Letha’s Youth Outdoors Fund supports trips for school and youth groups to experience nature in an educational context. Preferred groups are those with the least access to experiences in the natural environment. More about Letha’s Fund
Grant Requirements
Proposed field trips should be designed to give youth a meaningful outdoor experience. Programs that incorporate the importance of native plants and their habitats and/or the impacts of invasive plants will be given higher priority.
Teachers/leaders may select natural sites such as nature preserves and environmental education centers suitable to their location and situation. To minimize transportation costs, applicants are encouraged to select nearby sites.
Field trip activities should be led by environmental educators/naturalists or similarly qualified leaders.
Grants cover the costs of transportation, naturalist fees, and related supplies. Letha’s Fund will reimburse transportation arranged through school transportation systems or local transit. In the interest of stretching donated dollars, we request that driver/bus charges be based on direct costs (driver hourly pay, bus mileage).
Approved expenses are reimbursed upon receipt of invoices after the trip has occurred. Awards range from $50 to $700, based on need and available funds.
Applying to Letha’s Fund
Who can apply: Any teacher or youth group leader in Indiana.
What we fund: Transportation, naturalist fees, and other costs for field trips to stimulating natural sites. We do not fund picnics, food, or chaperone fees.
When to apply: Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, and grants are awarded to appropriate projects as long as funds are available. Applications should be submitted at least one month prior to the proposed trip.
How to apply: Complete the online Letha’s Fund Application Form. You may download this Template to prepare your proposal prior to submission. After you click Submit, you will receive an email confirmation of receipt, along with a copy of your application.
Notification of funding: Applicants will be notified whether their application has been funded within three weeks of submittal.
Evaluation/reporting: After the field trip, awardees must download a Letha’s Fund Grant Report Form and submit it along with invoices and copies of any post-trip activities that measure the success of the trip, such as photos, drawings, or writings.
Acknowledgment: Awardees must recognize INPAWS as a funding source in all printed materials, signs, or publicity generated through the activity.
Questions and correspondence for Letha’s Fund should be addressed to lethasfund@indiananativeplants.org.