British Ecological Society (BES) - Outreach and Engagement Grants

Deadline: September 11, 2024

Projects

Grant

Location(s)

  • United Kingdom
  • Worldwide

Overview

Providing funding of up to £2,000 for individuals, teams and organisations to engage public audiences with the excitement of ecological science. 

Details

This grant will support BES members to deliver independent outreach, public engagement and science communication activities that engage public audiences with the excitement, importance and relevance of ecological science or enhance the experience and skills of others to communicate ecology with public audiences.

The grant will support diverse formats that reach and engage public audiences in innovative, creative and impactful ways, whether through in-person events, digital formats, or physical resources.

All Grants must be for projects that meet at least one of the top-level BES aims:

  • Communicate evidence-based messaging for what ecology is, how nature works, and the use of ecological science as a solution to local and global challenges.
  • Raise awareness and public understanding of ecological careers, their relevance and importance, breadth, and diversity, and show that anybody can become an ecologist.
  • Share how individuals can take action to benefit the environment, themselves, and society.
  • Increase the ability of others to deliver the above aims through outreach and engagement activities.

Who we are

We are working towards a world inspired by ecology in which nature and people thrive.

Our vision is for nature and people to thrive in a world inspired by ecology. We rely on the commitment of hundreds of volunteers to help us – from the editors who work on our journals, reviewers in our Grants Review College, the teams behind each of our Special Interest Groups, the trustees and members of our Board of Trustees and committees to the helpers at our Annual Meeting – we could not do what we do without their effort and passion.

We actively value the diversity and wide range of perspectives that people from different backgrounds bring to their work, to ecology and to our Society. 

Opportunity is About


Eligibility

Candidates should be from:


Description of Ideal Candidate

Whilst all forms of outreach and engagement will be supported, the funding may have the greatest impact if the Grant particularly encourages applications for activities that achieve the following:

  • Pilot novel methods of communicating ecological sciences with public audiences.
  • Engagement which may stimulate dialogue with ecologists, inform behavioural change and action for both ecologists and the public, or encourage ecological career prospects.
  • Encourage interdisciplinary collaborations.
  • Produce engagement materials or outcomes others can use or benefit from subsequently.
  • Develop the skills of others in communicating ecological science with public audiences e.g., training.

Eligibility and Conditions

The lead applicant must have a BES membership. The lead applicant should be the person who will oversee the project delivery and complete the final report.

Awards are open to individuals, teams and organisations across all experience levels to organise ecological public engagement events. Collaborations between two or more people are also welcome.

Your proposal must be aimed at a non-academic audience, and all projects must clearly demonstrate direct interaction with them. They should also show evidence of links to the research community at regional, national and international levels, where appropriate.

There are no restrictions on where applicants come from nor where they carry out their outreach and engagement work.

Applications will NOT be considered for:

  • Staff salaries (one-off costs that are relevant to completing the event e.g. sub-contracting for logo design, will be considered as long as these are justified in your application).
  • Training courses not associated with developing skills in communicating the science of ecology for a public-facing audience e.g. specific skills training courses for academics, are not eligible for funding.
  • Academic meetings.
  • Closed meetings.
  • Projects aimed solely at delivering curriculum to school children.
  • Projects that are delivered to a small number (1-2) schools in a school setting where other members of the public can’t engage.

Applications from museums and schools are welcome, but projects must involve significant outreach beyond schools.

We will not award more than one grant to any applicant in any year and no more than three grants in any five years. Failure to submit a satisfactory report at the end of a grant will mean you are ineligible to apply for further grants.

For repeat, annual events that request funding more than once – the Grants Committee would only consider this if the project showed new novel ideas and development on the previous application.


Dates

Deadline: September 11, 2024


Cost/funding for participants

Value

The maximum award is £2,000. However, the award may be used as part-funding for larger projects involving other sponsors.

If the BES grant is being used to part-fund a project, there must be a guarantee that other funding has already been secured. If other funding has been secured for this project, the additional BES funding should add a distinctive element/activity that would not happen otherwise that will greatly enhance the outreach activities, including increased engagement and impact.

Examples of costs that can be covered

  • Travel costs.
  • Small equipment and IT costs.
  • Marketing.
  • One-off hiring costs (e.g. a freelancer to deliver an activity, a logo designer).
  • Venue hire.
  • Evaluation costs.
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