UW-NPS Small Grants

Our small grant program funds ~12 projects each year (up to $5000 each) for research in the Greater Yellowstone Area. We love to see proposals that address Grand Teton National Park research priorities and Yellowstone National Park research priorities, but that is not a requirement for funding. We strive to fund the best science, so if you have a great idea and well written proposal, send it our way!

We announce the RFP around December of each year. Awardees are selected in March and the grant period is May 1 through April 30 of the following year. Join our mailing list to be notified as soon as it is announced.

How to Apply

The deadline to submit 2025 small grant proposals has passed. Check back in December for the 2026 RFP.

Previously supported research

We maintain an archive of reports submitted by previous grant awardees supported by UW and the NPS. These can be viewed here:

Additional reports not yet published in the archived are listed below.

2024

Zachariah Gompert, Utah State University, Contemporary evolution and climatic (mal)adaptation in the Northern Blue butterfly (Lycaeides idas)
Sierra Jaeger, University of South Carolina, Population demography of the last populations of the Yellowstone sand verbena (Abronia ammophila)
Taylor Johaneman, University of Colorado Boulder, Impacts of artificial levees on the relationship between fluvial ecogeomorphic processes and floodplain carbon storage
Elise Loggers, Montana State University, Behavior and nutritional condition buffer a large-endotherm from an ever-changing environment
Adrienne Stanley, Utah State University, What are the drivers behind eutrophication of alpine lakes in Western North America: A case study from Wyoming
B. Derrick Taff,The Pennsylvania State University, Informing human waste management strategies in Grand Teton National Park: Integrating visitor perspectives, behavioral intentions, and Park communication strategies
Anne Beeman, University of Wyoming, Effects of seed mix composition, soil tilling, and soil texture on shrub establishment and native species diversity in sagebrush steppe restoration
Molly Caldwell, University of Wyoming, How do American bison (Bison bison), an ecosystem engineer, influence ungulate space and resource use? A case study of the Yellowstone ungulate community
Sara Germain,University of Wyoming, Mechanisms of ecotype transitions in disturbed subalpine forests: Does invasion beget invasion?
Alexis Hunter Hollander, University of Wyoming, Assessing the conservation status of Western pearlshell mussels in Grand Teton National Park
Madeline Lewis, University of Wyoming, Assembling Wyoming: Examining ancient metamorphic and tectonic conditions that formed the southern Teton gneisses
Lauren Wetterau,University of Wyoming, Effects of red squirrel middens on species biodiversity and richness in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem

2023

Michela Corsini, Boise State University, Preserving the dark side of the night: Insights into nocturnal insects’ responses to different artificial light colors in Grand Teton National Park
Konshau Duman, University of California, Davis, Red crossbill diet study
Taylor Johaneman, University of Colorado, Boulder, Linking hydrogeomorphic processes to floodplain carbon stocks on the Snake River, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
Dustin Meattey, Biodiversity Research Institute, Maine, Greater Yellowstone Harlequin duck monitoring and eDNA investigation
Colby Parkinson, Pennsylvania State University, Bicycle patterns in Grand Teton National Park’s multi-use pathway: Integrating behavior, recreation specialization, and big data
Zack DeLuca, University of Montana, Hydrogeomorphic response to extreme flooding in Yellowstone National Park
Anna Chalfoun, University of Wyoming, University of Idaho, Effects of sagebrush restoration efforts in Grand Teton National Park on avian habitat, abundance, and diversity over time
Kathryn Davis, University of Wyoming, How does ecosystem engineering by beavers impact amphibian occupancy and connectivity?
William Fetzer, University of Wyoming, Quantifying energy pathways supporting the Jackson Lake fishery
Jonathan Lautenbach, University of Wyoming, Understanding Columbian sharp-tailed grouse population origins and connectivity in Grand Teton National Park
Andrew Miller, University of Wyoming, Evolution of hydrothermal fluids at Beryl Springs, YNP
Lusha Tronstad, University of Wyoming, Assessing parasites of native bumble bees in Grand Teton National Park: Are they limiting declining species

2022

Lusha Tronstad, University of Wyoming. Building an integrative future for mountain research in the high Teton Range: Linking NPS geophysical research with long-term ecological monitoring of aquatic ecosystems
Dan MacNulty, Utah State University. Trophic cascade or trickle? Understanding the indirect effects of wolves on aspen
Philip Halliwell, Colorado State University. The sagebrush blues: Butterfly pollinator assemblages in the GYE
Teodora Rautu, Montana State University. How does whitebark pine affect snowpack and streamflow within the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem?
Anna Shampain, Colorado State University. Glacial meltwater as a source of persistent organic pollutants and trace elements to high altitude Rocky Mountain lakes
Rebecca Levine, University of Wyoming. The costs of thermoregulatory behavior: How are moose in the Greater Yellowstone coping as summers intensify?
William McDonald, University of Wyoming. Wyoming river otter project: Understanding the distribution, abundance and connectivity of river otters in Wyoming
Jeffrey Baldock, Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, University of Wyoming. Evaluating the role of spring-fed streams to Yellowstone cutthroat trout
Hilary Byerly Flint, University of Wyoming. Designing effective and equitable approaches to transboundary wildlife conservation around national parks
Ellen Keaveny, University of Wyoming. The influence of season and climate on montane bumble bee physiology and abundance
Joshua Layfield, University of Wyoming. Winter space use and habitat selection of migratory-subadult Golden Eagles (Aquila Chrystaetos) in Wyoming
Bryce Shoup, University of Wyoming. Using an isotope mass balance approach to understand lake evaporation, health, and how climate change will impact Jackson Lake in Grand Teton National Park

2021

James Cohen, Weber State University, Population variation of three Yellowstone grasses, including the rare endemic Agrostis rossiae (Ross’ Bentgrass)
Lusha Tronstad, University of Wyoming. Moving beyond morphology: Integrating molecular metabarcoding into long-term alpine stream research to better understand biodiversity change
Jeffrey Skibins, East Carolina University. Research proposal: Visitor motivations for campground site selection at Grand Teton National Park
Troy Koser, Montana State University, Understanding the ecology of winter ticks (Dermacentor albipictus) in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem using detection canines and implications for the Jackson moose herd
Kristin Barker, University of California – Berkeley, Evaluating how and why humans alter natural patterns of wolf predation
Natali Kragh, Montana State University, Updating and assessing the accuracy of the geologic map of Yellowstone National Park
Abigail Sisneros-Kidd, University of Wyoming, Integrated digital storytelling and story-mapping as a novel method to inform recreation-wildlife coexistence in Jackson Hole, WY
Melanie Murphy, University of Wyoming, Beaver and biodiversity linkages in Grand Teton National Park
Bridger James Huhn, University of Wyoming, Testing biophysical mechanisms to explain endemic plant locations in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
Joseph Holbrook, University of Wyoming, Recreational influence on the dietary and spatial patterns of Montane Red Fox in Grand Teton National Park
Jordan Von Eggers, University of Wyoming, Using eDNA in alpine lake sediment cores to track multiple stressors, multiple trophic levels, and the rise of Anthropocene biodiversity changes
Janey Fugate, University of Wyoming, How do ungulates learn to migrate? A century-long case study with Yellowstone bison

Other Funding Opportunities

Opportunities will be announced via our mailing list as they become available. If you are a granting agency with funding opportunities for all types of scientific research, education, and outreach in the GYE, contact us and we’ll be happy to post your announcement here.