Sea Turtle Community Leaders

We support emerging leaders from coastal communities with grants & scholarships for imporant sea turtle conservation and research programs.

We launched Sea Turtle Community Leaders to support coastal residents as they grow their impactful work in their communities, as well as supporting deserving students attaining an education to pursue careers in sea turtle science and conservation.

With your help, we can work with communities to build the capacity of local conservation leaders, increasing the efficacy and longevity of sea turtle research and conservation practices worldwide.

Past Award Recipients:

  • Keithlyn Rankin (Costa Rica, 2021): Fieldwork Grant.

  • Luna Viera (Brazil, 2021): Fieldwork Grant.

  • Royner Carrasquero (Venezuela, 2021): Fieldwork Grant.

  • Angelica Burgos (Venezuela, 2022): Local Community Grant.

  • Busdar Marabatuan (Indonesia, 2022): Local Community Grant.

  • Daneira Brown (Panama, 2022):

  • Henry John (Papua New Guinea, 2022):

  • Sharon Bernal (Mexico, 2023): Local Community Grant.

  • Emma Bello (Costa Rica, 2024): Fieldwork Grant.

DONATE HERE

Fieldwork Grants

We will support deserving members of native and local communities in developing countries to help fund their research efforts at important research programs around the world. Students will be able to use these funds towards flights and transportation to field research sites, as well as a stipend to help cover any expenses not covered by the hosting organization. Applications will be reviewed by a panel of researchers and academics and the funds will be eligible to be used at approved programs anywhere in the world.

Guidelines:

  • Open to undergraduate students at accredited higher education institutions anywhere in the world.

  • Open to students who identify as a minority / underrepresented group as well as low-income students from universities that cannot afford their fieldwork.

  • Costs covered include travel expenses (airfare, local transportation), gear needed for field work, medical insurance (required), and a stipend.

  • This scholarship is intended for students who wish to pursue a career in sea turtle conservation and research. We recognize that careers can go in many different directions, so there is no requirement for the scholarship winner to stay in this field, but our goal is to help promote inclusivity in the sea turtle community, so a desire to work in this field for the long-term is important.

  • Scholarship winners are encouraged to write about their experiences for the SEE Turtles blog but not required to.

  • Scholarship winners are asked to provide feedback on the application process and field work experiences at the end of the field work.

Additional Information:

Costs covered:

  • Stipend: Amount is based on two months of employment at what is considered a living wage for the country where the researcher is from.

  • Travel: Transport to site, accommodations on the way in and out, gear specific to the research

  • Food and lodging at the research site should be covered by the participating organization

Requirements:

  • 2-month minimum time commitment. The scholarship winner can stay for longer if desired but we are not able to provide additional funds for stipends.

Local Community Members

The sea turtle community has made important advances in working cooperatively with local communities but much more needs to be done. These funds will be raised by allocating 5% of donations to our Billion Baby Turtles program. Local communities are defined as living within approximately 20 miles / 30 km of the turtle research area.

New Positions

Supporting the Local Community, Creating New Jobs Grant is intended to provide funds that offer residents near sea turtle sites leadership positions and opportunities for advancement.

Requirements:

  • Open to students/residents who identify as a minority / underrepresented group as well as low-income students from universities that cannot afford their fieldwork.

  • Funds can be used to complete college studies including tuition, living expenses, books, or supplies.

  • Applications can be completed by the organizations sponsoring the residents.

  • Initially open to current Billion Baby Turtles grantees and other organizations. If there are still funds available, we will open it to other organizations in developing countries.

  • Grant applications will be accepted for up to $3,000 per grantee.