NSS CONSERVATION GRANT                      Cave Conservation Home

 

The National Speleological Society Conservation Grants Program is intended to provide NSS support and sponsorship for cave conservation-linked research (including student projects) and internal or public educational efforts furthering the conservation objectives of the NSS. A description can be found in the annual NSS Members Manual.

Grant applications are considered in competition with one another based on merit, impact, the qualifications of the applicant to perform the work involved and other factors (including the availability of grant funds and the availability and scope of other support being provided).

 

The Conservation Committee is authorized to award up to $5,000 annually from the Save-the-Caves Fund to make grants of up to $1000 to Internal Organizations, Conservation Task Forces, Conservancies, or to individual NSS members for specific projects that involve cave or karst conservation, restoration, or cleanup. The Conservation Committee is responsible for establishing the application, review, and award process. Recipients of these grants shall submit written reports to the Society as stipulated by the Chairman of the Conservation Committee.

 

An official grant application form is provided, but unless an unusual situation exists (e.g., a formal institutional or public agency application), an abbreviated grant application is usually adequate. This abbreviated application submission must answer a number of basic questions and can be submitted as a letter. An e-mail submission is usually perfectly acceptable and is, in fact, preferred.

See the Board of Governors manual:  19-321 NSS Cave/Karst Conservation and Restoration Grant 11-05-05, 11-7-98, 4-17-93, 7-1-88, 11-8-86, 2-25-84, 11-22-80, 10-23-76

 

Substantially, the application must provide the following information:

Applicant Identification
Provide the name, address, telephone number and other contact information for the person preparing the grant application.

Official Recipient
Identify the official recipient for purposes of financial accountability. Provide the organization or recipient's name, title, address, phone number, etc. Essentially, this identifies the organization or person who will formally receive the grant, if awarded.

Project Description

Identify what, specifically, the project or research will entail; i.e., what is to be studied and how, or what is to be done and for what audience or purpose.

Benefits Expected
Identify what objective, impact, knowledge or information is expected to result from the project or research.

Participants

Identify who will be involved in the project and their qualifications to perform the work. Provide names, addresses, phone numbers, etc.

Costs
Identify how much the overall project or research activity will cost, the amount being requested from the NSS, what the NSS money will be used for, and who is providing the remaining money.

Additionally, the application (usually in the cover letter), must include a statement assuring the NSS that it will receive a formal report on the project or research for which NSS support is being sought. This formal feedback may take the form of an article for publication, video, slide show, thesis, dissertation, publication, exhibit, or other comparable account of the completed project or research and its outcome in a form accessible to the membership.

Mail, fax or e-mail your completed application to:

John E. Pearson, Administrator
NSS Conservation Grants

329 Brownstown Road

Renick WV 24966-9649

304-497-3939

e-mail: jpearson@rcc.com