Jonesboro Elementary School awarded historic site field trip grant funds
More than 740 students will have an opportunity to visit Illinois state historic sites this school year thanks to grant funding through the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, IDNR, State Historic Sites Field Trip Grant program.
More than $6,740 in donated funds were awarded for 14 field trip grants. Grant recipients represent 12 Illinois counties, including Union County.
“Students should have opportunities to experience Illinois’ historical resources in person and be in the places where history happened in our state,” IDNR director Natalie Phelps Finnie said in a news release. “We are pleased to be able to support learning about historic sites in the classroom with these grants.”
Jonesboro Elementary School received three $500 grants. One grant will fund a 7th grade trip to the Lewis and Clark State Historic Site in Hartford. Another grant will fund an 8th grade trip to the Lincoln Tomb State Historic Site and War Memorials in Oak Ridge Cemetery in Springfield. A third grant will fund a 7th and 8th grade trip to the Dana-Thomas House State Historic Site in Springfield.
The IDNR State Historic Sites Field Trip Grant program was initiated in the 2020-2021 school year. Grant recipients for the 2025-2026 school year represent students from 3rd grade through high school. This year marks the most grants awarded by the program, IDNR noted.
The competitive grant program allows Illinois teachers to apply for funds to take students on a field trip to visit and learn at select Illinois state historic sites. Learning activities must directly relate to the school’s curriculum. Funding covers bus transportation.
The annual application deadline is Sept. 30. The 2026-2027 school year application form will be available online in the spring of 2026.
For more information about the IDNR State Historic Sites Field Trip Grant program, contact the IDNR Division of Education at dnr.teachkids@illinois.gov or 217-524-4126. The Illinois Conservation Foundation gladly accepts donations for the IDNR State Historic Sites Field Trip Grant program.