This year 7 grant proposals were fully funded, totaling $17,000 in research dollars! IOS has now funded 140 grants, awarding over $137,000 since the program’s inception.
One of IOS’s objectives is “To promote scientific research and education in order to improve knowledge and awareness of birds in Illinois”. The IOS Grants Program was initiated several years ago to support this objective with funding.
The 2024 IOS Grants Program received fourteen requests for funding, representing a notably diverse set of study goals. The IOS review team evaluated each proposal to determine this year’s recipients. In addition to money provided directly by IOS, donations by five organizations and many individuals made it possible for the 2024 grant recipient to receive full funding for their projects.
Sponsor Organizations:
Dupage Birding Club
Illinois Audubon Society
Lake-Cook Audubon Society
Chicago Ornithological Society
Evanston North Shore Bird Club
Thanks to all! Without the generosity of these organizations and IOS members and friends in the bird conservation community, IOS would not be able to support these projects. The support exemplified by this funding sends an important message to these students and researchers: We believe in your work, and we care about the future of our state’s bird life!
Thanks to Dustin Weidner, John Leonard and Matt Hayes for reviewing and evaluating all the requests.
Congratulations to the grant recipients! Watch for their project articles in future issues of Meadowlark. Following is a synopsis of the 2024 grants. Where noted, individuals and organizations targeted those grants for their donations.
| Project Lead | Project | Fully Sponsored by |
| Mike Avara University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | The stopover and wintering behavior of Northern Saw-whet Owls in Illinois | Bob Fisher |
| Avi Berger University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | A Novel Approach to Investigating Developmental Changes in Eggshell Thickness | Illinois Audubon Society |
| Carlos Calzada University of Chicago & Field Museum of Natural History | West Nile Virus Epizootic in the FMNH’s Bird Collection: Evidence for Pathogen-driven Selection? | Dupage Birding Club |
| Mac Chamberlain University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | Social and genetic monogamy in the Brown-headed cowbird (Molothrus ater) | Individuals & Illinois Ornithological Society |
| Avery Dart Illinois State University | Effects of extra-pair paternity on provisioning effort in male house wrens (Troglodytes aedon) | Illinois Audubon Society |
| Ramona Pollard The Nature Institute | Mapping Birds for Restoration: Use of Passive Bird Monitoring to Create Targeted Restoration Efforts | Individuals, Chicago Ornithological Society & Illinois Ornithological Society |
| Anastasia Rahlin Illinois Natural History Survey, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | Investigating Marsh and Sedge Wren diets with fecal metabarcoding across a wetland urbanization gradient | Lake-Cook Audubon Society |