‘Discover the Outdoors’ Grants are available for all K-12 educators, regardless of school type.
According to the DNR, Since the grant program’s inception in 2013, 220 grants have been awarded, for more than 21,000 students to visit state parks.
Amanda Añez with the DNR said the grant amount is commonly used for transportation and fees levied by the state parks related to the field trip.
“It's just a small fee for our field trip programs,” she said. “But again, the grant does cover that. And it also covers other materials that the teacher might want to purchase for the field trip itself.”
The maximum grant amount was $250; it’s been increased to $500.
“We're really hoping schools will be able to take advantage of that — especially schools that need a little bit of help with transportation costs.”
Añez said these field trips get students out into the “real world.”
“So students can learn using their hands using all of their senses, to be able to experience nature and our parks. And it's not just nature and science, but it's also cultural and historic significance that our parks hold.”
State parks nearest to Evansville include Harmonie State Park in New Harmony and Lincoln State Park in Lincoln City.
“That is Lincoln's boyhood home there. And that also has wonderful hiking.”
This funding is available through the Indiana Natural Resources Foundation.
More on the grant
Applications are accepted from May 1 to June 30 prior to the school year for which the grant is requested. Applications must be postmarked or emailed no later than June 30.
Applicants will be notified by Aug. 1 regarding potential grant awards. The grant application is here. Read more about the impact of this grant here.
Indiana has 24 state parks, eight state-managed lakes, two state recreation areas, and two off-road state recreation areas eligible for field trip funding that will engage students in learning about Indiana's fish, forests, wildlife, natural habitats, conservation, and outdoor recreation opportunities.
Source: Indiana DNR