The opportunity to learn and play in nature is a right, not a privilege. Yet for thousands of people in our region, time spent outside is at an all-time low. VWS’s nature connection programs are extremely popular, and we want to ensure that every child and adult can attend, regardless of their economic situation.

VWS Scholarship Fund

The VWS Scholarship Fund provides over $20,000 per year so that children, adults, and families can participate in VWS programs. Most scholarships provided are discounts of 10-30%, but we consider all requests. We ask you to provide a short written description of your scholarship request. We do not ask you to provide evidence of income level or other personal financial information. Please ask for only what you need.

To request a scholarship:

• • Complete a registration form for the program in which you’d like to participate. The registration form asks you to indicate the amount of scholarship money you are requesting.

• • You must also provide a refundable deposit at the time of your registration. If you are unable to submit a deposit, please contact us.

• • The deadline for scholarship requests is specified on the relevant program’s webpage. We will respond to your request within two weeks of the scholarship submission deadline. You then have one week after that to decide whether or not you plan to attend. If you choose not to, we will refund your deposit.

• • If the scholarship deadline has passed, you can still request a scholarship. Your chances will not be as good, because all scholarship funds may already have been distributed.

 

VWS Reparations Fund

The VWS Reparations Fund provides over $35,000 per year in funding for self-identified BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, & People of Color) individuals to participate in VWS programs.  

These funds are offered in acknowledgement of the need to repair the impacts of systemic racism and colonization. VWS is a program operating on unceded Indigenous land and functioning within a colonizing system built with enslaved Black labor.  

Reparations are a crucial part of a larger effort to give back land and lifeways to Black, Indigenous, and People of Color.  The fund is intended to contribute towards that larger goal.

This is not a scholarship fund, and it is not based on the financial situation of the participant. 

To opt in to reparations funds:

• • Complete a registration form for the program in which you’d like to participate. The registration form asks you to indicate the amount of reparations funds to apply to your registration.
  • If you opt for only a portion of your registration to be covered, please pay a deposit to reserve your spot.
  • If you opt for the full cost of registration to be covered, no deposit is required and your spot is reserved.
  • If not enough money remains in the Reparations Fund to cover your amount, we will contact you. Often this means reserving a spot for you in a future program to be held after the Reparations Fund is refilled.

We warmly welcome donations to these Funds.  Thank you!