Plan the cost before the day

Funding your bus

Start with your school’s transport budget. Then check the options below with the organization providing the funding.

  1. Get a bus estimate

    Ask your district or carrier for the full school-to-school day, including waiting time.

  2. Check eligibility

    Funding depends on the destination, school and program. Ask before budgeting for an award.

  3. Arrange payment

    Your school, the funder and the carrier handle the paperwork. This site does not process payments.

Title I schools: confirm funding before booking

Title I status does not automatically make bus travel or admission free. Ask your principal or district Title I contact to confirm eligible costs, available funds and required approvals before committing to a visit.

For LAUSD schools using Title I funds: curricular trips need approval from Federal and State Education Programs (FSEP). Describe the trip in your School Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA) and include the relevant plan pages or modification with your district field-trip request.

Other districts have their own approval procedures. Venue scholarships and Port transportation assistance are separate programs; ask each provider about eligibility and availability. This site does not determine eligibility or award funding.

LAUSD Title I curricular-trip guidance · checked 14 September 2026.

Where to start

Visiting Cabrillo?

Cabrillo bus scholarships

Ask the education team

The aquarium lists bus scholarships for several school programs. Ask its education team about eligibility, the amount available and how to apply.

Ask about a bus scholarship(310) 548-7562
Program details and source

Scholarships vary by program; a listing does not mean an award is available for your date.

Cabrillo school programs

Taking a Port school boat tour?

Port of Los Angeles transportation assistance

Up to $300

The Port offers limited assistance for qualifying schools participating in its School Boat Tour Program. A waterfront Package alone does not establish eligibility.

Check eligibility and get the formsedtours@portla.org
Which application route applies?

LAUSD district transportation: use the LAUSD form linked by the Port and obtain its authorization.

Other transportation: use the non-LAUSD reimbursement instructions. Check the required registration and tax paperwork before committing funds.

The published non-LAUSD form limits assistance to one subsidy per school per year. The Port decides which requests it can fund.

Read the Port’s reimbursement requirements (PDF)

Other programs you may have heard about

These are not general-purpose funding offers for a waterfront Package.

IAMLA School Bus Grant · for visits to IAMLA

The Italian American Museum of Los Angeles offers grants of up to $500 per school per lottery for transportation to its museum. It is a different destination from this network’s venues.

Read IAMLA’s grant terms
TreePeople / Generation Earth · check current availability

The former bus-information page now redirects to TreePeople’s education page. That page describes its current programs, but does not establish bus funding for a waterfront visit. Ask its education team before relying on the older free-bus offer.

education@treepeople.org
TreePeople’s current education programs

Before you commit

  • Keep bus costs and venue program fees separate.
  • Follow your district’s rules for funding school-day visits; do not assume families can be charged.
  • Ask whether your venue must sign any funding paperwork.
  • Do not add potential awards together as if they have already been granted.
Find an organization’s contact

Official program pages checked 5 September 2026. Funding is decided by each provider.