Gifts and Grants

Funding from our corporate, foundation, and individual partners make it possible for the Aquarium to provide our community with enriching educational experiences.

The Aquarium provides science and environmental education programming to approximately 150,000 students, teachers, and community members each year. Of these, approximately two-thirds are from underserved schools in the greater Los Angeles area. Specific activities include classroom programs, continuing education and professional development for teachers, student career guidance, offsite instruction, online resources, distance learning, and much more. Students of all backgrounds and circumstances are given access to high-quality, interactive lessons based on the Aquarium’s animals and exhibits - experiences designed to cultivate interest, heighten awareness, promote life-long science learning, and support advancement in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) fields.

“Thank you for providing the opportunity for my class to come to the Aquarium. They were very excited. They do not have the opportunity to leave the desert often and many had never been that close to the ocean. It was an experience they will never forget. I hope you are able to continue to offer experiences like these to school children from all over Southern California.”

Ocean Science Education Program

The Ocean Science Education Program supports the entire K-12 program at the Aquarium, including more than 40 classroom and auditorium programs. Aquarium lessons are based on California science standards and serve students and teachers from throughout the diverse region of Southern California, and beyond. For classes that cannot attend, the Aquarium on Wheels, our mobile outreach unit, is a viable option as it is equipped with a touch pool and lessons are presented off-site.

Aquarium Scholarship Fund

The Aquarium Scholarship Fund was created to address the needs of Title I schools that are not financially able to visit the Aquarium. Regardless of proximity of the Pacific Ocean many students have never actually seen it or experienced any type of marine education. With support from corporate and foundation partners, the Aquarium offers complimentary field trips to students at all grade levels from underserved schools throughout Southern California to participate in engaging, California science standards-aligned classroom and auditorium educational lessons, and explore our exhibits and touch tanks. In addition to the programming, pre- and post-visit materials and guides are provided to the teachers and chaperones in order to maximize the impacts of the visit and reinforce lessons.