Number of Grants: 1
Grant Amount: $2,000
Grant Duration: Typically 1 year (extensions possible upon request)
Eligibility: Virginia Tech graduate students conducting research projects that have an applied ecology, conservation, or management objective in herpetology within the United States. Projects in the following states may be given priority: AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN or VA. Marine and captive animal projects are not eligible for this grant. Please note that previous winners are not eligible to apply for grants.
Deadline: Proposals are due by 5:00 pm (EST), 11 November, 2022. Awards will be announced in late December.
Proposal Contents: All proposals should be in 12 point Times New Roman font, double-spaced, and with one-inch margins (does not apply to CVs). Submit a single pdf file named “OrianneVTGrantLastnameFirstInitial.pdf” (e.g., OrianneVTGrantChandlerH.pdf). The pdf should contain the following information.
- A cover page with the project title, author’s name, affiliation, university address, phone number, and email address.
- An abstract ≤250 words that provides a summary of the project and a clear statement of its significance for reptile or amphibian conservation or management.
- A proposal not exceeding 1500 words, describing the project, including a timeline, a budget, and how the grant would be used to support the research.
- Statement of Need: Provide the background information on the issues or needs your project will address. Include citations to relevant literature as needed.
- Project Description: A concise description of your project, including goals and objectives, how your methods will meet those objectives, and conservation or management implications. This section can include maps or figures, if applicable.
- Project Timeline: Provide a brief timeline of your project.
- Project Budget: Please provide a brief, general budget for your project and tentatively identify what the awarded grant money would be spent on. We do not need a detailed line item budget. Also, identify whether or not other funding is currently available for the project.
- Literature Cited (not included in the 1500-word count).
- A current CV, limited to 2 pages.
Submission: Submit proposals to Houston Chandler, Director of Science, The Orianne Society at hchandler@oriannesociety.org. Please put the words “Virginia Tech Grant Proposal” in the subject line. Address any questions to Houston.
Deliverables: Within 1 year of receiving funding, grantees will provide a final report in the form of an article or blog post on The Orianne Society’s webpage. This will include photos of the research that may also be used on other Orianne social media. We encourage grantees to share information for social media during the research project. A brief summary of funded projects will also be placed on The Orianne Society’s webpage.
Other Requirements: The Orianne Society should be acknowledged as a funder in all reports, publications, or presentations that result from the funded project. Funding may be used for direct expenses only (no indirect costs or overhead). Funds may not be used for student stipends but may be used to pay technicians. Funds will be awarded directly to individuals and not to universities.
Selection Criteria: Projects will be evaluated based on their ability to yield outcomes that will benefit the conservation or management of imperiled herpetofauna in the southeastern United States. Project methods should follow sound scientific methods, and proposals should clearly demonstrate how the funds will be used to accomplish project goals. Successful applicants will also clearly demonstrate how stated project goals will be accomplished within the proposed timeframe.
Selection Process: Grants will be evaluated by The Orianne Society scientists and a panel of outside partners.
Download a PDF of these grant requirements HERE.