Redwoods Research Starter Grants for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color

Save the Redwoods League is offering starter grants of up to $5,000 for undergraduate and graduate students of color (Black, Indigenous, Latinx/Latina/Latino, Asian, Pacific Islander folks) interested in research in coast redwood and giant sequoia forests. The goal of the starter grants is to provide introductory opportunities for members of underrepresented communities to explore ideas in the redwood research space, or potentially enhance the work of those who are already working in this space.

The funding can be used to support a wide variety of activities, including travel for project development, 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 focus area in the environmental/ecological sciences or the social sciences, as long as the proposal has some 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 accomplish 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. If applicants are not able to identify someone to fill this role, please contact the League at startergrants@SaveTheRedwoods.org as we may be able to help identify someone to serve in that role.

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 template and send a single pdf of the proposal, student C.V./resume, and mentor C.V./resume (in that order) to startergrants@SaveTheRedwoods.org by January 31st, 2022.

For questions about the application process or for consultation on project ideas, please contact Dr. Joanna Nelson, Director of Science and Conservation Planning, at jnelson@SaveTheRedwoods.org.