Outreach and engagement grants

Providing funding of up to £2,000 for individuals, teams and organisations to engage public audiences with the excitement of ecological science.

Objectives

• Engaging public audiences with the relevance and importance of ecological science and careers is vital.
• This grant will support BES members to deliver independent outreach, public engagement and science communication activities that engage public audiences with the excitement, importance and relevance of ecological science or enhance the experience and skills of others to communicate ecology with public audiences.
• The grant will support diverse formats that reach and engage public audiences in innovative, creative and impactful ways, whether through in-person events, digital formats, or physical resources.

All Grants must be for projects that meet at least one of the top-level BES aims:

• Communicate evidence-based messaging for what ecology is, how nature works, and the use of ecological science as a solution to local and global challenges.
• Raise awareness and public understanding of ecological careers, their relevance and importance, breadth, and diversity, and show that anybody can become an ecologist.
• Share how individuals can take action to benefit the environment, themselves, and society.
• Increase the ability of others to deliver the above aims through outreach and engagement activities.

Whilst all forms of outreach and engagement will be supported, the funding may have the greatest impact if the Grant particularly encourages applications for activities that achieve the following:

• Pilot novel methods of communicating ecological sciences with public audiences.
• Engagement which may stimulate dialogue with ecologists, inform behavioural change and action for both ecologists and the public, or encourage ecological career prospects.
• Encourage interdisciplinary collaborations.
• Produce engagement materials or outcomes others can use or benefit from subsequently.
• Develop the skills of others in communicating ecological science with public audiences e.g., training.

Round 1 opens 12 Jan and closes 10 Mar 2026
Apply here: www.britishecologicalsociety.org/content/outreach-and-engagement-grants/