CERF Legacy Fund Scholarships for Students and Early Professionals
2025 Applications | Eligibility & Application | Evaluation Criteria | Responsibilities of Recipients
The application submission deadline is 8 September 2025.
About
CERF sponsors the Legacy Fund scholarship for student and early career members of the Federation to enhance the research and career development of the next generation of coastal and estuarine scientists and managers. This scholarship is supported through generous donations to the CERF Legacy Fund, which honors scientists, resource managers, decision-makers, educators, and others for their important contributions to the understanding and wise stewardship of estuarine and coastal ecosystems worldwide. Donations are accepted online!
2025 Applications
Applications are now being accepted for the 2025 CERF Legacy Fund Scholarship program. The program is open to student and early career members of the Federation.
CERF anticipates awarding one US $1,000 scholarship in 2025. The application submission deadline is 8 September 2025.
Funds are intended to be used for a unique and valuable enhancement to the recipient’s research or career development. Scholarships should fund discrete, identifiable projects or activities; they are not intended to be the sole source of support for the recipient, nor should the funds be used for minor tasks within a larger funded project. Typical scholarship expenses include travel to a field site, tuition or travel to a training workshop or professional development program outside of the recipient’s home institution, and expendable materials and supplies required for research. This award is not intended to be used to pay the cost of attendance at CERF, Affiliate Society, or other scientific society general meetings.
At the applicant’s choice, funds can be distributed either directly to the awardee, or to the institution at which the applicant works or is a student. If the award is paid to an institution, CERF will not allow indirect costs to be charged to the award.
Questions can be directed to Susan Park, CERF Executive Director at [email protected].
Eligibility
- Applicants must be CERF members (either student or early professional) in good standing.
- Students must be enrolled at an accredited educational institution. They may be either an undergraduate or graduate student.
- Early professionals must be within five years of receiving their most recent degree.
- Previous recipients are not eligible.
Application
Please submit your application through the CERF online submission system. In addition to general information such as name, affiliation, and contact information, you must submit the following as a single PDF file (please use the naming convention last name_first name.pdf) in the order outlined below:
- A one-page proposal outlining the proposed research or career development opportunity. Any references are included in the one-page limit.
- Research-focused proposals should indicate how the funds would advance our understanding and stewardship of coastal and estuarine ecosystems (i.e., scientific merit as well as management applications).
- Career development-focused proposals should indicate the applicant’s research/professional interests and career goals and how the funds would help them reach these goals. We do not expect applicants to know exactly what their long-term career path will be, only that they demonstrate vision and thoughtful consideration with respect to their career goals and that the proposed activity aligns with achieving those goals.
- A budget and budget justification (one-page total). Optionally, you may include a description of any additional support you may have for this proposed activity.
- A one-page abbreviated CV.
- The names and email addresses of two references; if you are a student, one reference should be an advisor or committee member.
- A letter from an appropriate official at your institution (e.g., advisor, supervisor, department head) acknowledging that the applicant has authorization to submit the application. This is not a letter of recommendation; it is to ensure that appropriate institutional representatives have been consulted as some may require approval before submission.
Because the form requires a PDF upload, the name, email, and photo associated with your Google account will be recorded; however, we will not use this information.
If you exceed the one-page limit for the proposal, budget, or CV page, we will not share the additional pages with the review panel.
At the end of the form, you will be directed to an optional, anonymous demographic survey. CERF requests demographic information to track and measure progress towards its diversity, equity, inclusion, justice, and accessibility goals, which is a key part of Visions V, CERF’s newest strategic plan. To ensure anonymity, there is a link at the bottom of the application form to a separate voluntary demographic information form that does not collect personally identifiable information.
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Evaluation Criteria
The evaluation committee will look for evidence that the scholarship funds will make a real and lasting contribution to the applicant’s career in coastal and estuarine science and or management. Applications will be evaluated on these criteria:
- For research proposals: What is the scientific merit and management relevance of the proposed research proposal?
For career development proposals: Does the applicant clearly articulate how the proposed activity would help them reach their career goals and does this align well with the proposed activity? We do not expect applicants to know exactly what their long-term career path will be, only that they demonstrate vision and thoughtful consideration with respect to their career goals and that the proposed activity aligns with achieving those goals.
- How realistic and reasonable is the budget for accomplishing the goals of the proposal and does the applicant clearly indicate what additional funds are being leveraged to accomplish the proposed goals (particularly if the scholarship will not cover the full costs of the proposed activity)?
- Based on the applicant’s experience (as indicated by the CV) and the quality of the proposal, how likely is the applicant to succeed in achieving the goals of the proposal?
- The strength of the recommendations provided by the references, if contacted by the Evaluation Committee (only necessary in cases where a decision cannot be made by the committee based solely on the submitted materials).
Responsibilities of Recipients
- Award recipients are encouraged to attend the CERF Biennial Conference to receive their award in person.
- Award recipients are expected to understand their institution’s policies on external scholarships and awards, and follow all applicable procedures (e.g., approval of application by Office of Sponsored Programs). Awards may be made to the individual recipient or to the institution as required by institutional policy.
- Award recipients are expected to use scholarship funds in accordance with their proposal and budget.
- Award recipients are expected to acknowledge the Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation in all publications and presentations resulting from this award.
- Award recipients will agree to be featured in an article in CERF’s Up!, the Federation’s quarterly bulletin.
Previous Awardees
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