Student Grant Award Program

The Walnut Creek Open Space Foundation (WCOSF) offers a grant program for eligible students to receive up to $2,000 to those applicants selected through our review process. Qualified applicants can apply for grants for research studies that take place within the Walnut Creek Open Space system and whose projects will provide a benefit to the Walnut Creeks open spaces. These projects should be consistent with the mission of the WCOSF. The Walnut Creek Open Space, which is home to several unusual species and contains significant stands of oak woodland, grassland, chaparral and other habitats, is primarily within the City of Walnut Creek, with small sections overlapping into Concord and Lafayette.

Eligibility

The WCOSF Grant Program is open to college level students pursuing academic research and who are sponsored by a faculty member of an accredited academic research institution. Undergraduate students should be pursuing a senior project or similar type of study. Graduate students should be pursuing a master’s or Ph.D. level study. Although the Grant Program is open to all eligible applicants whose study meets these guidelines, priority will be given to those studies that are of particular interest to the WCOSF.

Types of Awards

Currently, two types of awards are available but more than one person may qualify for each award.

WCOSF Grant Award
The WCOSF Grant Award is our primary grant and will be awarded to qualified individuals who are selected through our grant application process. These projects may include Open Space Ecology, Management, Land Use and Planning or other relevant topics.

The Ralph Kraetsch and Dick Daniel Oak Award
This is our first distinctive award created to a legacy of work and commitment to oaks in the Walnut Creek Open Space. This award will be given to an approved recipient with a research project involving oaks or other trees in the Walnut Creek Open Space and their ecology and management, or interactions of oaks and other trees, vegetation, or wildlife.

Timing

All applications will be due by September 30th each year

Grant applications are reviewed by committee staff during October and November. We will approve funding during the WCOSF November Board meeting and notify applicants in December.

Award winners will receive 80% of funding upon formal Board approval and the remaining 20% after project submittal of data and project materials to WCOSF staff. Those chosen to receive awards will also be required to fill out a short City of Walnut Creek project approval form prior to receiving project funding.

More Information

Suggested Project Ideas

Full Terms & Conditions and Grant Approval Process

Have a specific question? Contact Sean Micallef at seanm@wcosf.org