*Applicants will be notified by April 1 regarding the outcome of their application.
APPLICATION IS CLOSED FOR 2025
The American Ornithological Society (AOS) is providing Travel Grants to help defray expenses to attend the AOS 2025 meeting in St. Louis, Missouri, United States (U.S.). Although presenting as the first author of an oral or poster presentation at the conference is not a requirement for eligibility, grant selection will be strongly favored for those who are contributing actively to the conference, including those who are helping to organize the conference, presenting a paper, or leading workshops, symposia, roundtables, working group meetings, or official conference field trips. Meeting attendance is required to pick up the Travel Grant.
IMPORTANT: Please see the visa page on the U.S. Department of State website to learn more about U.S. visa requirements and to help determine whether or not you need a visa to travel to the United States. If you need a U.S. travel visa, it is your responsibility to begin the visa application process with the U.S. government to ensure this is completed prior to your travel. If you require a visa letter of invitation to attend the conference, please complete this form on our meeting website to request an AOS 2025 invitation letter for your visa application with the U.S. government. A letter from AOS will be emailed to you within three business days.
AOS General Travel Grants for Students & Postdocs
Student applicants need not be members of the AOS when they apply; however, grantees must be members of the Society to receive their grants. In contrast, postdoc applicants must be members of the AOS when they apply and be ineligible for student Travel Grants (i.e., graduated more than a semester prior to the meeting). Students between degree-seeking programs who intend to re-enter a degree program in the future may also apply for these grants.
Travel Grants In Support of Diversity & Inclusion
As part of our ongoing efforts to foster a diverse and inclusive community, the AOS is proud to offer additional travel grants supporting individuals from underrepresented groups (based on any attribute, including disability, ethnicity, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, etc.) and/or those who have made significant contributions towards fostering a diverse and inclusive community. Membership in the AOS is not required to be eligible for these grants. Students and postdocs (as described above) who wish to be considered for these grants should select the appropriate option in the application process below.
Latin America and Caribbean Travel Grants
The AOS is proud to offer additional travel grants supporting individuals who are from, reside, and/or study in Latin America and the Caribbean. Membership in the AOS is not required to be eligible for these grants. Students and postdocs who wish to be considered for these grants should select the appropriate option in the application process below.
Preparing a Budget
Travel funding is primarily for the purpose of defraying expenses for transportation to and from the conference. However, some funding sources may provide funding beyond strict travel (e.g., accommodations, meals, registration costs, etc.), particularly to individuals of greatest need. In the application, you will be asked to provide detailed budget requests in two categories: transportation and lodging. Transportation requests are limited to estimated costs associated with travel to and from the annual meeting, including airfare, ground transportation (shuttles, taxis/ride-share, bus, train, etc.), rental car, fuel and/or mileage.
Application Details
APPLICATION IS CLOSED FOR 2025
All applications for travel grants must be submitted through the AOS 2025 Travel Grant Submission Portal. If you are presenting an oral or poster presentation at the conference (which greatly increases your chances of receiving a grant, particularly for students and postdocs), you should describe your intended participation in the AOS 2025 conference. All grantees are expected to have a high standard of ethical and social behavior that is strongly aligned with the AOS Code of Conduct & Ethics.
Other information required in the application process includes:
- Current academic standing (e.g., pre-college, undergrad, M.S., Ph.D., postdoc, between degrees)
- Anticipated graduation month and year
- Past travel funding from the AOS
- Travel budget request
- Location that the applicant is traveling from (city, state or province, and country)
- Institutional affiliation (some grants are restricted to those from U.S. institutions)
- Countries of residence and citizenship (some grants are restricted to U.S. citizens or permanent residents)
Questions?
For questions regarding Travel Grants, please complete this online form or contact the appropriate representatives by email using the subject line:
“AOS 2025 Travel Grants – Inquiry Regarding ______________”
For AOS Travel Grants
Sarah Saunders: sarah.saunders@audubon.org and Evan Adams: evan.adams@briwildlife.org
For Diversity & Inclusion Travel Grants
Sahas Barve: sahasbarve@gmail.com
For Latin America and Caribbean Travel Grants
Viviana Ruiz Gutierrez: vr45@cornell.edu