Bringing History to Life for Over 10,000 Young Learners

In 2025, The Children’s Fund enabled 10,159 students to experience history firsthand with Plimoth Patuxet Museums. Essential donor support helped these young learners explore the Museum's living history sites, interact with educators, and connect classroom lessons to real-world experiences, creating lasting academic and personal impact.

Two young girls and their mother help a Pilgrim woman with laundry in Plymouth Colony.

There’s something deeply powerful about stepping back in time — not just reading about history, but experiencing history. For the 10,159 children reached by The Children’s Fund in 2025, that experience wasn’t just a classroom lesson. It was a doorway to empathy, understanding, and possibility.

At Plimoth Patuxet Museums, The Children’s Fund, formerly Foundations for Kids, exists to do more than teach history. Its mission is to build equity through immersive, hands-on educational opportunities for economically disadvantaged and at-risk youth.

10,159: Why That Number Means So Much

A Museum Educator visits an elementary school classroom. Children raise their hands to ask questions.

Access where it was once out of reach

Many of the schools supported by The Children’s Fund serve populations with high rates of economic disadvantage. Without philanthropic support, field trips, traveling-educator visits, or virtual programming often remain out of reach. The Children’s Fund provides vital support to remove those barriers and increase equity.

Hands-on history resonates

Tangible experiences have the power to spark curiosity, empathy, and wonder. Students who have the opportunity to step inside of a wetu, to speak with a resident of Plymouth Colony, to walk the decks of Mayflower II, and to grind corn at Plimoth Grist Mill, are better equipped to make real world connections between history, theory, and practice.

Field trip on board the decks of Mayflower II.

Long-term impact on learning and civic awareness

Opportunities enabled by The Children’s Fund inspires lasting academic growth, critical thinking, historical empathy, and a deeper understanding of civic identity: the roots of American self-government, the blending of cultures, and the human stories behind history.

Opening doors and investing in futures

By providing equitable educational experiences, The Children’s Fund helps narrow opportunity gaps. For many kids this kind of experiential learning can reshape both future expectations and immediate engagement.

That 10,159 figure isn’t just a number. It represents 10,159 individual lives. 10,159 children whose perspectives expanded. 10,159 students who may now see themselves differently — as scholars, as citizens, as part of a story much bigger than themselves.

Stories & Voices: What Students and Teachers Are Saying

Heartfelt, handmade notes from children who experienced a field trip to Plimoth Patuxet through support from The Children’s Fund beautifully illustrate the impact of philanthropy. Along with the students’ messages, teachers also shared their gratitude—reflecting on how meaningful these immersive learning experiences are for their classrooms.

One third-grader named Angel wrote:

My field trip was fantastic. I learned so many things including the wetu and the village. My favorite part was the lady teaching us how to make flower and bread we got to touch and feel the flower. We even got turns to mush the dried corn.

A young learner named Brooke wrote:

My field trip was exciting. I learned a lot like the wetu has real hair from animals. My favorite part was the boat.

One third-grade teacher named Tracy wrote:

My third-grade students had an adventure filled experience on our June 4, 2025, field trip. They were able to see history come to life in both the English settlers and Wampanoag Villages. This reinforced what they learned in class and enabled them to interact and ask questions from the time period. Thank you for having us and for providing this experience to my students.
Children on a field-trip descend the ramp from the decks of Mayflower II.
Museum Educator visits a classroom.
Museum guide provides tour of the Historic Patuxet Homesite to a group of children on a field trip.

Donors Make the Difference

Plimoth Patuxet is committed to removing barriers to help ensure that the powerful, educational experiences are accessible to all. Each year The Children's Fund relies on the generosity of caring supporters to bring these learning opportunities to thousands of economically disadvantaged students. Thanks to these donors who provided 10,159 children a chance to learn, grow, and see themselves reflected in the story of our shared past.

  • Sheehan Family Foundation
  • TD Charitable Foundation
  • The Colonial Dames of America
  • The Horizon Foundation
  • The M&T Charitable Foundation
  • The Stevens Foundations

Learn more about The Children's Fund