Hi Orson!
It sounds like you really want to make this trip happen for your child and that is great! I think it is right to ask him to contribute as another poster suggested, perhaps not for all of the costs but maybe a set portion like spending money.
There are a ton of ways to do the trip on the cheap. Ask family members if they have hotel points to share, tent camping, hostels are all good ideas. Looking for $39 flights from Southwest or driving.
I haven't heard of travel grants but asking any and everyone who might be invested in this might lead to something helpful. Calling hotels and speaking to the management about your situation might yield a good price on a room.
We took our children to Disney last year and had saved for over 3 years to make that happen. We were gifted a stay at time share by family and had airline points to use. Our biggest expense was park tickets. This could be a teachable moment for your son, making a financial goal and saving together to make it happen. Asking questions like, should we go to the movies or stay home and put the $60 in our trip fund. Your son might also get a kick out of doing a fundraiser like asking neighbors to save their returnables for him. I know we just did that for a child in my daughters class who wanted to buy something for the Humane Society.
Good luck!
