Welcome,
The Cushman Foundation offers Student and Retiree Research and Travel Grants. Deadline for applying for all student grants is 1 March. Proposals are judged upon scientific merit and financial need. A description of the awards and details on applying, are available via the links below. The CFFR considers only individual merit and does not discriminate in any way in making these grants. Click on the titles for more information and past grantees.
A letter reporting the progress of the awardee and use of the Foundation's funds is expected within two years after the award. The Board of Directors encourages awardees to submit their results to one of the Foundation's publications and requests that acknowledgment of the award be included in any thesis, dissertation or publication that results from work supported by an award of the Foundation.
The Joseph A Cushman Award for Student Research supports Master's and Doctoral Students research projects dealing with the systematics, biostratigraphy, paleoecology, and ecology of fossil or living foraminifera.
Student Travel Award deadlines: For Fall and Winter meetings, deadline is August 15th For Spring and Summer meetings is February 15th.
This Fellowship recognizes and advances the careers of outstanding doctoral candidates committed to foraminiferal research. It is made possible by a gift from the estate of Johanna M. Resig, a lifelong specialist on Foraminifera and former editor of the Journal of Foraminiferal Research. Proposals are judged upon scientific merit and financial need. Deadline for applying is 1 March. CFFR invites applications from all members or those within the broader community of foraminiferalogy.
Loeblich and Tappan Student Research Award supports undergraduate and graduate student research on any aspect of living or fossil foraminifera or other protists, including diatoms, coccolithophorids, dinoflagellates, acritarchs, or radiolaria.
The William V. Sliter Research Award supports graduate student research on Mesozoic and Cenozoic foraminifera.
This award from the Cushman Foundation for Foraminiferal Research supports current undergraduate, masters’ and doctoral students, and those who have been awarded the Ph.D. no more than one year past the application deadline. The award funds those who wish to present the results of their theses or dissertations at Foundation-approved professional meetings or workshops in either an oral or poster session. It also funds (up to $500) students to attend workshops. The research projects or workshops should address microfossils or the organisms that make them.
Retired members of the Cushman Foundation without other financial resources may apply for funds up to $2000 for research and travel dealing with any aspect of living or fossil foraminifera or other protists, such as diatoms, coccolithophorids, dinoflagellates, acritarchs, or radiolaria. Funds for research costs and travel for field work, museum study, or presentation at a professional meeting may be requested. This grant recognizes that retired workers often continue their research after leaving their institution of employment and no longer have funding resources.
The Buzas Award for Travel (BAT) was established in 2017 by Dr. Martin A. Buzas and his family to support foraminiferal researchers wishing to use the world-famous Cushman Collection of foraminifera at the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., USA. The award is open to graduate students and professional researchers who can demonstrate a need to use the collection and associated facilities. The CFFR does not discriminate in its selection of awardees in any way.
Marty Buzas, a past Director and President of the Cushman Foundation, was a curator at the Smithsonian from 1963 until 2022. His research focused on the “quantitative understanding of the distribution of organisms in small and large amounts of space and time”. Over his career Marty published more than 100 peer-reviewed papers and 15 books. The BAT was established to emphasize the importance of verifying taxonomy in foraminiferal research.
The Cushman Foundation is pleased to offer the Buzas Award for Travel to support graduate students and professional researchers studying foraminifera who wish to visit the Cushman Collection and associated facilities in the Department of Paleobiology, Natural History Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Washington D. C., USA.
To apply, please provide a short (1-3 pages) summary of your research including a title, why it is important, how the Cushman Collection will be utilized, and a detailed travel budget (travel, accommodations in or near Washington, D.C.). Also include a CV with your name and address, affiliation, email, and phone number. Graduate students should supply a letter of support from their faculty advisor. Send materials by email to cushmanfoundation@gmail.com. No award will be made for more than $2000. The Board of Directors reserves the right to make no awards or to make awards that differ from the requested budget.
Proposals must be submitted by 1 March. Decisions will be made by the Board of Directors in late April. The first award was made in 2018.