Closed 2026 American Ornithological Society Latin American/Caribbean Conservation Research Grant

Closed 2026 American Ornithological Society Latin American/Caribbean Conservation Research Grant

The 2026 Latin American/Caribbean Conservation Research (LACCR) Grant was a closed American Ornithological Society (AOS) funding cycle for early-career scientists from Latin America and the Caribbean. AOS’s Conservation Committee sponsors the program for conservation-related research on resident or migratory birds in the region. The grant offered awards of up to $5,000 USD each.

This is now a historical opportunity entry, not an open call. The official AOS page says that the application period is closed for 2026. The deadline for the recorded cycle was 27 February 2026 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. AOS later announced the 2026 LACCR grantees on 22 April 2026. AOS has not stated a future application deadline on the verified program page, so applicants should not treat this entry as a 2027 application notice.

At a glance

What the 2026 grant supported

The LACCR Grant was designed for a focused research project with a direct conservation use. Its subject could be a resident or migratory bird species in the stated region. A project was a stronger fit when it addressed an immediate need involving a declining, threatened, or endangered species, or the habitat on which that species depends. The AOS guidance asked applicants to explain how the work could contribute to reducing threats, improving habitat management, or supporting another concrete conservation action.

This emphasis separates the grant from a general research stipend. A proposal could ask an important scientific question, but it also needed to show who would use the findings and what they could do with them. An applicant might, for example, connect monitoring results to a protected-area management decision, a habitat intervention, a species recovery effort, or a locally led conservation program. The proposal’s conservation implications section was expected to describe that route from research results to action, including how findings would be communicated to stakeholders, decision-makers, and other end users.

The program also valued strong integration with local communities and institutions. Priority was given to applicants who lived and worked in the region and could demonstrate meaningful local relationships. A local partner should therefore be more than a name in the proposal. The application needed to make clear what a partner, community group, university, protected-area team, or conservation organization would contribute and how that relationship would improve the work.

Eligibility for the closed cycle

The 2026 eligibility rules were specific:

• The applicant needed to be an early-career scientist with a graduate degree, either an MS or a PhD, received within five years of applying.
• The applicant needed to be from a country in Latin America or the Caribbean. AOS gave priority to researchers who lived and worked in the region and who showed strong integration with local communities and institutions.
• The proposed work needed to be conservation-related research on one or more avian species, either resident or migratory, in Mexico, Central America, South America, or the Caribbean.
• AOS ranked work on species of conservation concern and their habitats more highly than work using model systems to test hypotheses without a clear conservation application.
• Currently enrolled students were not considered for this grant. AOS encouraged students to review its other student research grants instead.
• Awardees needed to be current AOS members or willing to become members. An awardee facing financial hardship could request a temporary complimentary membership.

The ethical standard also mattered. AOS required nominees to meet its expectations for ethical and social behavior. Projects using invasive methods had to justify the need for those methods, the team’s qualifications, the scientific value, and the potential effects on the birds being studied. Applicants also had to certify whether they had obtained the permits needed to conduct the proposed research legally and ethically.

What the award could pay for

The maximum award was up to $5,000 USD. AOS allowed the grant to support a researcher’s or field assistants’ stipend, equipment, supplies, and travel and living expenses connected with field or laboratory work. The budget needed to identify the requested amount in the required categories rather than presenting one unexplained total.

The required LACCR categories were:

• Salary or stipends
• Housing and food
• Travel
• Equipment and supplies
• Other expenses

Applicants also had to provide a cost estimate for the entire project and show any available in-kind or matching support. All amounts were to be stated in U.S. dollars. This structure was important for a small award: the selection committee needed to see both the complete project cost and the precise role of LACCR funding.

The official rules excluded travel to meetings, publication costs, overhead, and indirect costs. A budget for the 2026 cycle therefore needed to distinguish field or laboratory travel from conference attendance and direct project costs from institutional charges. A clear line such as field transport for scheduled site visits was more useful than a broad line such as travel. The same principle applied to supplies, equipment, and assistant support.

Historical application materials

The 2026 application was organized into sections. These details describe the closed cycle and should be used as a record of what AOS requested, not as evidence that the portal is accepting late submissions.

Section I requested basic identification and compliance information:

• Name
• Current institution or affiliation
• Email address and phone number
• Permanent country of residence
• Highest degree and date obtained
• AOS membership status
• Certification that the applicant had obtained the permits necessary to conduct the proposed research successfully, ethically, and legally

Section II requested the proposal title and an abstract in English of no more than 200 words. The main research narrative could be written in English, Spanish, Portuguese, or French. The abstract still had to be in English.

Section III was the research narrative. AOS set a 2,000-word limit for the introduction through the conservation implications section, excluding the literature cited, timeline, and budget. The narrative needed to cover:

1. An introduction explaining the broader context, the conservation problem, and the knowledge gap.
2. Project objectives with specific questions, hypotheses, and predictions.
3. An approach and methods section sufficient for the committee to judge whether the methods fit the objectives.
4. Conservation implications, including a detailed plan for translating findings into conservation outcomes and communicating results to relevant users.
5. Literature cited in any consistent format.
6. A researcher qualifications statement of no more than 200 words describing relevant experience and the team’s ability to complete the work.
7. A project timeline showing approximate start and end points for fieldwork, data analysis, and manuscript preparation and submission.
8. A complete project cost estimate and an LACCR budget using the five required categories.

The additional supporting document was a curriculum vitae. The application also needed to address permits, research ethics, and any invasive methodology. A strong historical application would have connected every requested expense to a method and every method to a stated conservation outcome.

Historical application process

For the 2026 cycle, applications were submitted through the AOS Member Portal. The official instructions required an applicant to click the “Submit” button before the deadline; late submissions were not accepted. A confirmation email was expected after submission, and AOS advised applicants who did not receive one to contact the organization to confirm that the application had arrived.

Because the 2026 period is closed, there is no current application step to complete for this archived cycle. The old portal link should not be presented as an invitation to submit after the deadline. Anyone preparing for a possible future call should first check the official AOS program page for a newly posted cycle, rules, and deadline. No successor deadline is stated here.

The AOS page also recorded an optional online grant-preparation workshop for applicants on 4 February 2026. That workshop belonged to the closed 2026 cycle. Its inclusion in the record may help explain the cycle’s support resources, but it is not a current event or a substitute for a future call announcement.

How to assess fit for a future call

Although no future round is announced on the verified page, the 2026 criteria provide a useful fit test if AOS posts another call. Start with the degree and career-stage requirement. A project can be scientifically interesting and still be ineligible if the applicant is currently enrolled or the graduate degree falls outside the stated five-year window.

Next, test geographic and biological fit. The work must be about avian conservation in the named Latin American or Caribbean regions. Research on birds outside those areas, or a project in which birds are incidental rather than central, would not match the recorded program scope. The proposal should identify the focal species or habitat and explain the immediate conservation problem.

Then test practical use. Name the institution, community, protected-area team, agency, or other end user that could act on the findings. State what decision or intervention the work will support, when the result will be available, and how it will be shared. A short project with a modest budget can be persuasive when its scope, methods, partners, and deliverables are tightly aligned.

Finally, test readiness. Confirm permit requirements, field access, local collaborators, ethical safeguards, and the availability of any matching or in-kind support. If invasive methods are necessary, explain why non-invasive alternatives are insufficient and identify the team member qualified to carry them out. The budget should fit the field schedule and should exclude meeting travel, publication costs, overhead, and indirect costs.

Reporting and obligations after an award

The 2026 program required more than a successful application. Grantees were asked to submit an interim report describing project progress and grant expenditures within one year of receiving funds, with further reports at regular intervals when the approved schedule required them. They also had to provide a brief video of approximately 1.5 to 2 minutes summarizing progress and key highlights. AOS said these videos could be shared through its social media channels and the Conservation Committee webpage.

Within one year of completing the funded project, grantees had to submit a full report covering the introduction, methods, main results, final expenditure breakdown, and contribution to avian conservation. A final video of approximately 1.5 to 2 minutes was also required to summarize achievements and conservation outcomes. Publications resulting from the research had to acknowledge AOS LACCR support. These obligations should be included in project planning and not treated as optional follow-up work.

2026 outcome and source

AOS announced six 2026 LACCR grantees on 22 April 2026: Alexis Díaz, Patricia Ferreira, Luis Felipe Peixoto, Estefania Isabel Muñoz Salas, Érika Figueredo Guzmán, and Fernando Medrano-Martinez. The announcement describes the program as supporting early-career researchers from Latin America and the Caribbean and confirms awards of up to $5,000 for conservation-related research on resident or migratory birds.

The official program page remains the primary source for the grant’s purpose, eligibility, uses of funds, application materials, reporting requirements, and closed 2026 status. The grantee announcement is the source for the 22 April 2026 outcome. Readers should consult those AOS pages directly if a future cycle is posted; this archived entry does not supply or imply a 2027 deadline.

Frequently asked questions

Can I apply to the 2026 grant now?

No. AOS marks the 2026 application period as closed, and the historical deadline was 27 February 2026. AOS has already announced the grantees for that cycle.

How much was available?

The grant offered up to $5,000 USD per award. It was intended for a focused conservation-related research project rather than unrestricted general support.

Could a current student apply?

No. Currently enrolled students were not considered for this grant. AOS directed them to its other student research grants.

Could the proposal be written in a language other than English?

Yes. The 2026 research narrative could be in English, Spanish, Portuguese, or French, but the abstract had to be in English.

Was AOS membership required?

Awardees had to be current AOS members or willing to become members. A temporary complimentary membership could be requested when financial hardship prevented the awardee from joining.

Is there a 2027 deadline?

No 2027 deadline is stated on the verified AOS program page. Wait for an official AOS announcement rather than carrying the 2026 date forward or assuming that the program will open on the same schedule.

Where can I verify the program?

Use the official AOS program page: https://americanornithology.org/awards-grants/research-grants/latin-american-caribbean-conservation-research-grant/

For the outcome of the closed cycle, see AOS’s announcement: https://americanornithology.org/aos-announces-2026-latin-american-caribbean-conservation-research-grantees/