Funding is again being made available for National Association for Pupil Transportation (NAPT) members to help bring learning to life for students in their communities.

NAPT President Linda Bluth and her partner, Betsy Eisman, last year committed $500 a year for 10 years to cover the cost of transportation, entry fees, supplies and classroom resource materials so that students can continue to learn from field trips focused on math and science, language, social studies and arts.

"We intend for this grant to provide children who might not otherwise have the opportunity with a special field trip experience," Bluth and Eisman said. "We are also pleased to acknowledge the importance of the yellow school bus as a means of accessing invaluable learning opportunities."

Bluth-Eisman Field Trip Grant recipients will be selected based on the following criteria: the description of the field trip and its objectives, benefits to students, tie-in to the school curriculum, number of students who would be impacted and proposed use of funds.

In 2010, preference will be given to applications that specifically benefit homeless students in the states of Washington and Oregon, although the award will be discretionary. The applicant must be an NAPT member and employed by an accredited K-12 public, private or charter school in the U.S.

The 2009 grant was awarded to students at Lake Roosevelt High School in Ellensburg, Wash. It allowed 15 high-performing science students to visit science programs at Central Western University in Ellensburg. Many of them had never been to a college campus before.

"This trip afforded them a unique and meaningful experience," school counselor Susanna Hayes said.

A downloadable application for this year’s grant will be available on the NAPT Website on or before Aug. 31. Members can apply online from Sept. 1 through Oct. 1.

The winner will be announced during the NAPT Summit, which will be held Oct. 30 to Nov. 4 in Portland, Ore.