Travel and Attendance Support
The Call for Travel and Attendance Support is Open!
We do not want financial constraints to limit attendance to this conference, so please consider applying for Travel Support to help offset a portion of your costs.
If you need support to cover some or all of your costs to attend the conference including registration, room & board, local travel, pre- or post-conference workshops, mid-conference field trip, and/or airfare, first review the information on the Registration page, then click on the link for Sponsorship Application Ticket. This form serves as your Application Form for Travel and Attendance Support, as well as your tentative Conference Registration. The deadline to submit this form is Sunday April 21st if you are an international applicant. The deadline for local applications (residents of the Dominican Republic or Haiti) is Thursday May 30th.
After April 21st, we will review all applications and make awards as quickly as possible (aiming to notify you by April 28th). We will continue to accept travel applications after the deadline date and review them on a rolling basis, giving out awards as long as there are remaining funds.
NOTE: Funds for travel and attendance support are limited, filling out this form does not guarantee support. Awards will be made based on several criteria, so please read our instructions and fill out your application form carefully.Priority for travel support will be given to persons who can demonstrate one or more of the following:
- are planning to contribute to the conference (e.g., by presenting a paper or poster, organizing or participating in a workshop, or by helping with registration, translation of abstracts, etc.)
- are actively involved in conservation on their island
- are expecting to secure or have already secured partial funding from other sources
- are willing to assist BirdsCaribbean by volunteering their time in some way
- pledge to share their experiences from the conference with their colleagues back at home
- are active members of one or more BirdsCaribbean working groups, projects, or otherwise involved in the work of the organization (not necessarily applicable for locals)
To estimate your costs of attendance, please visit the registration page and hotel room reservation page (sponsored delegates will be expected to share a room with one or two additional persons; each will have their own bed). Note that breakfast at the hotel is included in your room cost, and lunch is included in your registration fee on Days 1, 2, 4 and 5 (Day 3 is the Field Trip Day and lunch will likely be included with your field trip). Dinner (Banquet) is included on Day 5. The fee for half-day pre- and post-conference workshops is $20, and $30 for attending a full-day of workshops (to cover the cost of lunch, coffee breaks, and translation services).
We encourage everyone to travel light, but if you need to check a bag, include an estimate of this cost as well as the cost of the shuttle to/from the airport (~$20 round-trip); a mid-conference field trip (use $30); workshops (if attending)—half-day ($20) or full-day ($30); and visa (if relevant).
We are doing our best to fundraise so that we can keep conference costs low and provide as many scholarships as possible to those that need support to attend the conference.
We encourage everyone, especially those seeking travel support, to help us fundraise for the conference! You can do so by joining our Global Big Day Teams Competition and Fundraiser: Join a team and tell your story (what you do and why you want to attend the conference) on your profile page, then reach out to your networks to support you and your team with a donation! You can also fundraise by asking local businesses or organizations for support or let us know if you have any contacts that may be willing to support and we will reach out to them and share our Conference Sponsorship Prospectus. Many of us have generous friends and family that will be happy to help you—you just need to ask!!!
Interested in Sponsoring a Delegate?
BirdsCaribbean and Grupo Jaragua are fundraising as much as possible to keep conference costs for our delegates as low as possible.However, we still need your help to sponsor as many delegates as possible. We would greatly appreciate your help in making sure that everyone who wants to attend our conference can do so without any financial hardship.
Your tax-deductible contribution will go directly to sponsor a delegate in their effort to join us in Santo Domingo this upcoming summer. Thank you!
Invitation and Support Letter Application
If you need to request an invitation letter to attend the Conference at the Dominican Fiesta Hotel in the Dominican Republic, July 18-22, 2024, please click the button below. The invitation letter serves various purposes, including facilitating visa applications, securing work permits, and meeting specific requirements.