SPRINGFIELD – Nearly 350 Illinois schoolchildren will visit state historic sites this schoolyear thanks to grant funding provided through the Illinois Department of Natural Resources’ State Historic Sites Field Trip Grant program.
More than $5,200 in donated grant funds were awarded for 10 field trip grants. The grantees represent four counties in the state.
“This program enables students to visit sites throughout Illinois to see first-hand what they’ve been learning about in the classroom,” said IDNR Director Natalie Phelps Finnie. “Students need the opportunity to experience Illinois’ historical resources in person. We are pleased to be able to support learning outside the classroom with these grants.”
The $5,272.66 awarded for the 2023-2024 schoolyear was made possible by private donations to IDNR-managed state historic sites. Grant recipients represent students from grades four through 10.
This year’s grantees are:
Hillel Torah North Suburban Day School, Skokie. Seventh grade. Destination: Lincoln Tomb State Historic Site and war memorials at Oak Ridge Cemetery in Springfield. Award: $500.
Midwest Academy for Gifted Education, Chicago. Kindergarten through 10th grade. Destination: Pullman Factory grounds, Chicago. Award: $447.66.
Villa Grove CUSD 302, Villa Grove. Eighth grade. Destination: Lincoln Tomb State Historic Site and war memorials at Oak Ridge Cemetery in Springfield. Award: $500.
Evergreen Elementary School, Carol Stream. Fourth grade. Destination: Lincoln Tomb State Historic Site and war memorials at Oak Ridge Cemetery in Springfield. Four different awards of $500 each.
Jonesboro Elementary School, Jonesboro. Seventh grade. Destination: Lewis and Clark State Historic Site in Madison County. Award: $325.
Jonesboro Elementary School, Jonesboro. Seventh and eighth grades. Destination: Dana-Thomas House State Historic Site in Springfield. Award: $500.
Jonesboro Elementary School, Jonesboro. Eighth grade. Destination: Lincoln Tomb State Historic Site and war memorials at Oak Ridge Cemetery in Springfield. $500.
The State Historic Sites Field Trip Grant program was initiated during the 2020-2021 schoolyear. The competitive program allows Illinois teachers to apply for funds to take students on field trips to visit and learn at select Illinois state historic sites. Learning activities must directly relate to the school’s curriculum.
The annual application deadline is Sept. 30. Funding covers bus transportation. The 2024-2025 schoolyear application will be available online in the summer of 2024.
For more information about the program, email the IDNR Division of Education at dnr.teachkids@illinois.gov. The Illinois Conservation Foundation gladly accepts donations for the program.
Visit the foundation online for more information.