Student Grants

The Institute for International Conservation (once the Center for Tropical Ecology and Conservation/CTEC, now IIC) in the Department of Environmental Studies at Antioch University New England is pleased to announce the call for proposals for our two grant funds, the Tropical Seed Grant Fund (TSGF) and the Student Raised Grant (SRG). The IIC has awarded grants totaling up to $3000 to AUNE Environmental Studies graduate students each year since 2005 through these two funds. AUNE graduate students who are conducting research or projects pertaining to ecology, education, sustainable development, natural resource management or conservation in the tropics or in countries outside of the United States should apply.

Tropical Seed Grant Fund (TSG)

TSG is meant to support the ‘seed’ of a tropical conservation project – a fund to help students get their research off the ground, thanks to an endowment generously donated by an ES alumna and their family.

Student Raised Grant Fund (SRG)

The SRG is supported by our organic fair trade coffee & cocoa, merchandise and donations fundraiser. SRG was initiated several years ago by two students in the ES Department, Troy Hansel and Jeff Brown. Funding from the SRG is intended to support student projects that contribute to international ecology and/or communities via research or projects in education, sustainable development, natural resource management or conservation.

Contact us to financially support this grant by ordering coffee (see instructions here), following this link to make a donation., or check our sponsorship opportunities.

Interested students must submit one single application to be considered for both of the grants.

Send completed applications to: [email protected]

Application deadline:

Stay alert of the AUNE – ES department newsletter Wednesday Weekly for the call for grant applications in the spring semester.

Qualifications:

Students interested in applying for a grant must be enrolled with at least half time or continuation status in the Environmental Studies Department at Antioch University New England at the time of their application for the grant. Funds may be requested for field work on a tropical ecology, sustainable development, education, natural resource management, or conservation project, including field equipment or travel to the field site. Requests for funding will be considered up to $1000. The student must demonstrate the link between their dissertation/thesis/project and conservation, sustainable development, environmental education, or management in/of the tropics or international country and this work must count towards their graduate degree at AUNE.

Application Instructions

Read and follow these instructions for your application to be considered.

Submit a research/project proposal of no more than 5 pages, including a complete and detailed budget. To receive full consideration, proposals must be submitted in the following format:

1. Title page must include: Purpose of funding (research/project), applicant name, address, and phone number, name of AUNE faculty advisor, and a brief project summary including project dates and amount of money requested.
2. Three-page narrative including (single spaced, 12 font):
   1. Thesis, Project or Dissertation objectives (research questions if appropriate)
   2. Location of the research or project activities
   3. Justification/abbreviated literature review
   4. Methods
   5. Anticipated results and their potential application, detailing the anticipated tangible/measurable results, how those results will be analyzed and how the overall project will be evaluated.
   6. Demonstration of feasibility and appropriateness of field site: in-country contacts; permissions to work in country or at field site; contacts with local researchers/professionals, status of field site.
   7. Evidence that you will be able to raise sufficient funds to cover the trip if this grant does not cover full expenses.
   8. Timetable of relevant activities
3. One-page budget (as appropriate: equipment, travel expenses, food and lodging), and a clear indication of what will be paid for by the grant money. If this grant will not cover all costs, indicate how you will cover the total costs of the proposed activity.

Submit all parts of the application as a single PDF document to: [email protected]

In your email put your last name and ‘IIC grant application’ in the subject line (e.g., Smith IIC grant application).

Proposal Review

1. All proposals will be reviewed by a committee composed of the IIC Co-Directors, and one IIC student staff member.
2. Proposals will be evaluated using the following criteria:
   1. Scientific, conservation, environmental education and/or sustainable development merit of the proposed project for which funds are requested
   2. Appropriateness and/or scientific merit of chosen project methods
   3. Feasibility of project within the proposed time
   4. Need for funding
   5. Relative contribution of the proposed project to conservation goals and/or to existing scientific knowledge

Funds are typically released after the Spring semester has ended based on Financial Aid guidelines.

Grant Requirements

1. Applicants agree to submit a letter of acknowledgment upon receipt of the grant.
2. Applicants agree to submit a two-page summary of the research or a copy of the final report to IIC within two months of completion of the research project for which the funds were used.
3. The grant recipient is strongly recommended to give a presentation on the project at a IIC Brown Bag Lunch.
4. The recipient agrees to acknowledge IIC in any publications or presentations arising from the funded work.
5. Recipients must comply with relevant Antioch policies on international travel and research, especially in relation to COVID-19, international health insurance, IRB, and/or IACUC.

Contact Information

IIC email: [email protected]