The Mumford and Keller Grant/Scholarship Program is used to award funds to individuals and organizations seeking funding for activities related to Indiana’s natural resources, particularly those related to Indiana’s avifauna, that-promote the Indiana Audubon Society’s mission. This program was created in 2010, and receives annual funding from the Indiana Audubon Society annual budget, as well as proceeds from the Indiana Dunes Birding Festival silent auction and raffle.
Birds of Indiana by Mumford and Keller.
Awards are announced annually. The Mumford & Keller Grant/Scholarship Program is named after Charles Keller and Russell Mumford. Both were instrumental in the birding community, and authored landmark birding books for the state of Indiana. Both Charles and Russell have passed, but their name lives on with the grants and scholarship program.
Annual applications are accepted June 1st and are due by September 1 each year for consideration.
Guidelines:
In 2022, $6,000.00 has been set aside for applicants in the following categories:
- IAS Members who are students, scientists, individuals, or non-profit organizations with IAS membership that are promoting a project that supports the study of Indiana’s natural resources, particularly those related to Indiana’s avifauna, and their relation to the natural environment; projects which contribute to preservation of birds; and/or projects which disseminate knowledge of birds.
- IAS Student Members interested in birds and wish to attend summer camps, workshops, classes, training programs, conventions, and other bird related activities (both IAS sponsored and non-IAS sponsored). This category of awards is of particular interest for the Indiana Audubon Society’s Indiana Young Birders Club.
- IAS Members wishing to attend workshops, classes, training programs, conventions, and other bird related activities (both IAS sponsored and non-IAS sponsored).
Selection Process
All applications must be received September 1 for 2022 funding. Respective awards will be announced by October 1. Indiana Audubon will review all applications to determine eligibility. Partial funding may also be awarded after consultation with grant applicants. Deadline for use of the funds is June 30, of the following award year.
Inappropriate requests for budget items include: routine living expenses, stipend or salaries, supplies and overhead expenses normally provided by your organization or institution, and most requests for permanent equipment (e.g. binoculars, scopes, field guides) unless these are to become property of an applicant’s organization or institution.
Maximum Grant Amount
The maximum grant award varies per application. For applicants applying for a workshop or other course, the maximum award is $500.00. All others have a maximum request of $1000.00, though larger totals are approved on a case by case basis.
Application Process
Indiana Audubon will notify awards recipients by October 1. .
Fund Distribution and Grant Reporting
Following selection, applicants will be contacted for distribution of the award. A one page summative report and copies of all related program/project receipts must be submitted no later than July 1, of the following year. All conservation and research projects are expected to present a program at an IAS sponsored event or festival. All successful grant applicants are also expected to write an interest or research article detailing their experience for the IAS Cardinal. The deadline for reporting is June 30, of the following year.
Credit Requirements
Individuals and organizations are encouraged to publicize grant awards. The credit line on press releases or publicity materials should include: “Funding for this project was provided by the Indiana Audubon Society and its Mumford & Keller Grants and Scholarship Program. www.indianaaudubon.org”
Some past award recipients include:
- Indiana Birding Trail. $450. Audubon/DNR Steering Committee. Creation of thematic logo for media advancement. This trail will offer 60 statewide birding locations for beginner and intermediate birders.
- Birds, Skulls, & Feathers. $265. Indiana Young Birders Club- North Chapter. Educational interactive materials. The activities provided will engage young birders at booths and monthly events.
- Workshop at Natural Encounters, Inc. –Contemporary Animal Training & Management. $1000. Jemma McElroy. State-of-the-Art hands-on course will update the skills of the Assistant Manager at Eagle Creek Ornithology Center.
- Motus Receiver. $1200, Mary Gray Bird Sanctuary. Funds will cover operation costs of registration of the Motus Station at MGBS.
- Field Guides for Farm Kids. $215. Amy Kearns (DNR). Twenty Kauffman Bird ID Guides will be distributed to farm youth to encourage birding as a way to preserve habitats for birds like the Loggerhead Shrike.
- Birding Eco-tourism Interpretive Signs. $400. Juan Diego Vargas. Lifer Nature Tours and National System of Conservation Areas of Costa Rica will place signs that describe the conservation of the area and the migration story of birds from North America.
- Indiana Birds of Prey in the Classroom. $300 Mark Booth. Live bird-of-prey program will be offered to a winning member of IAS to give to the school classroom of their choice.
- The Value of Small Birds. $100. Pat Knight. Funds given to encourage production of an educational power point presentation to groups in Northern Indiana.
- Equipment and materials to establish avian pollinator field study at Wabash Middle School $1000
- Assist Sassafras Audubon Society with funding to establish a MOTUS Tower at Goose Pond FWA $1500
- Equipment for In-house Lead Testing of Injured Birds including Bald Eagles at Humane Indiana Wildlife. $2000
- Update MOTUS Tower Frequency at Mary Gray Bird Sanctuary. $800
- Research funding to test the use of Autonomous recording units and environmental DNA to monitor Marsh Birds
Application Deadline is September 1st each year.
