teaching travel grants

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Budget Tips , Uncategorized · May 31, 2020

37 Teacher Travel Grants: Free Travel Opportunities for Teachers

Did you know that there are numerous fellowship and grant programs that allow teachers to travel for FREE? Keep reading to learn more!

One of my favorite parts of being a teacher is the schedule. With two months off in the summer, and several weeks off during the school year, the possibilities for travel are endless. Over the past few years I have done a variety of trips that have not only been fun and relaxing, but have also provided me with a wealth of knowledge that has improved my teaching practice. I have studied flamenco guitar in Spain, practiced baroque flute in Nova Scotia, and have attended music education conferences across the United States. However, traveling can be expensive, especially when you are working with a limited teacher budget.

Luckily, there are a variety of government organizations, private companies and non-profit international organizations who sponsor travel grants specifically for teachers. These grants are perfect for teachers who want to broaden their horizons and improve their teaching practice abroad. These programs all differ in requirements and details, but in general, they are highly competitive and involve some type of research or teaching while abroad.

Below is a list of 37 different grant and fellowship programs that allow free (or almost free) travel opportunities for teachers.

Updated 1/5/24

• Who can apply?: K-12 teachers in the United States
• Application deadline: February 19th, 2024
• Program length: Yearlong professional development, 2-3 weeks of travel
• Destination options: Brazil, Canada, Columbia, France, Germany, Ghana, India, Finland, Indonesia, Morocco, Peru, Philippines, Senegal, Uruguay
• Application deadline: TBD
• Program length: 2-6 weeks
• Destination options: Argentina, Cambodia, Colombia, Honduras, India, Israel, Mexico, Morocco, Nepal, Palestinian Territories, Peru, The Philippines, Spain, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Zambia
• Who can apply? K-12 teachers in the United States
• Program length: 3 to 6 months
• Destination options: Brazil, Colombia, Finland, Greece, India, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, Singapore, Taiwan, United Kingdom, Vietnam
• Program requirements: Bachelor’s degree
• Application deadline: Likely October 2024
• Program length: 6-12 months
• Destination options: Varies, see a full list here
• Program requirements: Non-U.S. college graduate or young teachers
• Application deadline: Varies by country
• Destination options: Varies, see map here
• Who can apply?: K-12 and postsecondary educators
• Application deadline: January 4th, 2024
• Program length: 4 weeks
• Destination options: TBD- varies each year
• Who can apply?: Teachers, students, and faculty engaged in a common endeavor relating to humanities, social sciences and languages
• Application deadline: March 27th, 2023
• Program length: Varies
• Destination options: Africa, East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia and the Pacific, the Western Hemisphere (Central and South America, Mexico, and the Caribbean), East Central Europe and Eurasia, and the Near East
• strengthen teaching and learning in schools and colleges
• facilitate research and original scholarship
• provide opportunities for lifelong learning
• preserve and provide access to cultural and educational resources
• Who can apply?: varies
• Application deadline: varies depending on the program. Check here for upcoming program deadlines.
• Program length: varies
• Destination options: varies
• Who can apply?: K-12 classroom teachers
• Application deadline: January 12th, 2024
• Program length: 7-12 days
• Destination options: Varies
• Who can apply?: Varies by program
• Application deadline: Varies by program
• Program length: Varies by program
• Destination options: Varies by program
• Who can apply?: PreK-12 teachers
• Application deadline: January 18th, 2024
• Program length: Varies- programs are self-designed
• Destination options: Flexible
• Who can apply?: PreK-12 educators
• Application deadline: January 7th, 2024
• Program length: 1-2 weeks
• Who can apply?: Pre-K-12 and college level educators
• Application deadline: Likely November 2024
• Program length: 2-4 weeks
• Destination options: At sea- varies
• Who can apply?: Full time social studies and/or STEM educators from the U.S. and Canada
• Application deadline: February 11th, 2024
• Program length: 2 weeks
• Destination options: Germany
• Who can apply?: K-12 educators in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics
• Application deadline: November 16th, 2023
• Program length: 11 months
• Destination options: Washington, DC
• Who can apply?: Current NEA members who are U.S. teachers, counselors, or education support professionals
• Application deadline: February 1st, 2024
• Who can apply?: Middle and high school social studies teachers
• Application deadline: March 1st, 2024
• Program length: 10 days
• Destination options: Japan
• Who can apply?: Classroom teachers
• Application deadline: Varies based on your home state- check website above
• Program length: 1-6 weeks
• Destination options: UK
• Who can apply?: Primary and secondary school teachers
• Application deadline: Rolling
• Who can apply?: U.S. educators
• Application deadline: TBD- currently virtual due to Covid
• Program length: One week
• Destination options: Kingdom of Bahrain
• Who can apply?: K-12 educators
• Application deadline: Varies by program, rolling admissions
• Destination options: Gettysburg College, George Washington University, Princeton University
• Who can apply?: Students, teachers, administrators, artists
• Who can apply?: Public school teachers
• Program length: Varies- you create your own program
• Who can apply?: Licensed k-12 teachers employed in public or private schools
• Application deadline: January 15th-April 15th, 2024
• Who can apply?: Educators
• Application deadline: Summer 2024 information coming soon
• Program length: 4-8 weeks
• Destination options: Various locations across the United States
• Destination options: Online, U.S., and East Asia
• Who can apply?: Educators grades 3-12
• Application deadline: Late winter/early Spring- check website above for more information
• Program length: 3-5 days
• Destination options: Colonial Williamsburg
• Who can apply?: K-12 educators and college faculty
• Application deadline: January 16th, 2024
• Program length: One week in June
• Destination options: Brussels
• Who can apply?: “Anyone who is  currently  educating American students in a formal school environment.”
• Application deadline: January 15th, 2024
• Program length: 4-5 days
• Destination options: Mount Vernon (North of Washington, DC)
• Who can apply?: Social studies and science teachers
• Application deadline: TBD, likely May 2024
• Destination options: TBD
• Who can apply?: K-12 STEM teachers in the U.S.
• Application deadline: TBD, awaiting program information for 2024
• Program length: Yearlong engagement and planning with a stipend for PD/education conferences (registration fees, lodging, and travel)
• Who can apply?: Classroom teachers, informal science educators, artists, videographers, writers, social media experts and anyone who can make a good case for themselves.
• Application deadline: January 13th, 2023
• Program length: Two months, 12/10/23-2/2/24 or 2/9/24-4/8/24
• Who can apply?: Any high school teacher or counselor currently employed at a public or private high school in the United States or internationally.
• Application deadline: March 14th, 2024
• Program length: Varies- you can use this grant towards an educational conference of your choice.
• Destination options: Varies- you can use this grant towards an educational conference of your choice.
• Who can apply?: Any pre-service or current K-12 teachers from the United States
• Program length: Five days
• Destination options: Washington, D.C.
• Who can apply?: Middle and high school educators
• Application deadline: No deadline posted, applications opened in January
• Program length: One Week
• Destination options: Annapolis, MD
• Destination options: varies- check their website
• Who can apply?: Middle school STEM teachers
• Application deadline: Head to their website (linked above) to be notified when applications open
• Program length: One weekend

Do any of these programs sound exciting to you? Leave a comment below!

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Are you an art teacher longing to see the art treasures of Florence, Paris or Beijing? Are you a language teacher desiring to visit one or more of the countries where the language you teach is spoken? Teacher travel grants can make such trips possible.

What is a teacher travel grant?

Travel grants help U.S. teachers travel overseas on short-term visits to experience new cultures and explore new ideas. It’s not a vacation: Educators usually explore different instructional methods and broaden their horizons through cultural and academic immersion programs.

Government organizations, private companies and non-profit international organizations sponsor travel grants for teachers. Some programs give the money to the teacher; others pay expenses directly. Some programs are teacher exchanges where a teacher from overseas goes to your school while you teach at their school; with others, you travel independently.

Types of travel grants

Grants usually target a subject area or emphasize specific research or professional development goals. While some grants have a wide, general focus like a student exchange programs, others function as travel-work or teach-abroad programs.

Grant requirements

Limitations and requirements on grants run a wide gamut. For instance:

• Grants may be designed for teachers in high schools, middle schools or elementary school teachers.
• Some teacher travel grants pay only partial amounts, while others cover round-trip airfare plus boarding, food and incidental expenses.
• Most grant terms last six to eight weeks, though a handful of highly selective programs offer travel grants of up to six months.
• Grant travel usually happens in the summer when school is out.

Who offers teacher travel grants?

Numerous travel grants are available to teachers in U.S. public and private schools. Here are a few notable programs:

Distinguished Fulbright Awards in Teaching Program

This highly competitive and selective travel grant is available through the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Education and Cultural Awards. It’s open to teachers, curriculum specialists, guidance counselors, special education coordinators and librarians.

If you’re selected, you can spend three to six months in an overseas school, university or research center. You’ll also be required to work at least some time in a local school in the host country. You’ll also have to complete a “Capstone Project” that benefits students in your home schools. The grant pays all travel expenses, lodging, programs costs and tuition fees and other costs.

Visit the site .

National Endowment for the Humanities

This federally funded program offers up to $6,000 for travel expenses for teachers wishing to do summer research in their field both in the United States and abroad. The NEH also offers a “Summer Seminars and Institutes” program in the US and abroad, where teachers join organized continuing education programs. As you would expect, this is a highly competitive program.

Earthwatch Institute

Earthwatch offers field enrichment trips to teachers in grades K-12. More than 90 destinations are offered, both in the US and in other countries. You’ll get to work alongside experts in your field doing important work. All expenses are covered at the destination and some trips offer a stipend to cover travel to and from the destination. After the trip, teachers are expected to develop a lesson plan about the subject of their trip and share their experiences with others in their community.

Teachers for Global Classrooms Project (TGC Project)

The TGC Project travel grant is available to secondary school teachers in the United States. The International Research and Exchange Board (IREX), a non-profit organization that operates under the aegis of the Bureau of Education and Cultural Awards, manages the TGC Project.

The program offers a fully paid, two- or three-week international fellowship in countries including India, Ghana, Brazil, Indonesia and Ukraine. Teachers graduate with a deeper understanding of international pedagogy. To qualify for the fellowship, teachers must successfully complete an online course and attend a Global Education Symposium in Washington, D.C.

Visit the page .

American Councils Exchange Program

American Councils offers a program known as “Educational Seminars” that pays for U.S. educators to participate in short-term teacher-exchange programs in other countries. The program helps teachers broaden their horizons by learning about the culture, teaching methodologies, educational system and social mores in different countries.

Teachers must have at least three years of experience to apply. Educational seminars are available in China, India, Brazil and Portugal. The program pays for all travel, lodging and program-related expenses.

Fund for Teachers

Fund for Teachers, a private non-profit foundation, provides travel fellowships for close to 500 teachers each year. The program allows teachers to propose international projects that they think will benefit them professionally and have an impact on their students.

The fund provides grants of up to $5,000 to teachers whose proposals are accepted. Teams can receive a grant of up to $10,000 under the program. Since 2001, Fund for Teachers has provided travel grants to nearly 5,000 teachers and has approved fellowships in more than 120 countries around the world.

Applying for teacher travel grants

Each travel grant program has its own deadline and requirements. Generally, teachers need to have at least a few years’ teaching experience. Programs are offered that augment virtually any teacher’s base of knowledge.

Many more travel grants are available to educators. If you’re interested in pursuing these opportunities, keep these points in mind.

• Institutions offering grants start accepting applications well in advance of when they become available, often six months before the program starts.
• Though most grants are open to all U.S. educators, they are also highly competitive.
• Applications usually require a detailed listing of qualifications and experience and a well-reasoned explanation of the projected benefits of traveling abroad on a teacher travel grant.

Don’t think that just because you are living on a teacher’s salary and supporting a family that overseas travel is beyond your means. Well-traveled teachers make better teachers, and there are dozens of organizations that will help make such an experience possible for you.

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Teacher-Tested Travel Grants

Educators enrich their profession with globe-trotting experience — and get funding to do it.

Teachers who travel bring back to their classrooms all of the experiences they had and passions they felt to inspire students and make global content come alive. By applying for grants, teachers can get these unique globe-trotting learning opportunities partially or fully funded. Edutopia has gathered stories and snapshots from teachers who have received such grants to travel.

After each teacher's tale, you'll find the details for how you can apply to the Fund for Teachers , the Earthwatch Institute's Education Fellowships , the Fulbright-Hays Seminars Abroad program, the English-Speaking Union of the United States's British Universities Summer School Program , and others .

Happy trails!

The Fund for Teachers

At Manzanita Community School, in Oakland, California, third-grade teacher Allison Stormont says many of her students' families fled Laos and stayed in refugee camps in Thailand while they waited to come to the United States. So Stormont visited Thailand and Laos, where she trekked through mountains, visited villages and temples, and traveled down the Mekong River on a summer sabbatical paid for by the nonprofit foundation Fund for Teachers.

"Students make lotus flowers with cardboard leaves and put pennies in the open leaves," Stormont notes. "I made a paper river and full moon and have candles and Thai music -- actually music made by elephants."

Stormont explains that as a teacher, "you're juggling 20 balls in the air, and you're constantly overworked and stressed. This kind of travel gives me the space to reflect, and also reflect with the idea that this is where my kids are from."

Learning about her students' cultures also focuses her thinking on the ethnic balance in her classroom, which includes many energetic students. "I just keep thinking about how to influence students, combining a Buddhist, calmer way of being with their vivacious personalities," she says. "How do I blend together cultures that are so diverse into a comfortable, safe, warm setting?"

Fund for Teachers encourages educators to travel the world on summer sabbaticals and to create their own proposals for professional growth.

Who sponsors the fellowship? The nonprofit foundation Fund for Teachers, started in 2001 by businessman Raymond Plank.

What is the fellowship for? As individuals or in teams, teachers design summer sabbaticals they feel will have a positive impact on their teaching. The organization says educators know best what they need for professional development, so it encourages them to travel the world and get out of their comfort zones, expand their experiences, and ultimately inspire their students.

Who can apply? Full-time teachers in grades P-12 who spend 50 percent or more of their time in a classroom or in classroom-like settings, work in select areas, and have three years of teaching experience.

What does the fellowship pay for? Everything, if you budget well. The Fund for Teachers offers individuals up to $5,000 and teams of two or more up to $10,000.

How many teachers get the fellowship? An average of 500 per year.

Are there any additional requirements? Teachers attend preparatory and follow-up meetings and provide documentation of how their summer sabbaticals influenced their teaching. Some requirements vary among school districts.

When are applications due? Deadlines vary from state to state; check their website for more information. Grant-writing tips for teachers are also available on the site -- as well as a scoring rubric, so applicants can see how proposals are evaluated.

Whom do I contact? The Fund for Teachers .

The Earthwatch Institute: Education Fellowships and Live from the Field

Regina Allen, an elementary school librarian in Columbia, Mississippi, has gone on two trips through the Earthwatch Institute. In 2006, she visited Mallorca, Spain, as a member of an international team on an archaeological dig. The next summer, she joined Vietnamese scientists studying the butterfly population in a diminishing jungle outside of Hanoi. Earthwatch covered costs for housing, food, and transportation in Vietnam as well as funding for research equipment needed during the expedition up to $2,500.

"You're with the local people and get all kinds of opportunities to mix with professionals in all sorts of scientific endeavors from those places," she says. "I wanted to have a trip in which I knew I would make a difference, and I did. I did work that added to their research."

Scientists all over the world run Earthwatch research trips.

Who sponsors the fellowship? The Earthwatch Institute, an international nonprofit organization founded in 1971, which recruits volunteers from many fields every year to join research teams around the globe.

What is the fellowship for? Teachers can apply for summer General Educator Fellowships to work with scientists on research projects, such as monitoring the zebra population in Kenya or excavating sites related to Peru's Wari Empire, in the Andes, or for Live from the Field slots; in this short trip during the school year, teachers report back to their classrooms with blogs, videos, and phone conferences.

Who can apply? All K-12 educators. (You don't have to be a scientist!)

What does the fellowship pay for? Earthwatch covers all the costs of research, food, and accommodations; the fellow pays for travel to and from the site, but most receive some reimbursement.

How many teachers get the fellowship? About 200 annually get the summer fellowships; the number of Live from the Field fellows varies.

Are there any additional requirements? Fellows keep journals, develop lesson plans they use in class after the trip, and give presentations about their experiences.

When are applications due? Usually in February. Check their website for updates.

Whom do I contact? Earthwatch Institute Education Fellowships and Alternative Expedition Funding .

Fulbright-Hays Seminars Abroad Program

Kate Cook and her many students have reaped the benefits of her summer with the Fulbright-Hays Seminars Abroad Program. Many years back, Cook, who teaches Spanish and human rights, went to Venezuela with the program. Her group went on an intense five-week tour of the whole country, from the Andes to the Amazon rain forest, and took three weeks of classes while living with Venezuelan families.

Cook, who was interested in learning more about Afro-Latinos, visited an isolated beach village in which almost every resident was descended from fugitive slaves. "I interviewed people there and took lots of photos," she reports. "It was very powerful."

Cook was teaching in the San Francisco Bay Area at the time, and she created a unit for her Spanish classes introducing Afro-Latino history and culture. "I used it every year I was in San Francisco," Cook says. "My students did projects on it, and it was very eye opening for them."

Topics and host countries for the Fulbright-Hays Seminars Abroad Program vary from year to year.

Who sponsors the fellowship? The U.S. Department of Education's International Education Programs Service.

What is the fellowship for? Four- to six-week summer seminars help educators improve their knowledge of the people and cultures of countries outside western Europe. In 2012, participating countries include Brazil, Uruguay, China, India, Mexico, Colombia, and the United Arab Emirates.

Who can apply? All educators with three years of experience who have responsibility for curriculum in the social sciences or humanities, including languages.

What does the fellowship pay for? Everything, except for a $450 cost share.

How many teachers get the fellowship? More than 100 teachers annually.

Are there any additional requirements? Participants are required to complete a curriculum project when they return home.

When are applications due? Usually in October. Check their website for updates.

Whom do I contact? Fulbright-Hays Seminars Abroad .

English-Speaking Union of the United States's British Universities Summer School Program

Michelle Terl had heard friends rave that their fellowships through the English-Speaking Union changed their lives.

"Once I went and had the experience, I understood why they said that," says Terl, who teaches drama and runs an active after-school theater program in Broward County, Florida. "There was just so much to bring back into the classroom and into my extracurricular experiences."

As part of the Teaching Shakespeare Through Performance course at the Shakespeare Globe Centre, Terl and her peers (a mix of English and drama teachers) studied voice and movement with Globe practitioners, attended lectures about the theater's construction, and developed performances with individual directors.

Her students put on a sold-out show of A Midsummer Night's Dream. "To have a high school kid elbow you in a crowd and say, 'This is the coolest thing I've ever seen,' well, that makes me a happy teacher," says Terl.

And her performers were happy about re-creating the Globe, too. "They told me later, 'We thought you were insane, but now we're really glad you did it.'"

Who sponsors the fellowship? The English-Speaking Union of the United States, a nonprofit educational organization committed to promoting "scholarship and the advancement of knowledge through the effective use of English in an expanding global community."

What is the fellowship for? Fellows take three-week courses at the International Shakespeare Globe Centre, Oxford University, or Edinburgh's Scottish Universities International Summer School. Past courses have included Teaching Shakespeare Through Performance, Text and Context: British Literature from 1900 to the Present, Modernism and Postmodernism, and numerous other literature, history, and creative writing classes.

Who can apply? Secondary school teachers near one of the English-Speaking Union's 72 branches in the United States.

What does the fellowship pay for? It varies. The branch offices of the English-Speaking Union give out the scholarships. The majority of branches cover all tuition, accommodations, and some meals, and many include the airfare as well.

How many teachers get the fellowship? There are usually about 35 to 40 fellowships awarded from 25 ESU branches each year.

Are there any additional requirements? No, but some branches ask participants to speak to their members after the trip.

When are applications due? Most ESU branches have deadlines in late January. Check your local ESU's website for details.

Whom do I contact? The English-Speaking Union of the United States . Look at the website to find the ESU branch nearest you to see whether it funds a scholarship.

Lisa Morehouse taught secondary English for 12 years in San Francisco and rural Georgia. She is now a public radio journalist and an education consultant.

Educators abroad: more programs for traveling teachers.

Here are some other travel grants and opportunities you might consider:

American Councils for International Education Seminars

Sponsor: American Councils for International Education Application deadline: For the Argentina and Brazil Administrator Exchange Programs, the deadline is usually late March. (Check their website for updates on the other countries.) Open to: Elementary and secondary school teachers in specific subject areas (depending on location); superintendents, principals, and other administrators; university faculty may also apply to the program in Greece More information: American Councils for International Academic Exchanges

After orientations in Washington, DC, participants attend seminars in host countries lasting 5-8 weeks. The Greece and Italy programs focus on the classics; in the India, Thailand, and Uruguay programs, teachers work with local counterparts. The program covers all costs.

Summer Fellowship in Korean Studies

Sponsor: The Korea Society Application deadline: Usually in January or February. Check their website for details. Open to: Teachers in grades K-12 in social studies More information: The Korea Society

Teachers visit Korean historical and industrial sites during a two-week, all-expenses-paid trip. The program includes lectures and discussions on Korean history, culture, politics, economics, arts, and language.

Transatlantic Outreach Program

Sponsor: Goethe-Institut Application deadline: Usually in February. Check their website for details. Open to: Social studies teachers in grades K-12, as well as curriculum coordinators and some college professors More information: Goethe-Institut

This is a fully funded, two-week trip in which participants study modern Germany. Past trips have included visits to schools, centers of government and industry, and historical and cultural sites.

Omprakash Volunteer Abroad Grants

Sponsor: Omprakash Application deadline: Quarterly: February 15, May 15, August 15, and November 15. Open to: Anyone, including educators and those interested in teaching More information: Omprakash Volunteer Abroad Grants

Omprakash connects volunteers with grassroots organizations around the world and also offers grants to volunteers who propose special projects. Past recipients include educators who've started after-school programs, photo-literacy projects, and other educational work abroad.

This article was updated on June 10, 2013, to reflect changes in grant schedules, eligibility, and other features.

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Travel the World With Grants Just for Educators

These scholarships for educators can pay for your travel expenses and make you, and your students, richer for the experience..

by NEA Member Benefits

Travel is an enriching experience all on its own. But with a grant or scholarship, educators not only get to explore an interesting place or topic; they get to bring that valuable experience back to their own classrooms. If you’ve ever wanted to travel to historic sites, interview experts, research alongside field professionals or even learn an artisanal craft, travel grants and fellowships can make your goals a reality.

Design your own enrichment trip  

Fund for Teachers. Perhaps the largest provider of educator-enrichment funding, Fund for Teachers (FFT) offers grants for self-designed summer fellowships. This empowers teachers to take control of their own learning in a way they know will have the most impact on their students. FFT has awarded $33.5 million in grants to nearly 9,000 of America’s top educators, and FFT Fellows have traveled to 152 different countries on all seven continents.

Program details: Grants of up to $5,000 per individual or $10,000 for teams of two or more. Who’s eligible: Full-time, pre-K–12 teachers with at least three years’ teaching experience who spend 50% or more of their time in classroom instruction with students and intend to return to a classroom or teaching environment. Application deadline: The application cycle begins in October and ends in January. For a better chance of success, be sure to review the Scoring Criteria , which details how applications are evaluated.

Gain an international perspective

Fulbright Teachers for Global Classrooms Program. The Fulbright Teachers for Global Classrooms Program (Fulbright TGC) knows that for students to have a global perspective, their instructors need to gain one through their own international travel. Each year, about 80 educators are selected for the program (funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and administered by the nonprofit IREX) and challenged to transform their classrooms to enhance students’ global points of view.

The yearlong fellowship includes a free online training course plus a trip to Washington, D.C., for a collaborative Global Education Symposium. It culminates with a two- to three-week international trip to a TGC-selected location. Past countries have included Brazil, Morocco, India, the Philippines and Kazakhstan. Once at their destination, educators connect with local teachers and host schools to exchange ideas and even lead classes.

Program details: The fellowship covers airfare, hotel and travel incidentals for the Washington, D.C., and international trips. Fellows earn professional development Continuing Education Units. Who’s eligible: Full-time, K-12 teachers who are U.S. citizens and residents with three years’ experience who spend 50% or more of their time in a student-facing role. Application deadline: The application cycle begins in December or January and closes in March. Apply at irex.org or join its mailing list to receive details about the next trips.

Fulbright-Hays Seminars Abroad Program. The U.S. Department of Education’s Fulbright-Hays Seminars Abroad Program offers approximately three summer seminars annually, each hosting 16 U.S. educators in the social sciences and humanities for four to six weeks. The seminar locations in 2021 were Iceland, Morocco and Mexico. The program aims to improve participants’ understanding and knowledge of the people and cultures of other countries.

Program details: The grant includes airfare, room and board and program costs within the host country, but participants are responsible for some shared costs. In 2021, that cost was $650. Who’s eligible: Educators responsible for curriculum or instruction in the social sciences or humanities and languages, including elementary and secondary teachers, administrators or curriculum specialists, faculty or administrators from institutions of higher education, librarians, museum educators and media or resource specialists. Applicants must also be citizens or permanent residents of the United States holding a bachelor’s degree or higher with at least three years’ experience and current full-time employment in one of the professions listed above in a U.S. school system, institution of higher learning, local or state education agency, library or museum. Application deadline: The application cycle is typically announced in the fall or winter for the following year (e.g., fall or winter 2021 announcement for 2022 programs) with a deadline at the end of December.  Contact the Department of Education  for future application schedules, and check the  Hints for Preparing a Competitive Application .

Cruise in the name of science or geography

Grosvenor Teacher Fellow Program. This is no ordinary boat ride. The 35 or so teachers chosen for the Grosvenor Teacher Fellow Program (GTF), which is sponsored by the National Geographic Society and Lindblad Expeditions, join a Lindblad expedition voyage aboard the National Geographic Explorer, National Geographic Endeavour II, National Geographic Sea Lion and or National Geographic Quest. Educators learn about the land and sea from on-board naturalists and have opportunities for activities such as kayaking, Zodiac trips and cultural tours of local towns.

Previous expeditions included trips to the Galápagos Islands, where educators kayaked and snorkeled among stingrays and sea lions, and Iceland, where they cruised alongside humpback and orca whales and observed blue-morph arctic fox pups. Part of the fellowship includes developing classroom activities to teach their students the geographic and ocean issues they learned about on their trip.

Program details: Fellowships include expenses for a 10- to 17-day expedition during the summer or December holiday, plus a required pre-expedition workshop in Washington, D.C. Fellows are expected to be active and engaged members of the Grosvenor Teacher Fellowship over the course of the expedition year and the year following. Who’s eligible: Pre-K–12 teachers and informal educators from the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico and Department of Defense Activity Schools who have demonstrated a dedication to geography education. Applicants must plan to return to a classroom or teaching environment the year following the expedition. Application deadline: The call for applications begins each fall. Sign up for updates here . See a  sample application .

Teacher at Sea Program. Love the open ocean? The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has sent more than 800 educators from all 50 states to the Teacher at Sea program. Past Teacher at Sea ships operated in a variety of areas from the Hawaiian Islands and Alaska to the northeast Atlantic and the Florida coast.

Cruises focus on either fisheries, oceanography or hydrography. Educators might help conduct research toward better understanding of marine habitats, sustainable fishing and climate or even assist in scanning the sea floor for underwater hazards in order to improve nautical charts.

Program details: Fellowships include all travel costs for two-week to one-month cruises, including transportation to and from the ship, lodging and per diem allowance. Who’s eligible: Currently employed, full-time, pre-K-12 teachers or administrators; community college, college or university teachers; museum or aquarium educators; and adult education teachers. Applicants must be permanent residents or citizens of the U.S. who will return to the same or similar employment the next year. Please note: Due to COVID-19, the ships did not sail in 2020 or 2021, so the 2022 voyage will be for those who qualified in 2020. The next round of new applicants can apply for the 2023 season. Application deadline: Applications will open for the 2023 season in October 2022.

Teach Earth Program. If donning waist-high neoprene waders and trekking through the Arctic wetlands of Manitoba collecting water samples sounds like your idea of a cool summer vacation, try for a Teach Earth USA Fellowship from the Earthwatch Institute . Each year, the institute sends about 50 teachers to join one- to two-week expeditions with world-renowned scientists working in the field to help collect samples and analyze them in the lab.

These frontline opportunities allow teachers to apply the scientific method to current environmental issues. Past expeditions have focused on studying the effects of climate change in the Arctic, California, Costa Rica, Little Cayman, Acadia National Park, Arizona and Ecuador.

Program details: Grants cover the full cost of the research expedition or partially funded fellowships at a subsidized rate. Who’s eligible: U.S.-based K–12 teachers of any subject. Application deadline: Applications opened for the 2022 session on November 2, 2021, and have a deadline of January 10, 2022.

Fund a professional development project

The NEA Foundation. The NEA Foundation’s Learning & Leadership Grants underwrite teachers for a variety of professional enrichment experiences, from research projects to attending conferences and seminars. Past recipients ’ projects have included a range of trips, from attending a grant-writing conference in Miami to 11 weeks in Mexico for intensive music and folk dance study. Right now, there is a focus on pandemic-related relief and racial equality work, but all applications are still being considered.

Program details: Grantees receive $2,000 per individual and $5,000 per group for professional development. Who’s eligible: Educators, counselors and support professionals (such as para-educators, food service, clerical and maintenance and custodial staff) at public schools or public institutions of higher education. Applicants must be current NEA members. Application deadlines: The NEA Foundation reviews applications three times a year. Check the website for application periods and deadlines.

Find long-term grants and short-term adventure

The Institute of International Education (IIE) administers several programs that finance travel for secondary-school teachers. These are sponsored by various foundations, corporations and government entities and can vary from year to year. Among them is the highly competitive Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching , a grant that allows U.S. and international teachers to go abroad for three to six months to learn about another country’s educational system.

Sign up for the IIE’s free Global Opportunities for Teachers newsletter for more information about its programs and resources.

Program details: Grants vary by program. Visit IIE’s program finder page for the latest offerings. Who’s eligible:  Full-time teachers with at least more than five years’ experience are preferred, with some additional criteria depending on the program. Application deadlines: Vary by program.

Study in Scotland, England, Japan and more

Specialty groups offer a host of teacher travel opportunities for specific types of study. Here are a few examples:

• The National Association of Japan-America Societies offers Keizai Koho Center Teacher Fellowships for grades 6–12 economics, social studies, geography and history teachers to tour Tokyo and its surroundings. In 2019 the program featured visits to Japanese schools, companies and cultural events as well as opportunities to talk with students, teachers, executives, scholars and experts on Japanese society and its education system.
• The English-Speaking Union of the United States offers  TLab-UK , formerly the British Universities Summer School (BUSS) program, on the humanities in Scotland and England. Past trips to Edinburgh and Oxford universities explored literature, creative writing, history and politics, and participants in the Teaching Shakespeare Through Performance program in London got a chance to perform on the stage of the Globe Theatre. U.S. teachers should contact the closest of the organization’s  participating branches  to apply for full funding.
• The Jewish Foundation for the Righteous (JFR) selects  Alfred Lerner Fellows  for intensive Holocaust education in their  Summer Institute for Teachers  at Columbia University in New York City. Alfred Lerner fellows who complete the institute and remain active with their local Holocaust centers become eligible for an advanced seminar in New Jersey and the European Study Program in Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic, where 15 fellows visit concentration camps including Auschwitz, ghetto sites, survivors, rescuers and historians. Programs do have a cost, but are heavily subsidized by the JFR.

Program details, eligibility and application deadlines vary by program.

Note: This post was originally published in December 2014 and updated October 2016, June 2018, September 2019 and October 2021.

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20 Higher Education and Teacher Travel Grants  By Christian Velitchkov On September 28, 2023

• 20 Higher Education and Teacher Travel Grants

One of the most life-changing things a professor or teacher can experience is to see how the rest of the world lives through a teacher travel grant. Whether that’s taking a trip to another state, country, or continent, did you know that there are plenty of resources out there for teachers to travel – and for free?

We have compiled 20 great resources that cover education fellowships, conference grants, institutes, and funding for professional development as well as personal pleasure. Whether you want to take a group of students on scientific exploration, do research, spend time honing your language skills or something else entirely, there’s a grant or fellowship for you. 

If you are in any doubt that the funding opportunity applies to you, reach out to the institution. Many of these grants go to the same people year after year because others just don’t know that the grants are there. They exist for teachers of arts and humanities to math and science, as well as grants for administrators and curriculum creators who would benefit from learning about international teaching environments.

It’s important to note that there is a huge variety of dates and deadlines for the various applications, so don’t assume that all of the fellowships require the same submission dates. Where possible we’ve specified if you need to apply any way other than directly, but it’s vital to make sure that your submitted applications are as complete as possible.

Now grab a cup of coffee and see where in the world you could end up .

Related: Travel Resources for Professors

Fulbright Opportunities for Educator and Teacher Travel Grants

Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching Program

The first of several available Fulbright Fellowships, this program will allow you to spend 3-6 months pursuing research, individual programs, career development, or delivering master classes in one of a wide range of countries. It is open for any full-time teacher from elementary through high school, as well as curriculum heads and specialists, guidance counselors, librarians or media specialists, and coordinators for Special Education or Talented and Gifted programs. An educator is expected to have at least 5 years of teaching experience, as well as U.S. citizenship and English fluency, as well as have (or be on the way to earning) a Master’s Degree. 

There is also a program that allows international teachers to visit the U.S. and work on a Fulbright Award for up to 4 months, which can be navigated from the same site.

Fulbright English Teaching Assistant Program (ETA)

This Fulbright is open to any U.S. citizen who holds a Bachelor’s degree of any kind – so being a teacher is not a specific requirement, although educators are actively encouraged to apply. The English Teaching Assistant program lasts for one academic year in one of 70 host countries. As with the other Fulbrights, the award covers the costs of travel, accommodation, as well as maintenance and cost of living, while you are expected to work to strengthen the teaching of English in elementary through college-level classes in your host country.

The Fulbright FLTA Program (FLTA)

The Fulbright FLTA Program is designed for non-U.S. citizens who are teachers to travel to the U.S. for one academic year and improve their ability to teach English as a Foreign Language while immersing themselves in U.S. cultures and customs and assisting the teaching of foreign languages in U.S. institutions. 

Fulbright Hays Summer Seminars

If you can’t take off a full academic year, the Fulbright Hays Summer Seminars allow teachers to spend 4 to 6 weeks (between late May and mid-August) traveling to one or more countries around the world. The seminar program is designed to help U.S. citizens who are teachers to visit a new country and enjoy a culturally broad and deep introduction to a specific country and culture or range of countries.

The program is designed for people who have very little knowledge of the host countries, and who can demonstrate the need to enhance their curriculum through travel. It is open for teachers of K-12, as well as administrators who develop curricula in humanities, area, or language studies. Educators and administrators should currently work in education full time and have a Bachelor’s degree and at least 3 years of teaching experience. 

Fulbright International Education Administrators Program (IEA)

These two-week Fulbright International Education Administrators Seminars are open to U.S. senior-level administrators at community colleges, colleges, and universities. Administrators are given the opportunity to learn all about the education system of their host country while establishing themselves within a network of international and U.S. colleagues. All expenses are paid, and travel is available to various countries so that administrators can enhance and develop their skills in serving and encouraging international students and prospective study-abroad students.

Fulbright Travel Grant

One challenge of funding travel while teaching or studying abroad is the need to combine various grants and awards. The Fulbright Travel Grant is one of those that can fill in the gaps. Designed for U.S. citizens who have Bachelor’s degrees and who already have a grant for study or research that involves traveling to Hungary, Italy, or Germany, this grant provides additional travel funds. It is a requirement for applicants to have sufficient skill in the language of their host country to live and work there. It is also possible on this program to qualify for a grant that covers more than just travel, so be sure to apply carefully!

Fulbright-Hays Group Projects Abroad (GPA) Program

If you are working as part of a group, the Fulbright-Hays Group Projects Abroad Program could be exactly what you need. The amount of the grant varies, as does the duration of the grant (from a few weeks to several years), and depends wholly on the project type.  The grants can be used for many distinct purposes, such as advanced overseas intensive language training or other purposes. It is expected that all group members must be U.S. citizens as well as faculty members in modern foreign languages. Applicants can also be elementary through high school educators, or university students who intend to teach foreign languages after graduation. This grant must be applied for directly to the Department of Education by an institution (within higher education, a non-profit organization or from a state education agency).

Fulbright Teachers for Global Classrooms Program (TGC)

IREX, a global development and education organization, administers this program for the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, which is a year-long exchange for U.S. teachers who are working in elementary, middle, and high schools. Fulbright TGC is run by the guidelines established by the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board and structured to include a significant amount of training as well as international field experience and an opportunity to attend a global education symposium in Washington, DC.

Fellowships for Community College & Minority-Serving Institutions

Faculty and administrator opportunities.

The Council of American Overseas Research Centers (CAORC) is a private nonprofit that supports 27 independent research centers around the world. The overseas research centers (ORCs) provide a place for collaboration, research and foreign language study in places like Cambodia, Egypt, Morocco, Senegal and more.

CAORC provides research support for the faculty and administrators to apply for different types of fellowships and grants at ORCs. CAORC also offers Overseas  Faculty Development Seminars for faculty and administration at community colleges and minority-serving institutions, giving them the tools and ideas to improve the international education they in turn provide to their student population.

Environmental and STEM Opportunities for Teacher Travel Grants 

Grosvenor Teacher Fellowships

Every year, National Geographic teams up with Lindblad Expeditions to take K-12 teachers to a wide range of locations around the world. Typically, 25-50 educators from North America are selected to go on these trips, which involve exotic locations and the opportunity to engage in professional development and curriculum-building field-based activities. The Grosvenor Teacher Fellowships were designed to build an awareness of our planet’s resources and geography that teachers can use to increase global awareness among their students.

Related: National Geographic Society Grants and Investments

Polar Regions Grants

If your interest is all things polar, then this could be the grant for you. PolarTREC offers annual grants to U.S. 6–12 teachers to locations such as Alaska, Greenland, and Antarctica. The trip length is 3 – 6 weeks in one of these areas, where you can actively participate in field research projects. Since 2007, this has included the dynamics of the wetland areas and coastal ecology and provides an experience that invigorates teachers when they are back to their classrooms. 

Teacher at Sea Grants

One of the longer running grants , the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have been providing grants since 1990. Since then, over 850 U.S. based K-12 teachers and college educators have been able to travel on NOAA research ships and participate in active research. Onboard, teachers and educators perform research in oceanic and atmospheric science with in-house NOAA scientists.

Teach Earth Conservation Research Grants

Designed for U.S. K-12 educators who are interested in promoting and taking part in conservation projects, the Earthwatch Institute’s Teach Earth program provides the opportunity for educators to take part in international conservation projects. Alongside this, educators also get to take part in outdoor scientific learning that translates back to their day-to-day work in the classroom.

Transatlantic Outreach Program (TOP) through the Goethe Institut German Study Program

Every year, the Goethe-Institut funds North American STEM and social studies educators who would like to take part in the opportunity to travel through Germany. Providing the funding for two-week excursions, educators can engage with the whole country, with the Institut proud of the fact that “each corner of Germany is sampled through sight, sound, touch, and taste.” 

Related: Homes to Rent or Exchange in Germany

Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellows Program in STEM

The Einstein Educator Fellows is provided for U.S. educators who want to advocate for STEM on Capitol Hill or in congressional offices for up to a year. Participants will have the opportunity to share their extensive STEM knowledge and classroom experience with key education policymakers to affect education policy nationally.

Earthwatch Student Group Expedition Leader

If the Earthwatch Fellowship sounds tempting but you’re not sure that you’d be able to swing it or not, then an alternative might just be the Earthwatch Student Group Expedition . The requirement for these is that you need to be able to organize 6 or more paying students to go on a group expedition, and your fare is free. The expedition can be any time between 1 and 2 weeks, at any time of the year, and is a great way to get young people enthusiastic about how exciting science really is.

International Teacher Travel Grants for Educational Professional Development

Council on International Educational Exchange

This teach abroad exchange program allows you to live abroad for a semester, or even a full school year (and beyond), while earning a salary. Although salaries are not always particularly high, the cost of living in many places means you can be more than comfortable – and some opportunities offer housing and other benefits as standard. In order to be eligible for this program, you need to have any Bachelor’s degree and a native speaker of English. Any other requirements vary depending on where you’re interested in traveling. Typically, the job involves teaching English to students of all ages.

Fund for Teachers Fellowships

If you are a U.S. educator, then a Fund for Teachers fellowship could be a great opportunity for you to design your own professional development program. FFT Fellowships often include funds for domestic and international travel as part of the grant proposal. Click through to see if this is the right fit for you, or to check out some of their other funding opportunities .

Study Abroad for Teachers

TLab is a wonderful resource for U.S. based English and Drama teachers who would like to travel to the U.K. The three-week-long course invites educators to spend 3 weeks at one of the various education opportunities: the Teaching Shakespeare Through Performance course at the Globe Theatre in London; English, writing or Politics at the University of Oxford; Text, Context, Theater, and Performance at the Scottish Universities’ International Summer School, based in Edinburgh. The scholarships available cover tuition fees, accommodation, and most board, although not necessarily travel costs.

Education First (EF) Educational Tours

Similar to Earthwatch Expeditions, Education First will sponsor a teacher to supervise over 6 paying students on a tour. For every 6 students, another adult chaperone is also entitled to come along, which is an exciting opportunity to show the world to your students while making sure you’re not stranded on your own. These tours are well-organized and allow you to enjoy the countries you are visiting as well as getting a taste of what living in those countries might be like for you as an educator. 

Related: 10 Reasons to Take an Unpaid or Paid Sabbatical

Extra Resources

The reality is that there is actually a huge range of funding available for teachers who would benefit from teaching or traveling internationally – whether that is for your studies, or to take part in career development or to immerse yourself in a subject you are passionate about to bring that back to your work in education. 

This is just the tip of the iceberg, so it’s well worth searching for the grant – or grants – that you may be eligible for, or eligible to combine. There are plenty more resources out there, and hundreds of grants looking for qualified educators to apply! Take a look at some of the resources on these sites:

• Teacher Traveling Opportunities
• Travel Beyond Excuse

If you’re a professor who’s interested in taking a sabbatical, be sure to check out SabbaticalHomes for a range of reasonably-priced homes to rent when taking a sabbatical and any travel you are able to add to your sabbatical!

Related: 5 Simple Steps to Get Started With Sabbatical Homes .

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