Grants

We fund environmental education using donations made to our environmental protection fund (EPF) and also through a bequest left to us by Pam Morse. Contact us to discuss how we could help you.

• Research grants are available to applicants engaged in the study of any aspect of urban bushland, including flora and fauna studies, ecology, and management issues such as chemical pollution, weed invasion, erosion control and controlled burning – to apply, complete this application form
• Education grants are available to schools for projects that promote awareness of the value of urban bushland, educate students or the community on how to minimise their impact on urban bushland, or restore a natural habitat – to apply, complete this application form

John Martyn Research Grant for the Conservation of Bushland

Applications for the 2023 research grant of $2500 are welcomed from honours, masters and PhD students. To apply, complete this application form electronically, save it and email it to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by 31 March 2023. We will announce the winner by 30 April 2023.

Winners

2022 Chantelle Doyle (UNSW, PhD) Ecology of the Critically Endangered Hibbertia spanantha

2021 Erin Rogers (Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Master of Research) Phosphorus Liberation on Low Fertility Soils with Fire: How does it Affect the Re-growth Capacity of Native Plants?

2020 Ruby Paroissien (UNSW, honours) Impact of Changes in Fire Seasonality on the Reproductive Success of the Post-fire Flowering Species, Doryanthes excelsa

Postscript

Ruby's research was published in Environmental and Experimental Botany, vol 192, Dec 2021, 104634. You can also download a PDF of the paper, Effects of fire season on the reproductive success of the post-fire flowerer Doryanthes excelsa.

2019 Gabriella Hoban (UNSW, honours) Soil Characteristics as Indicators of Restoration Trajectories in Urban Woodlands

2018 Katie Rolls (Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, PhD) Adaptive Capacity of Widespread and Threatened Acacia Species to Climate Change

Threatened Species Children’s Art Competition

Since 2017 STEP has supported a great initiative organised by Forestmedia, an organisation that is aiming to increase community awareness of the plight of our threatened species and help to develop the next generation of environmental leaders. In 2021, the Australian Conservation Foundation partnered with Forestmedia and we decided the competition no longer needed our support.

Young Scientist

To encourage and reward research and education on environmental issues, STEP has aligned with Young Scientist and each year we donate a prize of $250 for the best environmental project. The competition is organised by the Science Teachers' Association of New South Wales and is open to students from kindergarten to year 12.