NOW OPEN FOR 2025 McNALMS and MLSA Student Lake Research Grants Program: Call for Proposals
- The Michigan Chapter North American Lake Management Society (McNALMS) and Michigan Lakes and Streams Association (MLSA) have announced their call for proposals for the 2025 Lake Research Student Grants Program. The purpose of the program is to promote student efforts to work with lakes and lake communities to enhance lake management. Projects that increase the understanding of lake ecology, strengthen collaborative lake management, address inland lakes fisheries, build lake partnerships and/or expand citizen involvement in lake management are eligible for consideration. This year one or more grants will be awarded with a total of $4,000 allocated to this year’s program. Proposals will be funded for one calendar year. Projects must have a Michigan focus; however, the recipient does not have to reside in Michigan. A link to the application and grant proposal form is at the bottom of this page.
- Who May Apply
- Applicants must be either:
- University/College graduate student(s) conducting applied research/outreach projects
- University/College undergraduate student(s) working on special studies projects or
- Participants enrolled in or recent alumni of Michigan Conservation Stewards Program, Introduction to Lakes Online, or similar Watershed Academy
- 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 Membership page.
- Grant Application Deadlines
- The deadline for the 2025 grant application is Monday, March 17, 2025 at 5PM EST. Awards will be announced in mid-April
- 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 including computers, smartphones, tablets and similar devices are not allowed. McNALMS does not pay indirect costs.
- Uncompleted Projects
- Projects should be completed and funds expended within the one-year time frame. In special circumstances, extensions of up to three months after the end date may 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 send a 1-2 paragraph email to mcnalms@mcnalms.org indicating progress on the project after six months. At the end of the project period the grant recipient(s) must electronically 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 another educational event. Each project will be evaluated based on nine criteria. The evaluator can give the proposal a score of 0 to 10 based upon the strength of the proposal. A perfect score would be 90 points. The criteria are:
- 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?
- 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?
- Is 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?
Project SubmissionDownload the Grant Application and Form, fill in the application, and return it and your proposal by email to: melissa.desimone@mymlsa.org. For further information, contact us mcnalms@mcnalms.org or call: 989-831-5100.
