Equity matters!

Thanks to the generous donation of Wall Street Journal Bestselling author Jeff Wheeler and his wife Gina, StoryCon is thrilled to provide a need-based scholarship to help students attend the conference.  Apply for a $500 grant to help send a group of 25 4th-6th grade students to Tween Author Boot Camp or a group of seven 7th-12th grade students to Teen Author Boot Camp. (Transportation costs are not included.) 

If you bring at least 10 students from your school, they will each receive a discount on their registration, and you will get one free Educator Pass with every 10 students.  See our Promotional Kit to start promoting this event at your school to get students excited. 

School community councils across the state frequently identify English/Language Arts as an academic area to be addressed in the School LAND Trust Plan. Use this letter to contact the school principal, school community council chair, or teacher representative on the council to ask for consideration to include funds for students to participate in the annual conference or other literacy opportunities as a method to implement an English/Language Arts goal. 

LAND Trust funding is being allocated NOW for 2026. Don't miss the chance to apply to your school community council today!

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To find how your school is spending the annual School LAND Trust funds, click below or visit your school website.

These Parent-run organizations are critical to every school and typically have money to give for field trips and classroom grants.  Contact the head of the PTA/PTO to see the status of field trip grants and ask if this organization could help with registration or bus costs.  You are welcome to make a copy of this letter and edit it to help explain the conference and its benefits.

Your school district likely has a foundation that handles donations and district-wide fundraisers. Your district website lists the Foundation Department page and you can contact the staff at the Foundation to inquire about funding to cover busing or registration costs.  You are welcome to make a copy of this letter and edit it to help explain the conference and its benefits.

Many times individuals or organizations such as the PTA, School Board Assoc, principal, superintendent, librarian, etc. within your own district and school can help with field trips and travel costs. Often, donors are more willing to assist with filling a specific need, rather than just donating money. Contact your district transportation department and see what busing costs will be and calculate in the School Pass Discount for registrations.  Once you have a total cost, approach these groups with the request for sponsorship. If you can let them know that another group will cover half the sponsorship, they will often match the offering.

You can offer to recognize individuals and organizations for their sponsorship within your school and community, such as having administration thank them publicly in school weekly announcement emails, or displaying a poster or sign thanking that sponsor at a school event.

Administrators often have funding to use at their discretion.  Perhaps your administrator can help with a portion of the funding. Please use our form letter as a resource to help you explain and request this funding.

Librarians are the best literacy resource in the school.  Oftimes librarians have discretionary budgets through book fines or yearly budgets that can be used to promote literacy. (Again, our form letter can help.)

District office directors are incredibly supportive of literacy initiatives, and may be aware of unused funding that was looking for a home. Ask them to sponsor a portion of the cost. 

Maybe you don’t have 60 students who will fill up a bus and attend the conference.  See if a neighboring school will split the cost of the bus with your school.