Venture Reward Approved Items
The following is a list of what items are and are not eligible to be purchased with Venture Reward funds, so you can plan accordingly.
Approved
- Typical school supplies, such as paper, pencils, staplers, zippered binders, notebooks
- Expandable file folders
- Dry-erase board, chalkboards, erasers, markers
- Art supplies such as paint, brushes, easels, canvas
- Science supplies (non-edible), microscopes, beakers, specimen cups
- Office supplies (no furniture or organizational items)
- Stationary, stamps, ink, calligraphy sets
- Stickers, sticker books, reward/motivational bin items
- Desk partitions (IEP approval needed)
- Chair risers, foot risers to help the body stay at a 90-degree angle, computer riser
- Thermal laminator, label maker (not for shipping labels)
- Printer, printer cartridges, binding machine
- Textbooks, workbooks, curriculum above and below grade level (no religious material)
- Digital books (Kindle Unlimited, Audible subscription)
- Books, Usborne books (Venture rep only)
Non-Approved
- Desks, lap tables, floor mats, office furniture, wobble chairs
- Organizational items such as bins, totes, zippered bags, cases, desktop organizers
- Laptop bags backpacks, bookbags
- Lunchbox, water bottles
- Blue light-blocking glasses
- File cabinets, file boxes, safes, file organizers
- Paper shredder
- Marriage books, books for adult self-help, Lamplighter books (religious content)
Approved
- Balls including football, baseballs, soccer balls, etc
- Ninja slackline
- Basketball hoop, indoor use only
- Sports equipment, such as baseball gloves, boxing gloves, volleyball knee pads
- Swim goggles, ski goggles
- Tennis rackets, soccer goals, rebounders, nets, hockey sticks
- Yard games, such as giant Connect 4, ladder ball, 9 Square, Bocci ball
- Golf putting green/clubs
- Snowshoes (Not MN)
- Spikeball
- Inflatable paddle boards (Not MN)
- Night vision goggles
Non-Approved
- Full-size basketball hoop with stand, full-size volleyball nets
- Roller blades, roller skates, ice skates
- Bicycles, skateboards, pull-behind carts, hoverboards, scooters, Razors
- Archery or ax-throwing items, including targets
- Rodeo rope, horse tack
- Hard paddle boards
- Bike helmets, soccer cleats, ballet shoes, ballet tights, dance leotards
- Ziplines
- Laser tag
- Ping pong, air hockey, pool table, foosball table
- Fishing gear
- Snowshoes (MN)
- Skis, sleds, snowboards
- Snorkel gear
- Slides, stair slides
- Swimming pool
- Hammocks
- Camel bags/hydration bladder bags
- Walkie-talkies, flashlights, lanterns, headlamps, camping supplies
- Tarps, ropes, pulleys
- Bounce houses, inflatable slides, river rafts, canoes, life jackets
- Water balloons, reusable water balloons
Approved
- Punching bag with stand
- Gymnastics equipment
- Yoga mats, resistance bands, balance balls
- Dumbbells, weightlifting bars
- Indoor bike clip to make bike stationary
- Small climbing dome-not commercially priced. Must be able to be disassembled.
- Fitness programs online, or DVDs
- Indoor exercise trampoline
- Fitness tracker, Fitbit watch (no phone capabilities)
Non-Approved
- Gym memberships
- Treadmill, large exercise equipment
- Body vibration machines
Approved
- Sewing machine, sewing accessories, fabric (limited amounts), yarn, thread, etc.
- Cricut Cutter (no storage case), vinyl, cutting tools
- Wood burning kit, wood carving kits (no pocket knives)
- Soap-making kit (youth-sized, not for resale)
- Candle-making kit (youth-sized, not for resale)
- Forge (approval needed first)
- Hair mannequin for cosmetology
- Youth jewelry kits (small, not for resale), paracord bracelet kits
- Gardening supplies, raised beds, mushroom kit, bonsai tree kit
- Fertilizer, grow lights, peat pots, sheers, hydroponic setup for science
- Limited amount of seeds for science
- Propagation kit
- Kitchen specialty items (flan pan, cake board, molds, piping kit)
- Makedo safety tools
- Frames for storing art (not MN)
Non-Approved
- Jewelry-making supplies for resale
- Candle-making supplies for resale
- Bird feeders, birdseed
- Training items for pets ie hoops for dogs, leashes, bark collars
- Stamps, stamp collecting
- Memorabilia (autographed baseballs, pokemon collector cards, etc)
- Beekeeping suit
- Heat press for vinyl, shirt making, etc.
- Rug tufting kit
- Containers for making chapstick, perfume, essential oils, tinctures, etc.
- Gardening composter, greenhouse with shelving
- Frames for storing art (MN)
- Plastic table protectors, tablecloths, floor protectors
- Food coloring
- Laser engraving items
Approved
- Musical instruments ($400 per instrument max)
- Keyboard, with or without stand
- CD players, record players, karaoke machines, Bluetooth speakers
- Drum pads, violin strings, repair kits for instruments
Non-Approved
- Large musical instruments over $400
- Full-size piano
Approved
- Computers, keyboards, tablets
- Stands for keyboards, tablets
- Hard protective attachable cases for tablets (No bags, soft cases)
- DVD players, printers
- Virtual reality goggles/Oculus console (1 per student)
- Memory sticks, USB ports, RAM, external hard drive, computer accessories
- Stylus
- Tablet chargers, portable battery chargers (no cell phone chargers)
- Headphones, headband earphones, iPads
- Router, Wifi extender
- Bluetooth speakers
- Yoto Players, Tonies
- Timers, alarm clocks
- Digital cameras ($400 max), accessories, instant cameras/film
- Go Pro
- Educational games (Osmo, LeapFrog)
- Batteries (limited amount in MN)
Non-Approved
- Cell phone chargers
- Echo Dot, Echo Show with Alexa
- Laptop bags, soft cases
- Trail cameras
- Alarms (home security, door cameras, exterior lighting, doorbells)
- Gaming consoles/gaming accessories
- Arcade games
- Skylight digital calendar
- Garmin GPS handheld devices
- Animal sheers, clippers
- Cell phones, cell phone accessories
- Air tag, Air tag cases
- AED (Automatic External Defibrillator)
Approved
- Telescope
- Blood typing kit, DNA kit
- Play cash register
- Ant farm, butterfly kit, insect finding tools
- Legos, Lincoln logs, Magnatiles
- Board games, puzzles, fidget toys, sensory materials, slinky, sensory swing
- Straw building/Tubelox building
- Drones, remote control planes, coding robots, STEAM items
- Yoto player/Yoto books
- Incubator
- Metal detector (not MN)
- Range finder, distance measuring scope
- Educational DVDs, Magic Tree House DVDs, and educational shows only
- CPR mannequin, CPR assimilation device, Pseudo Narcan/Epinephrine
Non-Approved
- Religious-based games, puzzles
- Metal detector (MN)
- Nuggets couch, fort building materials, bean bag chairs
- Hot Wheels tracks, toys, figurines, imaginative play (barns, doll houses)
- Bubble makers, bubbles (small amount ok for science)
- Stethoscope, ear scope, medical supplies
- Interlocking floor mats
- Piggy banks
Approved
- Subscription boxes ie. Little Passports, Raddish Kids, Universal Yums
- Mostly anything that offers a NON-renewing gift subscription or one time payment
- 3rd party providers (Not MN) for piano lessons, guitar classes, dance, karate, tutoring
- 3rd party provider (MN) only if the same class is also offered online
- Outschool (Please provide student’s age for registration in notes)
- Museum passes, zoo passes
- Drivers Ed classes for high school students (Not MN)
- Get Out Pass
- Fees for standardized testing
- Educational magazine (National Geo, Highlights, etc.) gift subscriptions only
- Audible, Kindle Unlimited, Rosetta Stone, Duo Lingo, Yousician (gifting option), Crunch labs, Wild life box, Letters from Afar, Playground Sessions, Cooper and Kid, Read Aloud Revival, Art for Kids
- Swimming lessons (Not MN)
Non-Approved
- Amusement park passes, movie theater tickets, water park passes
- Raising Real Men Crate Subscription (Religious content)
- Apple Store apps or any apps that have to be downloaded directly to your computer
- Apps or subscriptions that link through parent’s account (gift subscriptions only)
- Any website/subscription/app that keeps our card on file inside of parent account and renews (gift subscriptions only)
- Swimming lessons (MN)
- Beach Body on Demand, Nomadic Outdoor Gear, Brain Pop, Shutterfly, Print books, Calico spanish, Night Zoo Keeper, Yoto Club, TTRS, Brickloot, Simply Piano, Hooked on Phonics, Allecus Academy, Miaacademy
Approved
- International shipping costs
Non-Approved
- Barnes and Noble retailer
- Clothing, shoes of any kind (no soccer cleats, ballet shoes, aprons for cooking)
- Furniture of any kind
- Appliances
- Household items, soap dispensers, cleaning supplies, paper plates
- Hazardous materials (caustic liquids, weapons, lighters, knives, axes)
- Food and grocery items, measuring cups, and any kitchen item that is commonly used
- Gift cards, gift certificates
- Easy Bake Oven, Kitchen Aid mixers
- Homeschool planners for parents (MN), student planners, calendars ok
- Personalized, customized items with names on them