Opportunity for Student Researchers: We are offering Starter Grants for Black, Indigenous, Latine/Latina/Latino, Asian, Pacific Islander, or POC students doing research on Redwoods

Student Researcher Call for Proposals!

Save the Redwoods League wants to welcome you to apply to our student starter grant program. We are offering starter grants of up to $5,000 for undergraduate and graduate students who are Black, Indigenous, Latine/Latina/Latino, Asian, Pacific Islander, or POC, doing research related to coast redwood and giant sequoia forests. The goal of the starter grant program is to provide introductory opportunities for students to explore ideas in the redwood research space.

The funding can be used to support a wide variety of activities, including time designing and conducting research, research travel, wages to support a literature review or lab work, and pilot studies that can support development of future research projects. It can be used to fund a stand-alone study or as supplemental funding to expand the scope of an existing project. Topic areas can include any academic discipline, as long as the proposal has a clear connection to coast redwood or giant sequoia forests.

At minimum, deliverables must include:

• A final written report (1-2 pages) summarizing the project and any findings.
• A visual report in the form of a short video, blog with photos or some other medium that includes visual content suitable for sharing on the League website or social media. The applicant has wide leverage in defining how the visual report looks, but the goal is to make it accessible and engaging for general, non-scientist audiences.

Broadly, the proposal should address how this starter grant will contribute to your educational or professional development goals, including how it could inform future studies or grant applications, if applicable. The applicant should identify mentor(s)/collaborator(s) on this project, which can include more traditional Principal Investigators, teachers, or supervisors, depending on the circumstance. The role of the mentor will be to guide the student through the research project and to facilitate the grant agreement and funding award process at their institution.

Proposal evaluation will focus primarily on the project’s potential to enhance the applicant’s professional development in redwood research and conservation, with secondary emphasis on the potential for the project to either generate novel results or to support novel research questions in the future. The proposals should be no more than 3 pages, excluding references and the cover page. More specifics on proposal requirements can be found in the proposal template.

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How to apply:

To apply, please use the proposal template and send a single pdf of the proposal, student C.V./resume, and mentor C.V./resume (in that order) to [email protected] by October 27^th, 2023.

For questions about the application process or for consultation on project ideas, please contact Dr. Joanna Nelson, Director of Science and Conservation Planning, and Laura Lalemand, Senior Scientist, at [email protected].

Application Eligibility

We only accept applications from nonprofit 501(c) organizations that focus on research and education (this includes researchers from universities and public agencies) as described in 26 USC Section 170(b) (1) (A) [other than clauses (vii) and (viii)] AND applications from independent researchers (on the condition that the research is solely for educational and/or charitable purposes) AND from federally or state recognized Indigenous, Native, and Tribal nations and communities (on the condition that the research is solely for educational and/or charitable purposes).

• Applicants must be an active student at an academic institution during the grant period. 
• Students must identify as Black, Indigenous, Latine/Latina/Latino, Asian, Pacific Islander, or as a person of color.
• Funding requests should not exceed $5,000. 
• The League will only fund reimbursement costs that are listed in the Grant Agreement Form; reimbursement costs include allowable costs and non-cancelable obligations incurred as a result of proposal performance. 
• The League does not fund indirect costs (these costs include but are not limited to overhead costs, administration fees, rent, insurance, etc.). 
• Past grant recipients must have submitted both a final written and visual report for all previous League grants to be eligible for funding in the current grant cycle. 
• If your proposal is selected, it is a requirement to use the League’s Grant Agreement Form. Edits to the League Grant Agreement Form are not allowed; any questions regarding edits should be submitted in writing to the League before submitting a proposal. Please make sure to review the form with your grant admin department before applying. 
• All grant agreements must be processed and finalized by July of the following year. If grant agreements are not finalized by July, grant agreements and awards will be terminated. 
• Students must identify a mentor who can help guide the student through their research project, and facilitate processing of the grant agreement and awarded funds at their institution. Mentors must review and sign all proposals before submission. 

 

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Learn more about our other Research Grants opportunities.

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