Stuntz Mycology Fund Individual Grants

Stuntz Mycology Fund Individual Grants go directly to individuals who are not working under the auspices of a college or university, herbarium, museum or other not-for-profit organisation. They are often awarded on a reimbursement basis. Across the Fund, grants average $1,000 to $6,000.

Requests of more than $1,000 are due by March 1 and October 1 each year, for review by the grants committee and trustees. Notifications follow by late April and late November respectively. Requests of less than $1,000 are accepted at any time.

The Fund supports equipment, supplies and analytical services for mycological research; registration and travel for students presenting results of Stuntz-funded projects; materials and supplies for myco-education; limited fieldwork travel; and expenses for fungal herbaria.

The Fund defines the Pacific Northwest as Washington State, Oregon, Idaho, western Montana, southwest British Columbia, and southeast and south-coastal Alaska. Applicants who do not live in the region may still apply if their research involves Pacific Northwest fungi. Priority goes to projects involving mushroom-forming fungi — macrofungi — the focus of Dr. Daniel E. Stuntz's own research.

Contact the Grants Manager by email with either a letter of inquiry or a completed Individual Grant application; the form is linked from the Fund's How To Apply page. Requests over $1,000 are due March 1 and October 1; smaller requests are accepted any time.

Proposals are scored on whether the work focuses on fungi, especially mushroom-forming ones; whether it takes place in or pertains to the Pacific Northwest; how important the research or education is to the region; whether the results would interest the broad regional mycological community, amateur and professional; whether there is a reasonable plan to disseminate them; whether other funding has been sought; whether the applicant's background and references indicate proficiency; how prior Stuntz funding was used; whether the budget is reasonable; and whether the work can be finished in the time proposed.

A proposed budget must be part of every application, detailed enough — item descriptions, numbers of samples, quantities, unit costs and totals — for reviewers to match the budget to the activities described. Applicants must also include one or two letters of reference from colleagues, instructors, faculty advisors or employers who can speak to their abilities.

The Fund does not accept applications from for-profit organisations or commercial companies, or for salaries, institutional overhead, federal or institutionally set mileage and per diem rates, page charges, or college and university tuition. Allowable costs include expendable supplies, laboratory analyses, equipment, conference expenses, travel at $0.31 per mile and sometimes camping fees, honoraria for visiting guest speakers, and compensation for non-salaried people such as undergraduates assisting as part of their curriculum. The Fund looks favourably on lean projects and on projects that draw funding from other sources as well.