The primary goal of the Cycad Society (TCS) is to support and contribute to cycad research, conservation, and education. One of the ways in which we do this is through our annual grant cycle. Each year, proposals are accepted by the Research, Conservation and Grants Committee chair until the end of March and are reviewed by the committee and voted on by the board of directors at the annual board meeting. Grants typically range from $500-$2,500 and are usually for single-year projects. Grantees are required to write an article for the Cycad Newsletter, as well as a final report summarizing the primary results of the study and detailing how TCS funds were used during the course of the study. The TCS grant guidelines were updated in April 2007, and the revised version is available in PDF format by clicking the link below:

TCS Grant Guidelines 

In 2007, the TCS Grant Program got into full swing with a donation of $6,679 from one of our members. This single donation allowed TCS to fund three important cycad research/conservation grants. Then, in 2008, the same member donated $4,000 and several of the society’s directors contributed an additional $2,600 — which then allowed three more grants to be awarded.

Previous Grants

2021

TCS provided a grant of $2010 in April 2021 to Catherine Léger-Beaulieu (Laval University, Quebec, Canada) to support research aiming to assess the impact of increasing temperatures and carbon dioxide concentrations on cycad biology, cycad-cyanobacteria symbiosis, and cycad neurotoxic compounds concentration. 

2018

TCS provided $5,000 in May 2018 to support the 11th Conference on Cycad Biology (Cycad 2018) which took place in August of 2018. TCS was acknowledged in the conference program (see below) as well as in the introductory remarks.

A grant of $1250 was provided to Phillip Bell‐Doyon (Laval University, Quebec, Canada) in June 2018 in support of research on symbiotic relationships between Zamia pseudoparasitica and cyanobacteria and fungi hosted in its coralloid roots. Phillip provided an excellent article for TCN about his experience doing research with the only obligate epiphytic cycad. 

A grant of $1250 was awarded to Flamingo Gardens in support of their ‘Cycads of the World Demonstration Garden’ in December 2018. The funds were used to purchase cycads for the garden. 

2017

Grant of $1000 in in support of Colombian cycad research and conservation disbursed to Cristina Lopez‐Gallego in November of 2017. These funds were obtained from the sale of seeds donated by Greg Holzman who requested the proceeds be used to support Colombian cycad research. The funds were utilized in June 2018 to support Cristina’s travel in the Pacific lowlands of Colombia to study a new species and a hybridization zone between Zamia chigua and Zamia amplifolia.