Travel Grants - AOS 2026 Annual Meeting

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: 15 March 2026 (11:59 p.m. ET)

*Applicants will be notified by May 1 regarding the outcome of their application.

The American Ornithological Society (AOS) is providing Travel Grants to help defray expenses to attend the AOS 2026 meeting in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States (U.S.). To qualify for any of the three travel grant categories, applicants must submit an abstract as the presenter for an oral talk or poster for the AOS 2026 meeting. Abstracts should be submitted before completing a travel grant application. Applicants will be required to provide their abstract submission number with their travel grant application. See the meeting website for abstract submission deadlines and details. Meeting attendance is required to pick up the Travel Grant. Travel grant checks will be available for pickup after Noon the Wednesday of the meeting.

Students, post-docs, and students between degree-seeking programs who intend to re-enter a degree program in the future are eligible to apply for AOS travel grants. Students are eligible if they are less than a semester past their graduation date.

IMPORTANT: Please see the visa page on the U.S. Department of State website to learn more about U.S. visa requirements and to help determine whether or not you need a visa to travel to the United States. If you need a U.S. travel visa, it is your responsibility to begin the visa application process with the U.S. government to ensure this is completed prior to your travel. If you require a visa letter of invitation to attend the conference, please complete this form on our meeting website to request an AOS 2026 invitation letter for your visa application with the U.S. government. A letter from AOS will be emailed to you within three business days.

There are three travel grant categories:

AOS General Travel Grants for Students & Postdocs

Student applicants do not need to be members of the AOS when they apply; however, grantees must be members of the Society to receive their grants. In contrast, postdoc applicants must be members of the AOS when they apply.

Travel Grants In Support of Expanding Opportunities

The AOS supports ongoing efforts to ensure that we welcome participants from all backgrounds, and we work to eliminate barriers to entry into ornithology for all interested individuals. As part of these efforts, the AOS is proud to offer additional travel grants supporting individuals who believe their individual background and/or experience has presented them with obstacles to participation in our conferences or the field of ornithology and/or those who have made significant contributions toward eliminating barriers to participation in the field and fostering a diverse and inclusive community. Membership in AOS is not required to be eligible for these grants. If you have received an Expanding Opportunities or equivalent travel grant from AOS in the past two years you are not eligible for this category again. Students and postdocs (as described above) who wish to be considered for these grants should select the appropriate option in the application process below.

Latin America and Caribbean Travel Grants

The AOS is proud to offer additional travel grants supporting students and postdocs who are from, reside, and/or study in Latin America and the Caribbean. Limited opportunities exist in Latin America and the Caribbean to fund and disseminate research in these regions, yet they are rich in biodiversity. These grants aim to create opportunities for students and postdocs to disseminate research findings and explore collaborations by participating in the meeting as part of the AOS community. Preference will be given to individuals in the early stages of their current position or career (e.g., undergrads, first- and second-year grad students, first-year post-docs, etc.). Membership in the AOS is not required to be eligible for these grants. Students and postdocs who wish to be considered for these grants should select the appropriate option in the application form.

Preparing a Budget

For AOS Expanding Opportunities and Latin American and Caribbean travel grants, you can request funds to cover various travel-related expenses – e.g., accommodations, registration costs, etc. Additionally, Latin American & Caribbean Travel Grants can cover reasonable meal expenses. Note: the governmentally established per diem range for meals will be limited to USD$46 – $75 per day and adjusted whenever meals are provided at the meeting. Provide budget requests based on your expected costs. For the general travel grants, travel grant money can only be used for travel to and from the annual meeting, including airfare, ground transportation (shuttles/taxis/ride-share, bus, train, etc.), rental car, fuel, and/or mileage. General travel grants cannot be used for reimbursement of lodging, registration, meals, or leisure travel expenses. All travel grant expenses, including registration costs (if covered by the travel grant as noted above), are issued on a reimbursement basis. Expenses must first be paid for by the recipient before a reimbursement check can be issued at the meeting.

Expenses Eligible for Reimbursement by Grant Type

Table that describes what is covered for each grant type.
TRANSPORTATION is covered by all three grants types.
AOS Membership is only covered by Expanding Opportunities and Latin American/Caribbean Grants.
Conference Registration is only covered by Expanding Opportunities and Latin American/Caribbean Travel Grants.
Accommodations are only covered by Expanding Opportunities and Latin American/Caribbean Travel Grants
Food and Meals only covered by Latin American/Caribbean Travel Grants.
A coupon code for the current year will be provided to grant recipients who do not have an active membership. The Latin American and Caribbean travel grant program is a new AOS initiative that differs somewhat from our general Travel Grants; it has been modified to address some of the unique needs of travelers from Latin America. Note that Latin American students and postdocs are also eligible for the general student Travel grants funding. Please ensure you know which program your funding comes from, as this will determine eligible expenses.

Application Details

All applications for travel grants must be submitted through the AOS 2026 Travel Grant Submission Portal. You should receive a confirmation email after clicking Submit. If you do not receive a confirmation email, please contact us to confirm that your application was successfully submitted. All grantees are expected to have a high standard of ethical and social behavior that is strongly aligned with the AOS Code of Conduct & Ethics.

Other information required in the application process includes:

Abstract submission number for your oral talk or poster that you plan to present
Current academic standing (e.g., pre-college, undergrad, M.S., Ph.D., postdoc, between degrees)
Anticipated graduation month and year
Confirm you have approval from your academic advisor/supervisor Past travel funding from the AOS
Travel budget request
Location that the applicant is traveling from (city, state or province, and country)
Institutional affiliation
Countries of residence and citizenship (some grants are restricted to U.S. citizens or permanent residents)

Questions?

For questions regarding Travel Grants, please complete this online form.
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