culture

[Hilltown Families] News & Updates


Big Yellow School Bus Grant Program for Schools


New Massachusetts grant program provides essential funds for cultural field trips

We have heard from Local Cultural Councils across Massachusetts that transportation costs are a growing factor in whether or not schools can afford to send students on cultural field trips. Given that there are already huge demands on LCC funds, the Massachusetts Cultural Council has sought ways to support LCCs in their work and to supplement the funding available for young people to connect with art and culture across the state. We are pleased to report that Bank of America Charitable Foundation has invested in a partnership with MCC to help communities meet these rising transportation costs.

The Big Yellow School Bus is a new grant program to help schools meet the costs of providing educational field trips to cultural institutions and events across the Commonwealth for their students. The program invites any K-12 school in Massachusetts to apply for a $200 grant to be put towards the cost of transportation for cultural field trips during the 2008-2009 school year; grants will be awarded on a first come first served basis.

Big Yellow School Bus is an ideal complement to the Local Cultural Council PASS program, which subsidizes the cost of tickets and often transportation to cultural field trips. Because Big Yellow School Bus funds are limited, LCCs that fund transportation for PASS field trips should continue to do so. The Big Yellow School Bus program cannot replace the valuable support that LCCs offer schools around the state. Our hope is that schools will take full advantage of both the PASS and Big Yellow School Bus programs to ensure that as many of their students as possible gain exposure to art and science museums, historic sites, and music and theatre performances.

Please help us spread the word to your local schools about this exciting new grant program! Applications and more information can be found online at http://www.massculturalcouncil.org/programs/bigyellow.html