We are excited to share the Cornell Lab’s Land Trust Bird Conservation Initiative Small Grant Program to support United States land trusts and their partners in accomplishing bird conservation on private lands through activities such as strategic planning, outreach, habitat management, stewardship, and capacity building. In addition to funding, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology will provide technical support and advice to recipients and their partners as needed.
Applicants can apply for $5,000 or $20,000 awards to be used over a 1-year grant cycle.
Applications due: March 1, 2020
Funding Dispersed: late May 2020
Three $5,000 awards will support projects that facilitate bird-focused conservation projects. Ideally land trusts will work collaboratively with multiple partners and/or share their project ideas and lessons-learned with other land trusts by presenting a talk at a regional meeting, hosting a training session, or giving a workshop at the Land Trust Alliance Rally. Our goal is to build land trust capacity by teaching or demonstrating how birds can enhance strategic planning and mission fulfillment of land trusts (e.g. using eBird as a conservation planning tool), and facilitate mutually beneficial collaborations with the bird conservation community. To see examples of previously funded awards, visit the 2019, 2018, and 2017 Awardees pages.
Five $20,000 awards will support projects that actively manage, restore, and/or steward land in a way that enhances habitat and promotes bird conservation, with special emphasis on priority species or those identified in State Wildlife Action Plans. To see the types of activities that we would consider funding with a $20,000 award, visit the Small Grant Example Activities page. To see examples of previously funded projects, see 2019 Small Grant Awardees.
Further details about the 2020 request for proposals are found on the Cornell Land Trust Bird Conservation Initiative website as well as a link to theonline small grant application. You can also read the latest Bird Conservation for Land Trusts eNewsletter for more information.
If you have questions, please contact Sara Barker, The Land Trust Bird Conservation Initiative Program Leader