Scholarships for School Programs

Subscribe to Arboretum Teacher Resources (check box under Teachers & Schools heading) to receive email updates about Scholarships  and other Arboretum Teacher Resources.

Field Trip at the Arboretum in the Greenhouse

2026-2027 Scholarship request form opens Tuesday, Sept. 1 at 9 a.m.
Check back to apply at that time.

Field Trip Scholarships

  • 🚌 Field Trip + Bus: 100% of student fees waived plus up to $400 bus reimbursement. Limited to one grade level per school per school year. Limit of two buses per school.
  • 🌿 Field Trip Only: 100% of student fees waived.  
  • ⭐ Spotlight Scholarship: 100% of student fees waived for schools that partner with the Arboretum to capture photos and/or video for nonprofit promotional and educational purposes of a specific field trip on a specific date.
Season (Eligible Program Dates) 🚌 Field Trip + Bus Eligibility 🌿 Field Trip Only Eligibility ⭐ Spotlight Scholarship
Fall Sept. 22 – Nov. 6 Apple Harvest • **Fall in the Forest • It's a Pumpkin's Life Schools with 50% or greater Free & Reduced Lunch Eligibility Schools with 50% or greater Free & Reduced Lunch Eligibility Oct. 1- Fall in the Forest Open to all. No Free & Reduced Lunch requirement
Winter/Early Spring Nov. 17 – April 2 Green Grocery • Plants and Their Habitats • Sprout • Maple Syrup Trail Schools with 70% or greater Free & Reduced Lunch Eligibility Schools with 50% or greater Free & Reduced Lunch Eligibility Feb. 9- Plants & their Habitats Open to all. No Free & Reduced Lunch requirement
Spring April 15 – May 27 Ready, Set, Grow! • Pollination Investigation Schools with 70% or greater Free & Reduced Lunch Eligibility Schools with 50% or greater Free & Reduced Lunch Eligibility April 15- Ready, Set, Grow! Open to all. No Free & Reduced Lunch requirement
**Fall in the Forest Scholarships are limited to schools with 70%+ Free and Reduced Lunch

Plantmobile Scholarships

Schools with 70% or greater Free & Reduced Lunch Eligibility may apply for a scholarship covering 100% of Plantmobile program fees. Limit of one scholarship per school.

Field Trip in-a-Box Scholarships

Schools with 70% or greater Free & Reduced Lunch Eligibility may apply for a scholarship covering 100% of Field Trip in-a-Box program and shipping costs. Limit 2 boxes per school. 

Additional Scholarship Opportunities and Guidelines

  • Limited Pre-K scholarships are available upon request. Please inquire via email at [email protected] when booking.
  • Scholarships are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis while funding is available.
  • Spotlight Scholarship recipients agree to partner with the Arboretum to obtain photo/media permissions for participating students and allow photography and/or video for nonprofit promotional and educational purposes.
  • Bus reimbursements are issued after the program date.

Expand all

Steps to request an Arboretum School Program Scholarship

Scholarships cannot be requested by phone or email. Scholarships are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis while funds last.

  1. Browse available scholarships from the list below. Schools qualify based on last year's Free and Reduced Lunch %. Note the scholarships your school qualifies for and request in Step 3.
     
  2. Reserve your School Program(s) using the online registration system. At the payment screen, select the yellow mailbox icon for "pay later." (After you request a scholarship in Step 3, approved scholarship requests will be applied to your reservation).

    Reserve Arboretum School Programs 
     
  3. Request a scholarship for the program(s) you reserved in Step 2. The Scholarship Request Form opens late Aug./early Sept. each year.
     
  4. Receive a reply from the Arboretum Office via email. Completed Scholarship Request Forms will be notified of status within one week after submission. Approved scholarships will be applied to the order. Those not approved will be given the option to keep or release products in the order.

How to find your school's Free & Reduced Lunch % for the Scholarship Request Form

  1. Go to https://mndatamaps.web.health.state.mn.us/interactive/frpl.html 
  2. In the box on the top right hand corner of the map select schools (the third choice from the top). That will locate the schools on the Map of Minnesota.
  3. Zoom in to find your school and hover over the location dot of your school. When the school location is hovered over, the free and reduced price lunch percent (total FRPL eligibility %) is shown in a box in lower left hand corner.

Questions?

Arboretum Education Office
Mon - Fri, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
[email protected]
612-301-1210 

The Arboretum is committed to making its educational opportunities accessible for all school audiences. We are very grateful to the hundreds of individual donors who support this and other youth education programs. 


The Arboretum is committed to making its educational opportunities accessible for all school audiences. With the generous support of the foundations and donors, we are pleased to offer a menu of scholarship opportunities for our schools.

School Programs Sponsored By

International Paper logo

​Support for the Arboretum's School Programs generously provided by
International Paper Foundation
Karen A. Nelson
Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation

Herb and Judy Goldenberg, whose scholarship helps provide Minnesota Harvest-themed field trip experiences for school groups. 

To support Arboretum Youth Education Programming, contact
Valerie Aas
[email protected]
612-301-1267