BMSC offers two kinds of bursaries to help support the cost of visiting BMSC on a field trip for your school. Bursaries are available for whole groups and for individual students.
Wendy and Leslie Rebanks Bursary
Through the Weston Family Foundation, this bursary supports classes of school-aged children up to grade 12 from BC or Alberta to attend a BMSC field trip. Bursaries are intended to allow students and teachers from under-served schools the opportunity to experience and understand Canada’s Marine environment through field trips, boat excursions, and science experiments in hopes that the students will be excited to learn more about their country, the oceans, and marine biology.
Eligibility: Classes from kindergarten up to grade 12 from BC and Alberta are eligible to apply. Preference will be given to groups from rural/remote areas, and groups that include: Indigenous youth, youth from low-income backgrounds, youth with disabilities, and BIPOC youth. Applicants must also demonstrate that they are actively fundraising for their trip through various means.
BMSC Field Trips Bursary
These awards are intended to support school-age children to attend a BMSC field trip. Bursaries can be requested for the whole class, or for individual students.
Eligibility: Classes (and individual students) from kindergarten up to grade 12 from anywhere in Canada are eligible to apply. Preference will be given to: Indigenous youth, youth living in rural and/or remote areas, youth from low-income backgrounds, youth with disabilities, and BIPOC youth.
How to Apply:
You will have the chance to apply for our bursary program when you apply for a field trip at BMSC. Field trip applications typically open twice a year for fall and spring season bookings.
Field trip applications for Spring 2027 are open on a rolling basis starting Monday, August 24,2026. To apply for a bursary for Spring 2027, applications must be received by Friday,
September 25, 2026.
If you would like to apply for our bursary program, you will be asked to submit a letter detailing the following information in your field trip application:
a) which bursary (or bursaries) you are applying for
b) how you meet the eligibility criteria
c) clear evidence of financial need
d) demonstration of additional fundraising efforts
Bursary application letters will be forwarded to our bursary committee for review. We hope to share spring 2027 funding allocation decisions starting the week of October 13th.
Other grant opportunities
Go Grants provides financial assistance to K-12 schools for transportation, project materials, and program fees that support outdoor learning experiences about BC’s environment. Go Grants provide students opportunities to connect with nature and engage in dynamic and memorable learning experiences.
You would like to support the field trips bursary?
Thanks to donors like yourself, the BMSC Field Trip Bursaries help reduce financial barriers for learners from diverse groups to experience marine and coastal science hands-on, right here at BMSC.
Please see our donations page here.