Minnesota Zoo Lands $200K Grant to Keep Nature Within Reach

Big win for the Minnesota Zoo. The Zoo Foundation just scored a $200,000 Strategic Grant from the Otto Bremer Trust—money that’s going straight into programs that make sure cost isn’t a wall between families and the natural world.

Here’s the thing: a trip to the zoo might sound like a simple Saturday outing, but for a lot of families, especially those on tight budgets, it’s just not possible. Tickets, gas, food—it adds up fast. And kids miss out on those up-close moments with animals that stick with you for life. (I still remember the first time I saw a tiger at the Minnesota Zoo—couldn’t stop talking about it for weeks.)

That’s why this grant hits different. The majority of the money is fueling the Free to Explore program, which gives free admission to Minnesotans enrolled in public assistance programs like SNAP, WIC, and MFIP. The zoo already gives back over $2.3 million a year through Free to Explore, and the impact is huge: thousands of families connecting with wildlife, sparking curiosity, and maybe even inspiring future conservationists.

Here’s another cool piece—about $20,000 of the grant is earmarked for something less flashy but just as critical: school buses. Yep, the Field Trip Busing Support program helps cover transportation for schools that can’t afford it. With the average bus costing around $500 a pop, that barrier is real. This funding means thousands of students—many from Title I schools—will actually get the chance to step inside the zoo gates instead of just reading about giraffes in a textbook.

The Otto Bremer Trust doesn’t hand out these Strategic Grants lightly. They invite only select nonprofits that are moving the needle in their communities. For the Minnesota Zoo Foundation, that’s a major validation that their work is making a difference not just in Apple Valley but across the Twin Cities and beyond.

As executive director Jamie Flaws put it: “This funding… is a powerful affirmation of the mission to make the natural world accessible for everyone.”

And honestly, at a time when so many nonprofits are tightening belts and making cuts, that kind of support feels like a breath of fresh air.

This isn’t just about keeping the zoo running—it’s about making sure every kid, every family, has a chance to feel the wonder of being face-to-face with animals they’ve only seen in books or on screens. And when more people fall in love with the natural world, everyone wins—including nature itself.

The grant will be put to work over the next year, from July 2025 through July 2026. So if you find yourself at the zoo sometime next summer surrounded by busloads of excited students and families? You’ll know exactly why.