The David Redden Conservation Science Fund Application cycle will re-open in November 2026.
Grant awards of up to $10,000 will be made on a competitive basis to support research in any area of science with conservation relevance. Projects must be completed, at least in part, within Black Rock Forest in Cornwall, New York.
Applications from students, post-doctoral scholars, and senior researchers are welcomed. Proposals from high school, undergraduate, and graduate students must be submitted in collaboration with a teacher or faculty mentor who will directly supervise their research.
Award funds can be used to purchase project supplies and equipment, to pay for the processing of samples at external laboratory facilities, as stipends for students, assistants, and faculty, and to cover transportation or other incidental costs.
Please visit our website for guidelines, the application form, and more information. For questions, please call the Black Rock Forest Office at (845) 534-4517 or email Dr. Scott LaPoint slapoint@blackrockforest.org
Black Rock Forest is a nonprofit organization founded in 1989 to advance scientific understanding of the natural world. In addition to a 1,586-ha forest in Cornwall, NY the organization runs a field station with labs, classrooms, and lodging. The Forest features a diversity of terrestrial and aquatic habitats with nearly 70-km of forest roads and trails.
At Black Rock Forest we value diversity in our ecosystems and our organization. We are committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion in our workplace and in our science, education, and conservation. We strongly encourage applications from underrepresented group members.
2026 Award Recipients
Drs. Danny Gentile and Rachel Cox, Lisman Laboratories at Riverdale Country School, “Fish Species Diversity as Indicated by eDNA Monitoring in Black Rock Forest”
Ms. Kaitlin Karl and Dr. Mark Davis, Collaborative Conservation Genomics Laboratory at the Illinois Natural History Survey of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, ” Integrating Population Genomics and Disease Surveillance to Assess the Health of the Timber Rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus), at Black Rock Forest, Cornwall, New York”
Dr. Mustafa Saifuddin, Department of Environmental Studies of New York University , “Characterizing Forest Soil Microbial Biodiversity and Activity”
Click here to view previous David Redden Conservation Science Fund award recipients
Isobel Mifsud, a masters student from Columbia University, Department of Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology and a 2020 David Redden Conservation Science Fund Small Grant recipient, explains the impact of winning the award had on her and her project (quantifying rates of N Fixation in xylophagous beetle larvae).