Seabird Group Training Grant

The Seabird Group Training Grant offers up to £250 for individuals to support travel and subsistence costs for unpaid seabird-focused fieldwork or volunteering. Aimed at those with limited experience, particularly from marginalized backgrounds, the grant seeks to enhance field skills crucial for future opportunities. Applicants must be over 18 and have a confirmed supervisor before applying. This initiative promotes engagement in seabird conservation and research, contributing to the understanding and preservation of Atlantic seabird populations.

Introduction
The Seabird Group has the facility to award small grants each year to help with costs associated with research projects, or with survey projects for the UK national seabird census. Grants can cover travel, subsistence, and equipment, but staff costs are excluded. Priority is given to Seabird Group members working on Atlantic seabirds. We also award training grants to help support people to undertake voluntary seabird activities.
Training grants provide up to £250 for individuals to use towards travel, accommodation and subsistence in order to undertake unpaid seabird-focussed fieldwork or volunteering. Training grants are aimed at people with limited or no previous experience with seabirds, particularly those from marginalised backgrounds or those who have faced increased barriers to gaining experience. Therefore, no previous experience is required. Seabird fieldwork is often unpaid and can be expensive, but field skills are highly sought after and can be key for future career opportunities. We hope that this grant will enable people to undertake such activities who may not otherwise be able to afford it.
Grants are for a maximum of £250 to spend on costs incurred during volunteering, such as travel, accommodation, and subsistence. You must be 18 or over to apply for this grant as unfortunately, we are unable to offer any safeguarding measures. Your experience must take place in the same year that you submit the application. You must have contacted an individual or organization and confirmed that they are willing to supervise you before submitting this application. However, if you have applied for a position and do not yet know if you have been selected, we encourage you to apply for this grant. Please let us know the outcome of your application as soon as possible. Unfortunately, we will only be able to offer you a grant if you secure the position you have applied for, as the role you will be undertaking and the skills you hope to gain during your training are key to our assessment of applications. Examples of activities that you might partake in include (but are not limited to): a stay at a bird observatory with ongoing interests in seabirds, attending a seabird ringing trip (you will likely need some general bird ringing experience for this option), helping with a research project, or volunteering at a seabird-focused nature reserve.

Eligibility

The Seabird Group supports projects on seabirds, focussing in particular
on the research, survey and conservation of Atlantic seabirds. In addition
grants may be awarded for the promotion of seabirds to the general
public. Grants for the ringing of seabirds can be awarded.

Ineligibility

The group does not support projects that are not related to the
seabirds and would not normally consider supporting projects requiring a
grant commitment of greater than 3 consecutive years. Bids from organisations larger or with greater resources
than the Seabird Group, or those to augment PhD and other student
research projects will NOT normally be supported.Grants will not be made for the funding of staff positions or for the
purchase of vehicles.