Beginner-friendly Opportunities for Students — page 9

British Ornithologists' Union (BOU)

British Ornithologists' Union Small Ornithological Research Grant

Small grants for any aspect of ornithological research worldwide, open to both amateur and professional researchers.

📍 International (UK-based)PaidEasy

#grant#ornithology#research

Apply → bou.org.uk

North American Native Fishes Association (NANFA)

North American Native Fishes Association Conservation Research Grant

Funds research on the conservation of North America's native freshwater fish, especially threatened and endangered species, running since 2001.

📍 United States / CanadaPaidEasy

#grant#ichthyology#freshwater

Apply → nanfa.org

Neotropical Grassland Conservancy

Neotropical Grassland Conservancy Student Grant

Supports graduate students conducting conservation-focused field research in Latin American grassland ecosystems.

📍 Latin AmericaPaidEasy

#grant#grasslands#latin-america

Apply → conservegrassland.org

#grant#sea-turtles#marine-conservation

State of the World's Sea Turtles (SWOT) Small Grant

Oceanic Society

Annual small grants for sea turtle research and conservation across networking, conservation-gap-filling, and behavior-change program areas.

📍 InternationalPaidEasy

Apply → seaturtlestatus.org

📍 International, priority developing countriesPaidEasy

IDEA WILD Equipment Grant

IDEA WILD

Provides field equipment such as cameras, GPS units, mist nets, and binoculars rather than cash, for biodiversity conservation research and education projects.

#grant#equipment#conservation

Apply → ideawild.org

Society for Marine Mammalogy

Society for Marine Mammalogy Small Grants in Aid of Research

Funds direct field and research costs for marine mammal science projects worldwide, with preference to first-time recipients and early-career researchers.

📍 InternationalPaidEasy

#grant#marine-mammals#conservation

Apply → marinemammalscience.org

American Museum of Natural History

Frank M. Chapman Memorial Fund Grant

Small short-term awards for graduate research on avian evolutionary biology, including specimen-based and expeditionary bird research.

📍 United States/InternationalPaidEasy

#grant#ornithology#museum-research

Apply → amnh.org

Wilson Ornithological Society

Wilson Ornithological Society Research Grant

Four award programs funding avian research worldwide, from behavioral ecology to conservation.

📍 International (US-based society)PaidEasy

#grant#ornithology#conservation

Apply → wilsonsociety.org

Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles (SSAR)

Roger Conant Grants in Herpetology

Annual grants for herpetological field research, education, and conservation across seven categories.

📍 United States/InternationalPaidEasy

#grant#herpetology#conservation

Apply → ssarherps.org

Instituto Ayrton Senna (Brazil)

Instituto Ayrton Senna Educational Scholarship

A scholarship and mentoring initiative supporting Brazilian students from public schools to complete secondary education and pursue higher education pathways.

📍 BrazilPaidEasy

#scholarship#brazil#financial-need

Apply → institutoayrtonsenna.org.br

📍 Multiple European countriesStipendEasy

European Solidarity Corps Volunteering Projects

European Commission

A program funding young people to volunteer on community and social projects across Europe, covering travel, accommodation, and a small living allowance.

#volunteering#europe#youth

Apply → youth.europa.eu

Campaign for Female Education (Camfed)

Camfed Learner Guide and Scholarship Program

A scholarship and mentorship program supporting girls in rural Sub-Saharan Africa to complete secondary school, paired with a peer-mentoring network run by young female graduates.

📍 Zambia, Zimbabwe, Ghana, Tanzania, MalawiPaidEasy

#scholarship#africa#girls-education

Apply → camfed.org

Colgate Keep India Smiling Scholarship Program

Colgate-Palmolive India

A scholarship combined with mentorship for economically weaker school and college students in India, spanning educational, sports, and general-merit categories.

Apply → colgatekeepindiasmiling.com

JK Cement / Laxmipat Singhania Foundation

JK Laxmipat Vidya Scholarship

A scholarship for economically disadvantaged school and college students in India, awarded based on merit and family financial need.

Apply → jklaxmipatfoundation.org

Ministry of Education, Government of India

Central Sector Scheme of Scholarships for College and University Students

A national merit-based scholarship for Indian students from lower-income families entering college, renewable annually based on continued academic performance.

Apply → scholarships.gov.in

LIC HFL Vidyadhan Scholarship

LIC Housing Finance

A scholarship for meritorious students from economically weaker sections of Indian society, covering school and college education costs.

Apply → vidyadhan.org

All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE)

AICTE Swanath Scholarship

A scholarship for orphans and dependents of deceased or disabled armed forces personnel pursuing technical higher education in India.

Apply → aicte-india.org

All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE)

AICTE Pragati Scholarship for Girl Students

A government scholarship supporting girl students pursuing technical undergraduate education, aimed at improving female representation in engineering fields.

#scholarship#india#women-in-stem

Apply → aicte-pragati-saksham-gov.in

📍 Global (online submission)PaidEasy

Global Canvas Children's Art Competition

Global Canvas

A children's art competition spanning painting, sculpture, textile, and collage on an annual theme, with cash or supply-voucher prizes for winners.

#competition#art#children

Apply → globalcanvas.org

📍 Global (online submission)UnpaidEasy

Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award

The Poetry Society (UK)

One of the world's largest poetry competitions for young writers, open on any theme, with roughly 100 winners receiving prizes, mentoring, and publication in an anthology.

#competition#poetry#writing

Apply → foyleyoungpoets.org

📍 Global (online submission)PaidEasy

UNESCO Clubs Worldwide Multimedia Contest

UNESCO Clubs

A multimedia (video, essay, or art) competition inviting youth to propose ways their community can advance a specific UN Sustainable Development Goal, with a US-based youth camp invitation for top entries.

#competition#sdgs#multimedia

Apply → unescocentre.org.uk

New York Academy of Sciences

1000 Girls, 1000 Futures Program

A yearlong STEM mentorship program pairing teenage girls with women professionals in science and technology fields for structured, virtual mentorship.

📍 Remote (virtual mentorship)UnpaidEasy

#program#mentorship#women-in-stem

Apply → nyas.org

📍 Global (online submission)UnpaidEasy

The New York Times Learning Network Student Contests

The New York Times

An ongoing series of free writing, video, and multimedia contests for teenagers — including personal narrative, editorial, review, podcast, and STEM-explainer formats — with winning entries published by the Times.

#competition#writing#journalism

Apply → nytimes.com

United Nations Academic Impact / Millennium Campus Network

UN Millennium Fellowship

A semester-long leadership program where cohorts of student fellows on a single campus design and run a project tackling one of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

📍 Multiple universities worldwideUnpaidEasy

#fellowship#leadership#sdgs

Apply → mcnfellowship.org