Lake Research Student Grants Program
The Michigan Chapter North American Lake Management Society (McNALMS) and the Michigan Lakes and Streams Association (MLSA) are pleased to announce the next round of funding for the Lake Research Student Grants Program. The purpose of the program is to promote student efforts to work on inland lakes and/or with lake communities to enhance inland lake management. Projects that increase the understanding of lake ecology, have applicability to Michigan lakes, strengthen collaborative lake management, build lake partnerships and/or expand citizen involvement in lake management are eligible for consideration. This year, McNALMS and MLSA expect to fund one or more projects from a total pool of $4,000.
Who May Apply?
All applicants must be members or enroll as members of McNALMS when their application is submitted. Membership is free for full-time students. Membership applications are available on the McNALMS website <https://www.mcnalms.org/membership/>.
Applicants must be either:
University/College graduate student(s) conducting applied research/outreach projects.
University/College undergraduate student(s) working on special studies projects.
Students currently or in the last two years enrolled in the Michigan Lake and Stream Leaders Institute, Michigan Conservation Stewards Program or similar Watershed Academy.
Grant Application Deadline
Proposals are due by 5:00 pm EST on Friday, March 18, 2022.
Awards will be announced by mid-April, 2022.
Funds Distribution
In most cases, the cash award will be donated to the Department or Program in which the student resides with the understanding that the funds are earmarked for that student. Funds can be used for hourly support/wages, supplies, and travel. Equipment purchases such as computers, smartphones, and tablets are not allowed.
Uncompleted Projects
If projects are not completed in the one-year time frame, grant recipient(s) may be asked to return up to 50% of the grant funds awarded, if they have not been expended. Extensions of up to three months will be considered.
Project Renewals
Grant recipient(s) may submit a grant request in a subsequent year’s grant process for additional funds to continue or expand their project.
Project Products
Grant recipients must submit up to a one page, six-month progress report, which should include the amount of funds spent up to that time. At the end of the project period, the grant recipient(s) must submit a three to five page report detailing the project’s goals, methods and results.
Grant recipient(s) may be asked and are encouraged to present and discuss their project and results at a McNALMS or MLSA conference, the Michigan Inland Lakes Convention or other educational event. A copy of or link to any publication that results from the research should be sent to McNALMS.
About the Organizations
The Michigan Chapter North American Lake Management Society is a non-profit organization with federal 501(c) 3 status. The Society’s mission is to promote understanding and comprehensive management of Michigan’s inland lake ecosystems. McNALMS is a proactive, project-oriented organization forging collaborative partnerships to further the protection and quality of Michigan’s inland lakes.
The Michigan Lakes and Streams Association is also a 501(c) 3 non-profit corporation made up of organizations, corporations, associations and individuals who share a goal of preserving and protecting Michigan’s vast heritage of freshwater resources. McNALMS and MLSA have forged a partnership to offer this lake research student grants program.
Criteria and Scoring for Grant
Each project will be evaluated based on nine criteria. The evaluators can give the proposal a score of 0 to 10 based upon the strength of the proposal. A perfect score would be 90 points.
- Is the proposed research strongly related to inland lake ecosystems, lake management, collaborative lake management, lake partnerships or expand citizen involvement in lake management and have applicability to Michigan lakes?
- How significantly will the research add to the understanding of lake ecosystems or lake management knowledge, build lake partnerships or expand citizen involvement?
- Will the project have statewide interest or application to other lakes?
- Are the proposal’s objectives logical?
- Is the research approach and methods valid?
- Are there adequate facilities/equipment available to conduct this research?
- Are there other funding sources available or proposed for this project?
- Can the work be completed in the allotted time frame?
- Does the budget reflect the amount of work proposed?
Full text and application can be found here: https://mymlsa.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/2022_LakeGrant_ProgramandApplicationForm.pdf