The Ventura County Maritime Museum announced today that education program grants are now available to qualified schools and youth-serving social-service organizations. Recent receipt of a $5,000 grant from the Harriet Samuelsson Foundation, combined with funding from the Martin V. and Martha K. Smith Foundation, HearthSide Homes, Driscoll's Strawberry Associates, Union Pacific Foundation, the Monroe Foundation, and The Venoco Community Fund, enable the Museum to greatly reduce the cost of its Elementary Education programs; available programs include: grade-specific, curriculum standards-based social science programs that utilize the Museum's extensive collection of marine art, ship models, and artifacts; marine science programs onboard the Channel Islands Marine Floating Lab afloat in Channel Islands Harbor; and All About Whales which includes a shore-side program combined with a whale-watching excursion off the Channel Islands. Qualified schools and organizations receive up to $400 per group; social science programs are provided at no cost, the marine biology program is reduced to $150 per class, and All About Whales is reduced to $160 per group. While there are donor-imposed restrictions on some of the funds, some funding is available for qualified schools and groups throughout the counties of Ventura, Kern, Santa Barbara, San Louis Obispo, and Los Angeles.

Additional funding from the Monroe Foundation and the Athena Fund of the Women's Foundation of California is currently available to support participation in the three day youth sail training expeditions of the Museum's At Sea Education program onboard the sailing school vessels ("SSV's") Irving Johnson and Exy Johnson.

Over the past ten years, the Museum has raised nearly $200,000 to enable more than 20,000 students to participate in the Elementary Education programs at no cost or reduced cost, and nearly 400 youth to participate in the three day At Sea Education expeditions.

For more information, contact Maritime Museum staff at 984-6260.