BCFO Research Grants

BCFO encourages submission of proposals from groups or organizations for financial assistance for bird surveys and other ornithological research. It also wishes to foster greater connections between applicants and the society.

The BCFO has an Education & Conservation subcommittee that reviews grant applications. The Chair is Charles Helm: helm.c.w@gmail.com

The complete BCFO Grant Application Guidelines are available here.

Potential applicants are reminded that:

1. Requests for funding must be for planned, rather than completed projects.

2. Projects must be conducted within British Columbia.

3. Under normal circumstances applicants should be, or be willing to become, members of the BCFO

4. Projects and their results are to be reported in BCFO’s journal, BritishColumbia Birds, or in the newsmagazine, BC Birding

5. In order for BCFO directors to give a timely response to project proposals, deadlines for submission are January 1, April 1, July 1 and October 1.

6. All reasonable requests up to a $3000 limit , and within the financial strength of the organization, will be considered. Larger requests require approval at an AGM.

In addition, the following guidelines are intended to assist potential applicants in preparing their submissions to the BCFO Education and Conservation Committee. Funding decisions are reached by consensus at the discretion of the committee.

An ideal submission would:

  • be of a high standard and should follow the Grant Application information on the BCFO website;
  • include a statement on the conservation value of the proposed research;
  • include an explanation of methodology;
  • include a detailed budget outline, listing other confirmed or possible funding sources, including in-kind donations;
  • describe a project that is focused and discrete in time and location, with clear start and end points (continuing, multi-year projects are generally not approved);
  • be BC-based, or demonstrate a benefit to BC birds;
  • indicate a willingness to publish scientific results in the peer-reviewed BCFO journal, British Columbia Birds, and/or general interest articles in the BCFO newsmagazine, BC Birding, and/or to present results to the BCFO membership during an online Zoom session;
  • include a summary of how Indigenous input/collaboration will be sought, or how the project might genuinely benefit First Nations.

Past grant recipients:

2026/2026 awards

  • Megan Buers, Pacific Megascops Research Alliance. Western screech-owl conservation working group meeting.
  • Samuelle Simard-Provençal, South Island Bird Research Network (SIBRN). Post-breeding movements of Violet-green swallows (Tachycineta thalassina) in British Columbia using the Motus Wildlife Tracking System.
  • Liam Ragan, BC Nature (Federation of British Columbia Naturalists). Swan Surveys of Fraser Lake IBA.

2024/2025 awards

  • Amie MacDonald, Birds Canada. Motus tagging workshop at Mugaha Marsh Banding Station in Mackenzie, BC to build wildlife tracking capacity in northern BC.
  • Alex Moskaluk, University of Guelph. Aspergillus fungal infections in wild Canadian birds, including BC birds.
  • Alan Burger, Nicola Naturalist Society. Documenting Sandhill Cranes within the Douglas Lake Plateau IBA.

2023/2024 awards

  • Kimberly Parno, Queen’s University Biology Department. Origins of avian diversity on Haida Gwaii using Swainson’s Thrush, Varied Thrush and Steller’s Jay.
  • Rémi Torrenta, Birds Canada. Aerial insectivores and aerial insects at Iona Beach Regional Park.
  • Brett Gandy. Tree swallow nestlings in the Prince George area.

2023 awards

  • Linsay Lalach. Utilizing autonomous recording units (ARU’s) to survey species at risk.
  • Avia Noringseth, UVic Birding Club. Hesqiaht Lake IBA Herring Spawn Survey.

2022 awards

  • Avia Noringseth, UVic Birding Club. Hesquiaht Lake Region IBA Marbled Murrelet Survey.
  • Remi Torrenta, Birds Canada. Finding and monitoring Black Swift nests in south-western BC.
  • Liam Ragan, IBA program coordinator. Osoyoos Oxbows IBA inventory.

2020 awards

  • Vance Mattson, Rocky Mtn Eagle Research Foundation. Breeding Population of Golden Eagles in southeastern BC Rockies.
  • Krista Kaptein. eBird Protocol Count for Vaseux Lake Area IBA.
  • Joseph Walters. Preliminary Survey to Determine Territory Occupancy and Breeding Activity of Golden Eagles in the Coastal Mountains of Southwestern British Columbia.

2019 awards

  • Krista Kaptein, Caretaker Network Coordinator, IBA Program. eBird Protocol Count for Chopaka and East Kilpoola Lake Are IBA.
  • Vance Mattson, Rocky Mountain Eagle Research Foundation. Breeding Population of Golden Eagles in southeastern BC Rockies.
  • Suzanne Senger, Campaigns Director, BC Spaces for Nature. Tatlayoko Lake Bird Observatory Project.

2018 awards

  • Krista Kaptein, Caretaker Network Coordinator, IBA Program. Swan Survey for Stuart, Tachie and Middle Rivers IBA.

2016 awards

  • Jemma Green, Garry Oak Ecosystems Recovery Team Society. Western Bluebird Reintroduction Project.
  • Robert Elnor, IOC 2018 Organising Society. International Ornithological Congress 2018.

2011 awards

  • Janice Arndt. Status of Barrow’s Goldeneye Wintering on the Columbia River.

2008-2010 awards

  • Christopher Di Corrado, Bird Studies Canada. BC Breeding Bird Atlas.

2007 awards

  • Vancouver Island Sandhill Cranes
  • Dick Cannings, Okanagan Similkameen Conservation Alliance. Vaseux Lake Bird Observatory

2002 awards

  • Williams Lake Field Naturalists. The Williams Lake Naturalists bluebird nest box-building project.
  • Dr. Kathy Martin, Forestry Department, UBC. The research project on cavity-nesting birds on Becher’s Prairie in the Chilcotin region.

2001 awards:

  • South Peace Bird Atlas Society [Dawson Creek]. Research and Development of a Bird Atlas for the Peace River (BC) region.
  • North American Bluebird Association. Sponsorship of the 25th Annual Convention of the Association in Penticton.

2000 awards

  • The Wild Bird Trust of BC. Publication of a new checklist of the birds of BC.
  • Bird Studies Canada. Cost of mail-out regarding the Nocturnal Owl Survey; a project initiated.

1999 awards

  • Local organising committee for the 1999 BCFO Annual Meeting held in Oliver.
  • Nanaimo Estuary Study Group. Part of the cost of data analysis for bird surveys in the Nanaimo River estuary.
  • The organizing committee of the Conference on Biology and Management of Species
    and Habitats at Risk. Conference on Biology and Management of Species and Habitats at Risk.

1998 awards

  • Friends of Creston Valley Wildlife Management Area.

1992 awards

  • Friends of Mounts Revelstoke and Glacier.
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