Quinta Brunson is giving back to her hometown in a major way. On Tuesday, December 2 — which was Giving Tuesday this year — the Abbott Elementary star and creator launched the Quinta Brunson Field Trip Fund. The Quinta Brunson Field Trip Fund is a platform where teachers in the Philadelphia School District can apply for money for grants to provide field trips to students.
“[Field trips] opened my world, sparked my creativity, and helped me imagine a future beyond what I saw every day,” Brunson said in a statement. “Going somewhere new shows you that the world is bigger and more exciting than you believe, and it can shape what you come to see as achievable. I’m proud to support Philadelphia students with experiences that remind them their dreams are valid and their futures are bright.”
Brunson’s new fund comes as a partnership with district officials. Through the platform, teachers will be able to apply for funding by completing a short application. Applicants are then subject to evaluation by an independent, internal group of educators. Through the fund, money will be granted twice a year.
Over the course of her childhood, Brunson attended public and charter schools. Her Emmy-winning series Abbott Elementary — which is currently in its fifth season — is named after her fifth grade teacher, Joyce Abbott.
Across Abbott’s five seasons, teacher Janine Teagues (Brunson) has taken her students on many field trips, including Smith Playground, the Franklin Institute, and the Philadelphia Zoo. With the fund, Brunson and district officials hope to bring these experiences from the screen into real life.
“We want our students to venture out and bridge what they’re learning in the classroom to engaging, real-world learning experiences,” said Tony B. Watlington Sr., Philadelphia School District superintendent in a statement. “This commitment to equitably expanding opportunities for students to have experiences outside of their classroom will help accelerate student achievement and we are becoming the fastest improving, large urban school district in the nation.”