Toyota TAPESTRY (revived editions / state affiliates)
- Who
- Individual K-12 science teachers
- Amount
- Up to $10,000
Field-based, environmental, and physical-science projects. Strong fit for a polar climate cohort.
For teachers
How to fund your expedition.
The self-pay tier is $2,975. Most teachers who go don't actually pay that out of pocket — they piece together a grant, a PD line item, a graduate-credit reimbursement, and sometimes a few hundred dollars from their community. Here's the playbook.
Step 1 · Grants
Grants teachers can actually win.
Eight programs that have funded teachers like you. Apply to two or three — most have rolling or annual cycles.
NEA Foundation — Learning & Leadership Grants
- Who
- Individual teachers
- Amount
- $2,000 / $5,000
Funds professional development that improves practice. Expedition + curriculum integration qualifies.
NOAA Bay Watershed Education & Training (B-WET) and regional NOAA Education grants
- Who
- Schools, districts, nonprofits (teacher partner)
- Amount
- Varies — $25k+
Climate, ocean, and watershed education. Partner with a NOAA-aligned scientist on your cohort.
National Geographic Society — Education grants
- Who
- Educators with Nat Geo Educator Certification
- Amount
- $1k–$10k
Storytelling and field-learning projects. The expedition's documentation deliverable maps cleanly.
NSF Discovery Research K-12 / Advancing Informal STEM
- Who
- Universities, organizations (teacher participant)
- Amount
- Large, multi-year
Join an existing NSF-funded PD partnership — often easier than applying solo.
Earthwatch Teacher Fellowships
- Who
- K-12 educators
- Amount
- Full expedition cost
Competitive but real. Use this as proof of concept when pitching your district to fund the next one.
Fund for Teachers
- Who
- Pre-K–12 teachers, 3+ years experience
- Amount
- Up to $5,000 individual / $10,000 team
Self-designed summer learning fellowships. Among the best fits for this expedition.
American Honda Foundation — STEM education
- Who
- Schools, districts, nonprofits
- Amount
- $20k–$75k
Youth STEM education with measurable outcomes. District applies on the teacher's behalf.
Step 2 · Ask your district
Your district has a PD budget. Most of it goes to mediocre PD.
You're asking for a slice of money that already exists. The trick is framing the expedition as professional development — which it is — not as travel.
Sample language — email to your principal
"I'd like to propose using a portion of my PD allocation toward a 4-day cohort-based field science expedition with Odyssey Discovery. It's NGSS-aligned, includes documented PD hours, and the deliverable is a classroom-ready curriculum unit. The total is $2,975. I've identified grants I'm applying for to offset part of the cost — I'm asking the district to cover the remainder. I'd love 15 minutes to walk you through what students would get out of it."
Step 3 · The graduate-credit angle
Most districts reimburse grad credits. Use that.
We partner with universities to offer 2–3 graduate credit hours for expedition participants. Most district contracts include a tuition reimbursement line for graduate coursework — often $400–$800 per credit. That can offset a meaningful chunk of the expedition cost.
Ask your HR or curriculum office: "Does our reimbursement cover graduate credits earned through a university-partnered professional learning program?" The answer is usually yes.
Step 4 · Crowdfunding
DonorsChoose, GoFundMe, and your community.
- — DonorsChoose projects framed around the curriculum unit you'll build can fund supplies, books, and a portion of related PD.
- — GoFundMe / community fundraising works well when your principal endorses it and you share the story locally.
- — PTA / Education Foundation grants at the school or district level rarely get spent — ask.
- — Local businesses and rotary clubs regularly underwrite teacher PD, especially with a story to tell.
Money should never be the reason you don't go.
If you want to go, we'll help you fund it.
Email us with where you are — your state, your school, your timeline — and we'll send back a personalized funding plan within a few days.