The Minnesota Zoo awards Summer Zoo Camp scholarships to families and individuals based on program availability and financial need. Funds are limited.

Scholarship applications for Summer Zoo Camp 2026 will be open from January 2-16, 2026. 

How do education scholarships work?
Qualifying families will be entered into a lottery to receive 75% off Summer Zoo Camp.

• Submit your application between January 2 – 16, 2026; following the open application window, scholarship recipients will be selected through a random lottery process and notified by the end of January.
• Scholarships are valid for one camp per child, with a max of two scholarship recipients per family/household.

Do you qualify for a scholarship?
To qualify, you must provide proof of income in one of the following ways. Please note that the proof you show must include your name/your child’s name on it and it must be in active status. If your proof doesn’t have your name/your child’s name on it when you submit it, we will move on to the next person for the lottery.

1. Proof of enrollment in a Minnesota assistance program such as:
   • Please see the list of assistance programs we accept from our Free to Explore page. Please note your proof must show your name/your child’s name on it to verify that it’s yours. If your proof doesn’t have your name on it, you can instead choose to provide the tax return option.

OR

2. If you do not qualify or can’t show proof with your name on it for one of the listed assistance programs, you can still qualify if your income is less than 200% of the federal poverty guidelines (see chart below). In this case we require your most recent tax return (2024 or 2025) as proof of income. The child you are asking for the scholarship for would need to be listed on your tax return as a dependent in your household.

OR

3. For children in foster care: The foster parent should attach the letter from the county that tells us the child is in your care instead of the tax return.

To apply please have the following information ready and then complete the Scholarship Application Form below.

1. Picture of your proof (with your name/your child’s name on it)

OR

2. Tax returns
   • Most recent 1040 form “U.S. Individual Income Tax Return” (pages 1-2 that show your dependents listed along with your total income from 2024 or 2025).
   • The tax return for any other adults in your household (example: your spouse/partner) if not filing jointly.
   • Please black out all social security numbers for your security.

OR

3. Letter from the county that tells us the child is in your care. The 75% scholarship applies to only the foster child(ren) in your care.

All information is kept strictly confidential and has been requested for the sole purpose of establishing financial need. All scholarships are awarded on a need-basis and based on funding availability.

After your application has been submitted

Once you have completed the form below and submitted pages 1-2 of your most recent Federal Tax Return or proof (front and back) of one of the accepted forms of assistance with your name/your child’s name on it or  letter from the county, your application will be entered into the lottery. If you qualify for a scholarship, we will call you to confirm your registration (based on availability at that time) and collect your payment information for your portion of the fee. Once your portion of the payment has been made, then your spot in camp will be confirmed for you and you will receive an email order confirmation.

Questions

If you have any questions, please email.

Accessibility

The Minnesota Zoo will make all reasonable modifications to policies and programs to ensure that people with disabilities have an equal opportunity to enjoy all its programs, services, and activities. To request an accommodation, please contact us as soon as possible after camp registration or a minimum of two weeks prior to your camp. Submit requests to Web: MNZoo.org/Accessibility Phone: 651.539.6596 (voice) or 1.800.627.3529 (TTY) Email: [email protected].