Free School Programs

Free Field Trips - Fall 2023 

The Botanical Gardens is providing a limited number of free field trips and transportation funds for elementary students in the Buffalo and Lackawanna Public and Charter School Systems for the Fall of 2023! 

Who is eligible to Apply?  

• Public and charter schools located in Buffalo and Lackawanna are eligible to apply.  
• Grades Pre-K – 8 in these districts are welcome to apply.  

• Teachers and other school faculty can apply by grade level or by classroom.  
• Free field trips are limited to one per grade level per academic year.  

What programs are available? 

• All onsite field trip programs at the Botanical Gardens are available as part of our free field trips programming. All programs are developmentally appropriate and closely aligned to NYS P-12 Science Learning Standards. These include:  

• Terrarium Workshop (Pre-K – Grade 8) 

• Seed Sense (Pre-K-K) 
• Plant Picnic (Grades 1-2)  
• Flowers and Friends (Grades 3-5) 
• Survival Instinct (Grades 3-8) 
• Plant Reproduction (Grades 6-8) 

• Self-Guided Discovery Visit (Pre-K – Grade 8) 

Free Field Trip Details 

• If awarded a free field trip, all Botanical Gardens program fees will be waived for both students and chaperones.  
• Field trips must be scheduled to take place on or before December 22, 2023.  
• Schools awarded free field trips are also eligible to receive reimbursement for busing and transportation.  

• Transportation funds provide reimbursement for up to $300 per bus, with a limit of one bus for every 45 students attending the field trip.  
• After approval, an invoice or itinerary that confirms the number of buses and total cost must be submitted at least two weeks before the scheduled field trip date.  

How to Apply 

To apply, fill out the application below. Limited scholarship funds are available. Free field trips will be awarded on a first come, first served basis until funds run out. After submitting an application, an Education Team member will be in contact you to notify you of your approval status. No free field trips are confirmed until you receive a reservation confirmation from the Botanical Gardens’ Education Team.  

How do we fund our Free Field Trips? 

Funding for our free field trips has been generously provided by M&T Bank, Key Bank, and the J.M McDonald Foundation.