Education Grants
Purpose:
The NSS Cave Education Grant's purpose is to support initiatives that promote cave and karst education or education programs for K-12 students. Donors established the original fund. Awards will not be given towards personal education or a special project.
Background:
The Education Grants Committee was created in the Department of the Administrative Vice President with the responsibility of administering or providing support for educational programs.
Contribution to NSS:
If an award is made, the requestor is required to provide a brief article suitable for the general readership of the NSS News when the project is completed. Photographs and other supporting documentation can accompany the article. The article should be submitted to the committee chair for evaluation, and will then be forwarded to the NSS News editor. Failure to complete this documentation will result in ineligibility for future awards.
Who can Apply:
- Grants are awarded to private individuals as well as institutions. Please contact the Education Grants Committee for questions about whether or not your project might qualify.
- Only grant requests pertinent to educational endeavors will be considered. If you have a grant request pertaining to personal education or funding a special project, please review the NSS grants page for more appropriate grant sources.
Application:
- The grant application can be completed and submitted electronically. The form is available in MS Word or as an Acrobat .pdf file:
- This form can be sent via email to the Education Grants Committee or printed and mailed. See the NSS Web page for current contact information. Electronic submissions are preferred; however, all grant requests are evaluated on merit, not format.
- Grants are awarded throughout the fiscal year; however, grant applications are due by August 15th and January 15th for consideration in each bi-annual round. Please note that sometimes only partial awards can be made due to the number of requests and the limits of funding.
Evaluation:
Applications will be evaluated by the target audience, educational value/meaningful experience, funding needs, and alignment to the NSS mission.
NSS Mission:
The National Speleological Society (NSS) is a non-profit membership organization dedicated to the scientific study of caves and karst; protecting caves and their natural contents through conservation, ownership, stewardship, and public education; and promoting responsible cave exploration and fellowship among those interested in caves.
Questions:
Contact the Education Grants Committee Chair at educgrants@caves.org
