampshire schools from accessing Billings Farm & Museum’s place-based educational programs. The Fund is made possible through generous donations from individuals, foundations, and our Round Up Program.
We believe every child should have the opportunity to experience a working farm and the learning experiences it offers, regardless of financial circumstances. Through the Scholarship Fund, we’re proud to partner with educators to create meaningful learning experiences that students will remember long after their visit.
Interested in applying? Scholarship applications are accepted annually. Please review the Scholarship Eligibility and Application pages before applying. If you have questions, please contact our Education Team at schoolgroups@billingsfarm.org
Scholarship Eligibility
Eligibility Information
The Billings Farm & Museum Scholarship Fund makes funding available to eligible schools and youth serving organizations as follows:
- Field Trip Scholarship: Total field trip funding for students ($9 per student); chaperones attend at no cost.
- Partial Field Trip Scholarship: Reduced field trip funding for students (from $9 per student to $4); chaperones attend at no cost.
- Transportation Scholarship: Funding to cover the cost of school bus/van transportation.
Scholarship decisions are made on a rolling basis, and scholarship funds are limited. We encourage schools to review the eligibility criteria below and complete our online scholarship application.
Eligibility Requirements
Scholarship decisions are based on information provided in the application, a holistic review of demonstrated need, and our desire to expand access to field trips to new, eligible schools and continue to partner our current school partners.
Field Trip Scholarship Eligibility
Schools demonstrating high levels of economic need and limited access to enrichment qualify for full field trip funding.
Indicators:
- The school is designated as a Title I school.
- 40% or more students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.
- Enrichment programs (art, music, theater, physical education, or library services) have been reduced or eliminated due to budget constraints.
- 15% or more of the local town, city, or county population lives below the federal poverty line.
- A significant portion of students face barriers to participation, such as housing instability, food insecurity, or limited access to community-based enrichment outside of school.
- Extracurricular opportunities (sports, STEM clubs, theater, or academic clubs) have been cut or significantly reduced due to budget limitations, staffing shortages, or lack of transportation.
- Before- and after-school programming has been reduced or eliminated due to funding or staffing constraints.
- Field trip funding has been cut, reduced, capped, or shifted entirely to parent fundraising.
- Due to limited staffing or funding, only certain grade levels are able to participate in off-campus learning experiences.
- The school experiences chronic understaffing, including limited access to:
- Academic interventionists (literacy or math)
- Special education teachers
- Social-emotional, behavioral, or mental health support staff
- One-on-one aides or paraprofessionals
- The school serves a rural, geographically isolated, or transportation-limited community, making access to enrichment opportunities more difficult.
Transportation Scholarship
Schools where transportation costs are the primary barrier to participation may qualify for transportation funding.
Indicators:
- Transportation or busing costs are the primary reason field trips or enrichment activities have been reduced or eliminated.
- Extracurricular programs (sports, STEM, theater, or clubs) have been cut or limited due to transportation constraints.
- The school serves a rural or geographically dispersed district with long travel distances.
- Field trips are otherwise feasible but cannot occur without transportation assistance.
- Visiting class size exceeds the site capacity of 55 students, requiring the school to split the field trip over two days and secure additional bussing.