Eligibility: Students from any accredited college or university doing research within California may apply for a CNGA student research scholarship (home institution may be outside California).

Application Period: November 1 to January 31

CNGA GRASS Awards: CNGA will fund at least four $500 to $1,000 awards per year. These awards are designed to support basic undergraduate and graduate research in native grassland ecosystems. Funds can be used to support fieldwork, small equipment purchases, visits to herbaria, materials and/or books. Students may re-apply and receive a scholarship award for a maximum of two years.

John Anderson Memorial Scholarship: Applicants are also considered for a one-time bonus award of $500 in honor of CNGA Founding Member John Anderson. If the review committee feels there is an applicant who is doing work on a topic that was close to John's heart, we will award an additional one-time scholarship at the committee's discretion. Topics John was passionate about include, but are not limited to, seed-based restoration, native seed production, tarweeds, and weed control.

Claassen/Hanson Soils Science Scholarship: This scholarship offers $1,000 in funding to two graduate students for applied research related to remnant native grasslands, native grassland restoration, or native grassland conservation and management. Preference will be given to applications that address the sample topics listed on our website, but other applied research topics are not excluded.

Sample Soils and Native Grassland Research Topics

1. Further study into soil biological relationships in or between native perennial and annual grasslands
2. The long-term effects on grassland composition and root depth from compost applications in rangelands
3. The long-term effectiveness of compost applications in rangelands on soil carbon sequestration
4. Investigation of soil carbon storage by intact and restored native perennial grass communities
5. Experiments on how to increase stormwater infiltration into the soil profile
6. Research on the impacts of severe and moderate goat grazing forwildfire vegetation treatments on soil temperature, soil water, weed cover, and/or the resultingvigor of the resident native perennial grassland
7. Soil, landscape, and climate characteristics associated with one or more native grassland species with guidance on how these characteristics guide their restoration on a project site
8. Field tools and methods to assess sites and site soil characteristics (pH, bulk density, soil type, water-holding capacity, texture)

To apply, send an application that includes: 

• Title of the project
• Your name and contact information (email, phone, mailing address)
• Project supervisor/major professor and institution, degree sought, and year in school
• Project summary, including the location, objectives and significance (1 page or less, 12 pt. font)
• Proposed methods
• Expected accomplishments
• Timeline for project completion
• Budget and justification for scholarship funds

Applications should be no longer than 3 pages (PDF format is preferred). Please email all materials (with "CNGA GRASS Grants" in subject line) to grants@cnga.org by January 31st. 

Notification of the award recipient will occur via email by March 15.

• Grant funds must be utilized within 12 months of the award.
• Recipients are required to submit at least one journal article to the CNGA publication Grasslands by January 31 of the following year.   
• The CNGA GRASS Grant Program should be acknowledged in theses, publications, or other products resulting from your research.