Since the early 2000s, enriching field trips with a cultural and social emphasis have become a less frequent part of the student experience. Exposure to ideas and populations outside of a student’s local community are increasingly confined to the textbook and in-class films.

However, in-person experiences at cultural institutions, museums, and extracurricular venues remain a key part of a student’s education. International visits and trips to renowned museums offer enrichment activities and teaching moments more memorable than the same topics featured as exam questions.

Due to funding limitations, schools across the nation are forced to choose between improving student performance on standardized testing and providing culturally valuable field trips. TripStake aims to make this choice easier on schools by providing financial resources to the student communities that would best benefit from out-of-the-classroom experiences. Students from historically disadvantaged backgrounds show two to three times the gains in pivotal skills like critical thinking when able to go on field trips and participate in extracurricular activities. 

In most cities, public educators only receive funding for field trips via a lengthy and complicated grant application. In some cases, it takes more than 18 months for applicants to receive an approval or rejection. 

At TripStake, we believe in simplifying the process for both teachers and administrators. School faculty members can fill out a single online form on behalf of a classroom for proposed trips and requested funding. Once approved, the school signs a contract with TripStake guaranteeing that 100% of all proceeds - both funds raised by the classroom and matched by the TripStake organization - go towards the out-of-classroom experience. 

For more information, feel free to reach out to a TripStake representative to learn more about the application form and the funding process.