Waterbird Society Research Grants

The Waterbird Society is an international scientific, not-for-profit organization dedicated to the study and conservation of waterbirds. This society was created to establish better communication and coordination between the growing number of people studying and monitoring aquatic birds, and to contribute to the protection and management of stressed populations or habitats of these species.

Grant Categories

• Kushlan Research Award
  • The goal of the Kushlan Research Award in Ciconiiform Biology and Conservation is to encourage significant scientific advances in the biology, ecology, or conservation biology of wading birds (i.e. herons, storks, ibises, and their taxonomic allies). The grants committee currently solicits proposals that focus on:
    • Species relationships within the group
    • The status, range, and population sizes of little-known species of Ciconiiformes
• Nisbet Research Award
  • This grant is open globally to any student, professional, or amateur and should focus on those interested in research and conservation on terns and gulls.
  • The recipients of awards are expected to publish their reports in peer-reviewed outlets and acknowledge both the Nisbet Award and the Waterbird Society for support. The recipients are also expected to submit a short (1-2 page) report to the Grants Committee summarizing the results of their research project.
• Waterbird Society Research Award
  • The goal of the Waterbird Society Research Award is to encourage significant advances in the biology, ecology, status assessment or conservation biology of waterbirds. The Grants Committee currently solicits proposals for this award that focus on:
    • Basic research on species not covered by other Waterbird Society grants,
    • Monitoring projects that contribute to the knowledge of waterbird population status, distribution, abundance or trends, especially for species that are data deficient or where there are significant information gaps in the core areas of a species’ range, or
    • Work that makes a substantial contribution to waterbird conservation.

Funding Information

• Kushlan Award may be up to $7,000, while Nisbet and Waterbird Society Awards may be up to $5,000.

General Information for Applicants

• All proposals must be printed in English in standard 12-point font format.
• Proposals should be brief (4 pages total), and should include the applicant’s name, project title, a narrative and a budget.
• Specifically, proposals should be comprised of 2 sections: (a) a maximum of three pages of narrative, to include the Applicant’s Name, Project Title, Background/Rationale, with clearly stated objectives and hypotheses/predictions (if applicable), Methods, Relevance of Proposed Work, Literature Cited, and (b) a Budget page, indicating whether the proposal is part of any cooperative (e.g. matching funds) project.
• The narrative should provide a rationale and methodology, including why the work is important and likely to produce significant results.
• The budget should include details regarding how the money requested is to be spent, the total cost of the project, and other sources of potential funding for which the applicant has already applied.
• The same proposal cannot be submitted for more than one award in a given year. The Grants Committee reserves the right to move a proposal to different category if warranted.
• Verification of appropriate permits from relevant government agencies to carry out the work must be provided in advance of any award.
• Proposals should be submitted electronically in Word or PDF formats as a single document via Google Form. All correspondence about the application, its receipt and funding decisions will be communicated by e-mail to the applicants.
• The applicant’s name and grant name should be included in the proposal file title.
• All applicants will be notified as soon as a decision regarding each year’s awards has been made.

Eligibility Criteria

• These awards are open to professional, amateur, or student applicants of any age, globally.
• Proposals will be judged on the basis of scientific merit and the described work’s likelihood to contribute significant new information to the published literature regarding the biology, ecology, or conservation biology of wading birds, herons, egrets, storks, ibises, and spoonbills (Kushlan Award); terns or gulls (Nisbet Grant); or any waterbird species (Waterbird Society Award).

For more information, visit Waterbird Society.