Big Yellow School Bus

School Year 2025-26

Big Yellow School Bus (BYSB) provides grants of up to $500 to support arts learning in the school. To qualify for this funding, schools must plan an in-person arts and culture field trip with an arts and culture organization in Rhode Island.
Award Amount: Up to $500 to support the cost of field trip. 
Who can apply: Rhode Island schools or school-affiliated non-profits organizations (e.g., PTO/PTA, diocese).
Grant Opens: September 1, 2025, rolling deadline.
Grant Closes: April 15, 2026, or until all funds are awarded.

Requirements and FAQs

• Schools may apply for grants of up to $500 to support in-person arts and cultural field trips.
• Field trips must take place at a Rhode Island arts or cultural organization.
• This program does not fund field trips to see touring productions of non-Rhode Island based artists or arts groups.
• Field trip activities need to take place by June 30, 2026.
• Maximum of two BYSB grants may be awarded per school per school year. Receiving a Big Yellow School Bus Grant does NOT preclude a school from applying to other RISCA grant programs in the same year (e.g., PGO/PGE/AHG).
• Applications will be reviewed on a first come, first-served basis. Incomplete applications may be returned to you. When they are re-submitted to RISCA, they will go to the back of the line and will be processed in the order in which the completed application is received.
• BYSB grants are awarded to schools or school-affiliated non-profits organizations (e.g., PTO/PTA, diocese).
• This is a reimbursement grant for the grantee (which is the school or school-affiliated non-profit organization).
  • The grantee is responsible for paying field trip admission fees and/or transportation costs to the appropriate organization or company.
  • The BYSB grant cannot make payments to the arts and culture organization or the bus or transportation company.  
  • If awarded a BYSB grant, payment is sent to the authorized school vendor* (e.g., school department or city or town or school-affiliated non-profit organization) and will be initiated at or near the end of the school year, often after the field trip has taken place. Once payment is initiated, disbursement of funds may take up to 8-12 weeks. 

Note: Although the school may be the “grantee” as defined above, the grant will be paid to the authorized school vendor. For example, a BYSB grant awarded to a Providence public elementary school will be paid to Providence Public School District (the authorized school vendor). After the grant has been paid to the school vendor (e.g., school department or city or town), the school can request the funds from the school vendor, as needed. 

*An authorized school vendor has been approved with the state of Rhode Island Ocean State Procures (OSP) system. Payments are only processed once active vendor status with OSP system is confirmed.

Application Deadline and Notification 

• The grant will remain open until April 15 or until all funds are awarded.
• Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis in the order they were received.
• Notification about your application status will be sent by email via the online grant portal.
  
  Questions about your grant? Please contact the RISCA Grants Program Manager.