Grants are provided to schools to help defer the cost of in-depth scientific field investigations. These mini-grants are intended to fund student transportation and/or the cost of a substitute teacher while the regular teacher is in the field with students. Field investigations have been conducted in California State Parks, Elkhorn Slough, East Bay Regional Parks, and other nature reserves.

Requirements

If you are a teacher who has completed one of our eligible Teacher Institutes, you can apply for a transportation grant. You must be using some of our classroom material and incur costs when taking your students to a site for a scientific field investigation. Your field investigation should include four phases: a preparation phase, an outdoor phase, an analysis phase, and a reporting phase.

Application Deadlines:

Coast Alive! Institute, SF East Bay 2009 — Expired
2010 Coast Alive! Teacher Institute: Land-Sea Interface - February 1st, 2011
Application Form

Notification

Most often teachers attend an institute in the summer or towards the beginning of the school year, apply for this grant in the winter, and schedule a student field investigation in the spring. Applying early is encouraged.

Within two weeks of receipt of the application, you will be notified by e-mail or phone about the status of your application. If your application is accepted, you will receive a confirmation that you have been awarded a Student Transportation Grant. Formal award notification will arrive by mail within 60 days.

Grant Payment

Grants are awarded in amounts up to $500 immediately after the request has been approved (often before the field investigation dates).

Written Report

A written report is required and is due no later then 30 days after the scheduled field investigation. Include in the report where the field investigation took place and documentation of the student field investigation including:

1. Samples of student work or photographs
2. Student reflections on their field investigation (e.g., Our field investigation helped me feel more connected to our local watershed...)
3. A written narrative

Important information for your written narrative includes what the students were investigating (their hypothesis), why they were interested in this area of study, how materials received at our institute supported their studies, and what conclusions were drawn.

Also relevant would be information explaining what challenges your students faced, how they resolved these challenges, and what content standards were addressed during their investigation. Explain how they used data, set up the study and worked together.

Finally explain what was most successful and what you would do differently if you took your students on another field study.

Please mail your report to:

Student Transportation Grant Report
California Institute for Biodiversity
1660 School Street, Suite 105
Moraga, CA 94556