RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina public schools can seek financial assistance from the state to take students on field trips to state museums, aquariums and historic sites through a $1 million pilot project unveiled on Wednesday by Gov. Roy Cooper's administration.

What You Need To Know

  • A $1 million pilot project will enable public schools to be reimbursed for the cost of visits to historical and cultural sites managed by the state

  • The “Learning Happens Here Field Trip Fund” will give preference to Title I schools

  • Money for the pilot project comes from American Rescue Plan funds, which must be obligated by the end of the year or returned to the federal government

The Democratic governor and state Natural and Cultural Resources Secretary Reid Wilson visited the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in downtown Raleigh to announce the “Learning Happens Here Field Trip Fund.” K-12 schools can seek reimbursements for the cost of students visiting more than 100 locations managed by Wilson's department. That could include entry fees, transportation or meals.

Title I schools — those with high percentages of students from low-income families — will receive preference for the grants, which will be administered by the PBS North Carolina television network on behalf of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. A yet-determined amount of the $1 million also will be set aside for western North Carolina schools affected by Hurricane Helene's historic flooding.

Cooper and Wilson, who interacted with third-graders from a Raleigh school visiting the museum, recalled the excitement of going on field trips as students and the lasting memories they provided.

“These moments can open the doors for kids to explore things they hadn’t thought about before,” Wilson said. "That could be the spark that sets that child on a course for the rest of their life.”

Applications need to be submitted online at least eight weeks before the planned field trip. The pilot project money comes from federal American Rescue Plan funds, a spokesperson for the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources said.

State and local governments must obligate all their American Rescue Plan funds for specific projects by the end of this year or else return the rest to the U.S. Treasury.