BMSC offers two 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 W. Garfield Weston 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: Please e-mail a letter to the Field Trips Coordinator (fieldtrips@bamfieldmsc.com) indicating: a) which bursary (or bursaries) you are applying for, b) how you meet the eligibility criteria, and c) clear evidence of the financial need. The Field Trip Coordinator can help you calculate the trip cost to aid in your demonstration of financial need.
Application deadlines: Your bursary application is due before you submit a trip request using our online booking form. Trip requests are collected electronically at two separate times per year (both Fall trips and Spring trips are usually booked the school year prior), and you will be automatically notified of the booking dates if you are on our mailing list. When you complete the online booking form, there will be a box to indicate if you have applied for a bursary.
Bursary application letters will be forwarded to our bursary committee for review; decisions are normally made within 1 month and you will be notified if your bursary request was successful before paying your trip deposit.
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.
Phone: 250-728-3301 ext. 226