Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks offers annual reimbursement grant funding to Montana schools for travel and lodging expenses to visit FWP’s Education Center, Montana WILD, in Helena. Montana WILD offers high quality, hands-on educational programming (field trips) for K – 12 students related to fish, mammals, macroinvertebrates, conservation, careers in wildlife, archery, birding, fishing, live birds of prey, and more!  

This is a reimbursement grant and requires itemized invoices of travel and lodging expenses paid. The application period generally opens in April and closes by May 31, annually. Successful applicants can use funds between August and May of the following year. The maximum award amount for an individual outlying school is $2,500. The maximum award amount for an individual local school (within the Helena city limits) is $500. 

Grant Deadline: The application window opens in April and the deadline is May 31 each year. FWP will notify grant recipients of the status of their application before August of the following school year.

Eligible Applicants: Montana Public Schools, Grades K – 12. Please note, FWP can only reimburse schools, not third-party vendors (i.e., hotels or bus companies).

Eligible Expenses: FWP can only reimburse for lodging and transportation expenses. To qualify for lodging reimbursement, schools must be more than 150 miles, one way, from Helena. Please note that awarded grant funds are available as reimbursement (not in advance) and require itemized receipts of eligible expenses (e.g., hotel invoice, bus company invoice).

Minimum Visitation Time: Outlying schools must spend a minimum of 2.5 hours at Montana WILD. Local schools must participate in at least one program.

Supplemental Education Activity: We encourage schools to incorporate their visit to Montana WILD into other classroom units or lessons on fish, wildlife, habitat, outdoor recreation, stewardship, and similar topics. Committing to a pre-or-post lesson, unit, or community activity will strengthen your application.

We strongly encourage teachers to incorporate a school group visit to Montana WILD into a broader unit or discussion in their classrooms or communities. Here are some resources that might help.

Please complete the following application and return it to Corie Rice: corie.rice@mt.gov

• Montana WILD Transporation and Lodging Grant Application 

This reimbursement guide and example invoice can help you, or preferably your accounting staff, to properly submit reimbursement materials after your visit. 

Questions? Contact Corie at corie.rice@mt.gov or 406-444-9939