The 2022-2023 Reports and the 2023-2024 Applications are CLOSED. The deadline for 2022-2023 Reports was September 30, 2023 and the deadline for 2023-2024 Applications was October 16, 2023. Please contact your Outdoor School regional coordinator or the main office (outdoorschool@oregonstate.edu) if you have questions regarding either document. NOTE: Each District was required to complete their 2022-2023 Outdoor School Report before they could access the 2023-2024 Application. If you did not attend outdoor school in 2022-2023, but wished to access to your 2023-2024 Outdoor School Funding Application, you needed to contact your Outdoor School regional coordinator or the main office (outdoorschool@oregonstate.edu).
OUTDOOR SCHOOL APPLICATION AND REPORTING SYSTEM REGISTRATION
Every applicant must register in the Outdoor School application and reporting system, and each district must designate a representative, as only one designate is permitted per district.
The representative can register as a user by selecting "Create a new account" in the lower right below the login button.
Once registered, this username and password will be used for all future access (only one designated representative can register per district).
If the password is lost, please use the "forgot your password" link under the login form.
The application form permits the representative to complete the application for each school or delegate each application.
By delegating the application, an email with the link will be sent to the delegate for that specific school.
Once the application for every school is complete, the delegate can submit the application by clicking on “Save and return to District or ESD”.
The link will then be inactivated, and the delegate will not be able to return to the report.
Please do not hesitate to contact us at outdoorschool@oregonstate.edu for assistance.
IMPORTANT IMPROVEMENTS: Delegates and Designates are encouraged to SAVE their work frequently.
2023-2024 Reporting Process
The Outdoor School 2023-2024 Reporting System is OPEN.
Districts - Please delegate your school reports to teachers as soon as possible after they return from fall outdoor school experiences. This will permit them to respond in the most accurate way possible. Please know that if all schools in your district complete their outdoor school in the fall - we can and will review the report and process your invoice as soon as possible. Those districts with schools attending outdoor school in the fall and in the spring are only permitted to submit their report after all schools in the district have completed their reports.
NOTE: In 2023-2024, the OSU Extension Service Outdoor School program is again considering adding indirect cost support to the district's reimbursed costs if the district submits their Outdoor School report by July 31, 2024. This indirect cost support will include $3.50 per participating student (no less than $500 and no more than $20,000 per district) in the district's final invoice / reimbursement if funds are available.
A District submitting their Outdoor School report after July 31, 2024, but before the NEW REPORTING DEADLINE of September 30, 2024 will not receive the indirect cost support funds, but will receive reimbursement of their actual costs. Districts submitting their Outdoor School reports after September 30, 2024 will not be reimbursed for their outdoor school costs.
As in previous years, the report will require you to upload a PDF file of your outdoor school program summary. We have some examples and an optional template that you are welcome to use as you gather these materials.
The 2023-2024 Outdoor School fund reporting process will use the online reporting system linked above. Each district is required to register in the online application/reporting tool. If the login name is lost or the designate changes, please contact us for help. If the password is lost, use the "forgot your password" link under the login form.
Each reporting form permits the district’s designate to either complete the report, or delegate the online completion of their school(s) report(s). The delegation process sends a link (in an email) requesting the delegate (contributor) register within the system (which is a one-time process) and they will then see the documents they've been asked to complete.
IMPORTANT ROLES AND REPORT FUNCTIONS:
- Designate or Outdoor School Contact: Only one person per school district/ESD can directly open and start the report. They also will submit the report when completed.
- Delegate or Contributor to Report: The Designated Contact can assign parts of the report to teachers or other staff that can complete appropriate sections of their school’s report (such as the sections assessing program effectiveness). This action is taken from within the report by clicking on the "DELEGATE" button. The contributor receives and email and they must use the link in that email to register and/or access the report.
- Outdoor School Program Provider: If a school contracted with an outdoor school provider, that provider should be able to provide a short 2-3 page program summary that meets the criteria in our examples/templates. This document is required in the report and must be uploaded as a .PDF file. The uploaded program summary should include a daily agenda and curriculum summary of activities that were included in the program.
IMPORTANT IMPROVEMENTS: The designate or the contributor(s) can log in to the online application/reporting system as often as necessary to complete their reports. However, as with most systems, we encourage SAVING your progress frequently. Once a contributor clicks the "Save and Return to District or ESD" button, they will no longer have access to that report through the online system. Also, to assist in the data collection process, the Outdoor School team has created a 2023-2024 Report Questions document for your use.
We also recommend that schools, districts, and designates review the following documents for complete understanding of the funding process.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Budget Categories and Fiscal Policies
Only one report/payment cycle can be managed at this time. We appreciate your understanding!
2024-2025 Application Process
The 2024-2025 Outdoor School Funding Application process will open in February 2024.
What outdoor school programs are eligible for funding?
To qualify for funding, outdoor school programs must be located in the state of Oregon and they must be a minimum 3-day and maximum 6-day, 5-night outdoor learning experience that happens during the school year and during school hours. We consider a school day to be approximately 6 hours, which makes the minimum outdoor school program length approximately 18 hours, though we encourage schools and districts to maximize the time spent learning outdoors at the outdoor school site.
If the program your school or district is planning does not meet these requirements, please contact your Regional Coordinator or the main OSU Outdoor School program office at outdoorschool@oregonstate.edu to request and exception or for ideas on extending the length of programming days (for example, through creative busing solutions) and/or increasing the number of programming days. Programs seeking reimbursement for a non-compliant outdoor school event will not be reimbursed without a pre-approved exception.
How should I estimate my 2024-2025 outdoor school costs?
We have created a new tool to help districts/schools estimate how much funding to request in their outdoor school application. Please visit our Estimating Costs for Outdoor School Applications page to view, download, and print the tool.
Important Statement about Outreach and Attrition
In the future, the Outdoor School program will limit funding to cover the cost for high number of students who opt-out of attending outdoor school. Our collective priority is for all students to attend the primary outdoor school experience, and we encourage both schools and providers to plan extensive parent/guardian outreach to ensure that students can and want to attend this primary outdoor school experience.
Additionally, we recognize that some students are opting out because this primary outdoor school experience may not work for all students or their families. Because of this, we recommend both schools and providers should work to establish an alternative, and qualifying outdoor school experience for students who remain at school, particularly if that number of students exceeds 10% of the total count you entered in your application.
How do I apply?
Districts that have not yet used the online application/reporting tool, will need to register as a user (select "Create a new account" in the lower right below the login button). Be prepared to register with the assigned Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) number. Please contact us for help with questions regarding the IGA with Oregon State University or to get a copy of the agreement.
Once registered, this username/password will be used for all future access (only one registrant per district). If the password is lost, please use the "forgot your password" link under the login form. As with the reporting form, the application form permits the district’s designated representative to complete the application or to delegate the online completion of each school(s) application(s). The delegation process sends a link (in an email) to the district's delegate requesting that they complete the appropriate portions of the named school’s application.
IMPORTANT FEATURES: The district or their contributor can enter the online system as little or as frequently as necessary. Contributors and designated representatives are encouraged to SAVE their work frequently. REMEMBER - NEW contributors must now register (a one-time process) within the Application and Reporting system. The registration MUST be done by using the link provided in the delegation request email and then clicking on “Create a new account”. If the delegate uses the “Create a new account” from the online Application and Reporting tool - it will take them to the wrong registration form. Please remind them to use the link provided.
If you or the contributor click on the “Save and Return to District or ESD” button, the application will no longer be visible in your contributor's “home screen” (seen after the contributor logs in with your contributor's credentials), and you will not be able to return to the application. To assist in the data collection process, the Outdoor School team has created a 2023-2024 Application Questions document for your use.
We also recommend the designated representatives and contributors to review the following documents for a complete understanding of the funding process.
TIMELINES:
The 2023-2024 Application system was closed on October 16, 2023
2023-2024 Reports:
- October 20, 2023 the 2023-2024 Reporting system is OPEN. We encourage all schools who attend fall outdoor school to complete your reports asap.
- July 31, 2024 - Preferred Reporting Deadline - Status of indirect cost funds is pending.
- September 30, 2024 - Reimbursement Deadline - Districts submitting reports after this date will not be reimbursed for their outdoor school costs.
2024-2025 Applications will OPEN in February 2024. Please contact your Regional Coordinator if you have questions about 2024-2025 funding.
The 2024-2025 Applications will CLOSE on October 16, 2024
PLEASE NOTE - The 2024-2025 application can only be accessed after the district's 2023-2024 report package (all schools) is completed and submitted.
2024-2025 Report deadlines will likely be similar to those posted for 2023-2024.
The 2025-2026 Application system OPEN date has not been set.
2025-2026 Application and Report deadlines will likely be similar to those posted for 2023-2024.