Holsworth – Frequently Asked Questions

The Holsworth Endowment runs two grant rounds each year. Applications open between 1 to 31 March (Round 1) and 1 to 30 September (Round 2). Applications close at 11:59pm on the specified date.

Our website contains information regarding the Holsworth Endowment, including detailed guidelines, the application process and application forms.

When the grant round is open, the links to the application forms will be available on the ESA website. Please complete all requirements of the application form and attach any additional documents as requested.

Guidelines on how to complete the project description template and page/word limits are included within that document. Note that reference lists are not included in the nominated page limit.

It is important that you refer to the guidelines to ensure that your application will be eligible and that your research project will fit within the scope of the Endowment.

Applicants must be current members of the Ecological Society of Australia at the time of submitting their application but do not need a member login to access or submit the application form. Membership status will be verified by the assessment committee following application.

Applications are open to Australian PhD students with preference given to early stage students, although that should not deter late stage students from applying. Please note that students with less than 12 months remaining on their candidature are ineligible to apply as new applicants. Masters and Honours students are not eligible to apply. Preference is also given to students undertaking research on Australian species and undertaken in Australia or its Territories (eg Antarctica). Preference will be given to the following:

• Field work on Australian native species (flora, fauna, fungi) to gain understanding of ecological interactions, population dynamics, animal behaviour, and species distribution
• Conservation biology and biodiversity studies relating to the management of protected areas and rare or threatened species in Australia
• Wildlife management relating to sport hunting, harvesting, pest control, management  of non-game animals, and effect of land management on native species.

Requests for the international conference funds and publishing cost support will only be considered for continuing students in their final funding year.

Yes. A student can be awarded both a Holsworth grant and one of the major student prizes, either in the same year, or in different years, provided the funds requested are to cover different costs associated with their project/s.

Continuing applicants with more than $2000 of uncommitted funds from previous Holsworth rounds are not eligible to apply, unless it can be demonstrated that the funds have already been committed (e.g. the student is awaiting an invoice from a recently paid expense).

All applicants with more than $300 of uncommitted funds from previous Holsworth rounds must provide a clear explanation. If not explained to the judges satisfaction, the amount will be deducted from any funds awarded.

Students do not have to apply every 12 months. There is no maximum time period between applications but students should provide a brief justification for extended periods (i.e. more than 12 months) in their application.

You do not need to login to access the forms – just follow the links on the website. The applications include downloadable templates that you can work on offline until you are ready to submit.

Please make sure you use the correct form. If you have not previously received Holsworth funding (including past unsuccessful applications) then please use the New Applicants Form. If you have previously received funding and are applying for second or third year funding, then please use the Continuing Applicants Form.

If you have any difficulties navigating the form, please email

The exact process for completing and submitting an application for the Holsworth Endowment should be determined by the student and the university’s grants office. For ease, we suggest that the student forward a copy of their application content and a copy of the downloadable certification template to the Grants Office to complete. the student can then upload a copy of the complete Certification and Privacy Statement in the designated section in order to confirm that the university approves of the submission.

Applications for the Holsworth Wildlife Research Endowment must be approved by the university research grants office (or similar) prior to submission. Applications submitted without the knowledge or consent of the university may be declined.

Please note, some universities require that all grant applications be subjected to an internal legal check. Please bare this in mind when you are completing your application as it may take a number of weeks for your university to complete this check.

You do not need to save your application form. The online form includes a downloadable template for the ‘Project Description’ and ‘Budget’ sections which you can work on offline and upload as a pdf when you are ready to submit.

No, your uploaded application is your final version.

If you have a significant need to change your original application you can contact us prior to the closing date by emailing 

You can cut and paste from previous forms where relevant. Please make sure that you are using the current form and are addressing the current guidelines as requirements may change.

You can use your supervisor as one of the referees; however, we require that at least one referee be external to your university and be capable of providing a general academic reference as to the quality of your work.

The external referee does not need to be a direct academic collaborator but does need to be able to support the value of your project and its outcomes e.g. local Landcare group, Government department, NGO. If it is not possible to provide a referee external to your university then they should at least be external to your project.

A written referee report is not required at the time of application, only referee details. However, should a referee report be requested as part of the assessment process it will need to be on organisation letterhead.

There is no signing declaration for the Executive Summary an it does not need to be on letterhead – just added to the online form as requested. Please ensure that the student and Primary Supervisor details are provided and  includes contact  and position details. While there is no signing declaration, it is strongly recommended that the student seeks feedback from their supervisor on the applications. Also, make sure you observe the required word limit.

There is no specific font style or size that is required for the attachments.  Please ensure that the attachments are uploaded in PDF format. Please note, the Executive Summary should be no more than 300 words in length.

There is a maximum file limit of 25 megabytes. However, it is strongly recommended you try to keep files under 5 megabytes.

If your attachments are over this size, you can either send them in separate emails or some software allows you to manually reduce the size of graphics and files. In addition, logos, pictures and other graphics can be deleted to reduce the file size.

All students must provide a personal statement (no more than 300 words) outlining their academic milestones and achievements. A copy of their formal academic record is no longer required.

What should be included?

The particulars of your budget will be largely dependent on the nature of your research. However, as per the Guidelines, the budgetary details generally relate to expenses associated with travel and fieldwork. Costs associated with salaried positions (e.g. a field or lab assistant) can be included but would need to be well justified. Exact quotes for travel etc. are not required. However, applicants should provide a well researched budget and accurate costings that are both believable and specific. Budgets must be clearly itemised with details of all intended expenditure. If budgets do not include sufficient level of detail the application will not be successful.

In their final year, applicants may apply for up to $3000 to assist with costs associated with communication of their research (including publishing fees or costs related to presenting at a conference or attending a workshop). First and Second year applicants can apply for a maximum of $800 to attend domestic conferences only. The funds can be used to achieve more than one publication (for final year applicants) or attend more than one conference/workshop.

Detail must be provided in the applicant budget, including:

• the journal the funds are being requested for, the title of the paper, a breakdown of the costs associated.
• the name and location of the conference, whether the applicant will be presenting, a breakdown of the costs associated, how this conference relates to the applicant's project and how it will assist with communicating results of the project.
• the name and location of the workshop, whether the applicant will be presenting, a breakdown of the costs associated, how the workshop relates to the applicant's project and how it will assist with communicating results of the project.

Can I apply for conference attendance?

Funding to attend international conferences is restricted to continuing students in their final funding year as part of fund allocation to communicate their research (see note above). First and Second year applicants can apply for a maximum of $800 to attend domestic conferences only. Successful Holsworth recipients in their first and second years are strongly encouraged to attend ESA conferences and present their research. Applicants will need to provide details of the name and location of the conference/s, whether the applicant will be presenting, a breakdown of the costs associated, how the conference/s relate to the applicant's project and how it will assist with communicating results of the project.

A downloadable template has been provided to help you structure your budget and can be worked on offline until you are ready to submit.

When would funds be available if I am successful?

Due to the high volume of applications to the Holsworth program the assessment process can take some time. Funds are usually made available to successful applicants approximately 3-4 months after applications close. Please bear this in mind when including timelines in your application and budget requests. This is particularly important for Continuing students with unspent funds that may ordinarily impact on their next grant offer - if you intend to use unspent funds in the 3-4 months after applications close, please outline this clearly in your application so that judges may take it into consideration.

After you lodge your application you will receive an automated email to acknowledge receipt of your application. If you don’t receive an email acknowledgment within three working days, please check your spam filter.

If you have still not received the acknowledgement, please let us know by sending an email to: 

After the Grant Round has closed, the Holsworth Endowment Advisory Panel will  review all applications. As a general rule, notification of the decision is usually sent to applicants between two to three months after the closing date.

All applicants will receive  a  notification email or letter regardless of whether their outcome has been successful or not.

Generally, no feedback is given unless there is something quite specific in the application that could be improved, or the organisation is ineligible to apply. There are typically more applications than funding available and sometimes strong applications and worthy projects are unable to be supported.

The Ecological Society of Australia is very interested in the outcomes of all projects funded. All continuing students provide a Progress Report as part of their continuing application – a separate progress report is not necessary. If you are not intending to apply for more funding, or if it is your final year of funding we expect to receive a Final Report within two months of the completion of the project, as well as a copy of the thesis.

Report templates are available online. If you are unable to access the forms or have queries on completion please email .

We understand that you or your organisation may want to recognise the support provided by the Holsworth Endowment and it is expected that funding support is acknowledged in all presentations and publications.

Our preferred wording for this is ‘This project was funded by the Holsworth Wildlife Research Endowment – Equity Trustees Charitable Foundation & the Ecological Society of Australia’.

ESA considers the grants made to organisations as gifts that are freely given and would not ordinarily constitute consideration for taxable supply by recipients. The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) provides information on GST and grants on the ATO website.

Information on GST and non-profit organisations forms part of the ATO’s “Resolved Issues Document” (July 2001). Applicants and grant recipients are advised to seek further information from the ATO regarding their specific individual circumstances.

This ensures that the grant is recorded for taxation and auditing purposes by the grantor (Ecological Society of Australia) and the grantee. In addition, as all grant payments are made by EFT, this also ensures that EFT advice can refer to a Tax Invoice Number for verification and reconciliation purposes. The Tax Invoice should clearly indicate that supply of the grant is GST-free.

Due to the high volume of applications to the Holsworth program the assessment process can take some time. Funds are usually made available to successful applicants approximately 3-4 months after applications close.

By submitting an application or report:

• You certify that to the best of your knowledge the statements contained therein, and any supporting documents are true.
• You consent to the information being disclosed to or by the Ecological Society of Australia for the purpose of assessing, administering and monitoring any current or future grant applications.
• You understand that if the Ecological Society of Australia approves a Grant Application, your organisation will be bound by the contents of the Grant Application to carry out the project  as described therein and in accordance with the grant conditions, timeline for completion and reporting requirements as set out in the Ecological Society of Australia’s Letter of Approval to the successful applicant.
• You consent to the Ecological Society of Australia making public any successful Grant Applications, including the project description, the name of your organisation and grant amount awarded to you.

1.  The Grantee will use the whole of the Grant exclusively for the Project as described in the Grant Application and not for any other purpose. As these funds are relatively small research grants, we expect that the total funds provided for the student’s research be allocated for the work of the student and not used for general university administration or indirect cost recovery purposes. We consider that the Government should be providing funds for that purpose.

2.  The Grantee will use its best endeavour to complete the Project usually within 12 months from the date or receipt of the Grant or in the case of multiple year grants as specified by the Grantor (the “Specified Period”).

3.  The  Grantee  will  promptly   advise  the  Grantor  of any material change which may affect the Grantee’s ability to undertake or complete the Project within the Specified Period.

4.  The Grantee will expend the Grant only within Australia and where specified within the particular State or Territory (with the exception of Government accredited Australian Overseas Aid Agencies).

5.  The Grantee will show the Grant separately in its books of account and keep records adequate to enable the use of grant funds to be checked readily.

6.  The Grantee will acknowledge the assistance of the Grantor in any published or display material.

7.  The Grantee will give the Grantor an annual Progress Report (in the case of multiple year grants) and a Final Report within two months of completion of the project. The Grantor will send the Grantee instructions for accessing the template report.

Any proposed material changes to a project must be made in writing or by email and must be approved by the Ecological Society of Australia. Please ensure that you outline the changes proposed (timing/scope/funding) and any reasons for the change from the originally proposed project.

For research grants, funding is provided to the institution, not to the individual researcher. Where a researcher changes institution, the researcher must apply to have the grant transferred to the new institution.

If you are unsure of your obligations, please email us at