Rides for Kids

A child’s first visit to a museum is an experience they will remember for the rest of their lives. But not every child has the opportunity to visit a museum. Many schools face financial challenges, as the rising costs of bus transportation and fuel can make field trips prohibitively expensive for many districts.

LIM’s Rides for Kids is a specially funded program that provides eligible schools with partially subsidized transportation costs and reduced program fees. Established to help offset the costs of field trips, the program ensures that more students have the opportunity to experience the museum firsthand. Thanks to generous public and private support, Rides for Kids has provided subsidized field trip fees and bus transportation for nearly 15,000 students from underrepresented school districts across Long Island since its inception in 2013.

This academic year, we are experiencing a high demand from Long Island schools who need support to afford field trips for their students, and our limited funding means we will have to turn down many requests. 

The New York State Education Department identifies school districts with a high percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a reliable indicator of a district’s ability to cover the costs of field trips. Of Long Island’s 125 school districts, 32 fall into this category. LIM works to ensure that Rides for Kids funding reaches the districts that will benefit most from this vital support.

Whether virtually or in person, field trips can ignite students’ senses and inspire a strong, lifelong passion for art, history, and discovery. The LIM Rides for Kids initiative helps create lasting and meaningful memories for hundreds of students each year.

Please consider supporting this important initiative by making a donation today.

Individuals can donate via the link below.