ABOUT THE GRANTS

ALABAMA AUDUBON’s Education MiniGrants provide up to $1,000 per award to support educators and educationally-oriented nonprofits throughout Alabama. They provide funding for projects that promote conservation, and a greater knowledge of birds, their habitats, and the natural world.   Awards are limited to tax-exempt nonprofits with IRS public charity status or be public entities qualifying under Section 170(c) of the Internal Revenue Code. All applicants are welcomed to discuss the general suitability of a project idea prior to submission.

HOW DO I APPLY?

Interested applicants should download and complete the application above, then submit as a PDF document. The deadline to submit an application is February 26, 2024.

For electronic submissions, please submit as a single PDF via email to info@alaudubon.org. In the subject line of the email, please include the organization or school name, and the phrase: Education Minigrants

Completed applications can be submitted by standard mail to—
P.O. Box 130819
Birmingham, AL 35213-0819

For mailing in applications, the post-mark date must reflect either the day-of or before the grant closing date.

All applicants will receive an acknowledgment of submission via email.

HOW CAN EDUCATION MINIGRANTS BE USED?

Our Education MiniGrants prioritize four kinds of bird-focused educational projects:

• Physical improvements within school or community habitat sites (i.e. native plants, identification signage, benches, bird-specific houses)

• Purchases of classroom birding equipment

• Innovative, student-led projects with community-science or habitat-monitoring components

• Select field trips to visit significant public bird areas

WHAT TYPES OF EXPENSES ARE NOT COVERED?

Education MiniGrant funding may not be used to cover salaries, stipends, and indirect costs (i.e., overhead or “facilities and administrative” expenses). Awards may not be used to cover expenses outside those approved in the submitted budget with the applications. As an accountability measure, it is our policy to make awards payable to the organization and not directly to the applicant.

If necessary, please email info@alaudubon.org to discuss payment logistics.

HOW ARE AWARDS DECIDED?

A selection committee appointed by the President of the Alabama Audubon will review applications and making funding recommendations following the closing of the submission deadline. The committee’s recommendations will then be reviewed by the Alabama Audubon Board of Directors, with whom any final funding decisions rest. The final amount of any given award may be adjusted at the discretion of Alabama Audubon. Recipients will be informed by email of the award status four to six weeks following the submission deadline. 

ALL PROPOSALS WILL BE JUDGED ACCORDING TO THE FOLLOWING CRITERIA—

• Demonstrates a strong focus on Alabama birds and their conservation

• Maximizes the number of students who benefit from the project

• Targeted toward a diverse student audience

• Contains a detailed, carefully considered budget outline

• Explains how this project can serve as a stepping stone for future bird-based learning

• Details how the project fits within a school or organization's educational plan

• Contains a plan for evaluating student outcomes

• Should be innovative, creative, and "outside the box"

HOW TO REPORT POST-AWARD

All Education MiniGrant recipients must complete and return a completed MiniGrants Report Form, and a Photo Release form (if applicable) to Alabama Audubon via email no later than June 1st of the next calendar year.  All awards will include a MiniGrant Funds Received form that will be due within 14 days of receiving funds.  Failure to submit any of the forms will void any opportunity for eligibility for future grants offered by Alabama Audubon.

HAVE MORE QUESTIONS?

Applicants are welcome to discuss the general suitability of a project idea prior to submission. Please reach out to us at info@alaudubon.org with the subject line reading: Education MiniGrant Questions