The Research Fund starts with a small, specific amount: $1 from every regular coffee bag. It is part of the purchase, whether that bag is a one-time order, a Duck Club shipment, or an order placed with approved partner pricing.
Those dollars go into the Waterfowl Coffee Research Fund. Each $250 raised opens a student research grant, with each award providing $250 to an undergraduate or graduate student conducting field-based waterfowl research.
A useful amount for a real project.
A $250 award is modest. It is not intended to fund an entire field season. It gives a student a defined amount of support toward the work described in a research proposal.
That scale matters to the way we explain the program. We can say what goes into the fund and the size of a grant without suggesting that a coffee purchase pays for a whole study. The connection is specific: regular coffee sales accumulate into student research support.
Who the grants support.
The research grants are for undergraduate and graduate students conducting field-based waterfowl research. When a call is open, proposals are reviewed on a rolling basis. The current call page carries the application information and proposal requirements.
If you are considering a proposal, read those requirements before preparing it. Explain the work you intend to do and follow the current instructions. This article describes the program; the research-grant call page is the place to check whether applications are being accepted.
Research & Management Partner approval is a separate process. The partner track supports coffee ordering for a broader range of people working in research and conservation. It does not award a research grant or change the student eligibility requirements.
The dollar stays the same.
A discounted regular bag still contributes $1. Duck Club and partner pricing change what the customer pays for eligible coffee, without reducing the Research Fund allocation. You do not need to add a separate contribution for that bag to count.
The smaller Research Fund Flight has its own stated allocation: every four 2 oz tasting bags reserve $1 for the fund. That distinction keeps the contribution clear when the coffee comes in a different format.
Following the fund.
Awarded grants are announced on the Research Fund page. It is also where we explain the program and connect students to the call information. Returning there gives customers and prospective applicants a common place to understand what the coffee supports.
The aim is to keep that support connected to an ordinary, repeated purchase. A bag is finished, another is ordered, and the fund continues to grow toward the next grant.
Read about the Research Fund and current grant information.
Fuel for the hunt. Funding for waterfowl research.
