The 2026 Stengl-Wyer Grant competition is closed.
About the Stengl-Wyer Endowment
The Stengl-Wyer Endowment, one of the largest endowments in the history of the College of Natural Sciences, supports UT Austin’s highly ranked programming in ecology and biological research, with a focus on the study of the diversity of life and interactions between living things and their natural environments.
In addition to Stengl-Wyer Grants for research faculty and staff in the life sciences, the endowment supports college field stations and life sciences collections and holds competitions for postdoctoral scholars and graduate students, through separate competitions.
Interested in bridge funding for early-career life scientists?
Graduate students and postdocs whose funding has been impacted by shifts in federal priorities are invited to apply for a Stengl-Wyer Early Career Scientist Support award for 2025-26. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis—see the RFA for eligibility and application instructions.
Congratulations, 2025 Stengl-Wyer Grant Recipients!
- Kasia Dinkeloo, Department of Molecular Biosciences, Proposal Title: Exploring the Plastisphere: The Chemical and Microbial Communities of Gulf Coast Nurdles, Award Amount: $125,000
- David Nobles, Department of Molecular Biosciences, Proposal Title: Establishing a Collaborative Undergraduate Research Training Program to Identify and Characterize Industrially Relevant Metal-Concentrating Algae in the UTEX Collection, Award Amount: $125,000
All 2025 Stengl-Wyer Grants will begin on 09/01/25 and will be available for up to four years.
Download the complete list of Stengl-Wyer Grant recipients
Stengl-Wyer Endowment Grants Program
Funded by the Stengl-Wyer Endowment, the 2026 Stengl-Wyer Endowment Grants Program request for proposals seeks applications for educational programming supporting undergraduate and graduate studies and training in the diversity of life and interactions between organisms and their natural environments. Proposals that advance research within the Texas Field Station Network or UT Biodiversity Collections are highly encouraged given the Stengl-Wyer Endowment’s mission to explore the diversity of life and organisms in their natural environments.
Educational programs of interest may include, but are not limited to, 1) innovative models for support of graduate students to study the diversity of life and interactions between organisms and their natural environments, 2) undergraduate summer research fellowships and streams within the Freshman Research Initiative (FRI), and 3) engagement with public or K-12 audiences. Proposed FRI streams must be discussed with the FRI office (fri@utexas.edu) prior to submission and will require a letter of support to be included with the application. Proposals that include activities at Texas Field Station Network sites or UT Biodiversity Collections are encouraged to contact and coordinate with the affiliated site leadership prior to submission.
Educational programs may be proposed for a period of up to three (3) years with a maximum budget of $125,000. Award funds will be available for one year beyond the proposed period. Additional no-cost extensions will not be considered; any remaining funds will be swept after the award expires. The 2026 competition is for educational activities only.
Download the 2026 Stengl-Wyer Grant Competition Request for Proposals
Eligibility
- Tenure-track faculty, non-tenure track faculty, and those with active Principal Investigator (PI) status in the College of Natural Sciences are eligible to apply.
- A PI previously awarded a Stengl-Wyer Grant for an Educational Program is not eligible to apply for a subsequent educational program grant during the period of performance of the previously awarded program.
- Non-awarded applicants from previous cycles may resubmit their proposals once for a total of two submissions.
Application Submission Instructions
All required application components should be combined and uploaded as a single PDF and submitted by the application deadline. Download the RFP above for the complete list of application components.
Applications must be submitted through UT’s online submission interface. To apply:
- Visit https://utexas.infoready4.com/#competitionDetail/1984427
- Click the “Apply” button on the Competition Space page.
- This will take you to a login screen. Applicants with an existing UT EID and password should login using the “University of Texas Web Login” button. Log in using your UT EID and password to create your application.
- You will be taken to an online application form. Complete the form and upload the required application components. Click “Submit Application” at the bottom of the page. You also have the option to save a draft and return later to submit your application.
Note: If this is your first time submitting a proposal through the proposal submission website, you will first need to affiliate yourself with the College before you can submit. To do this, login with your EID and password, then click on the “Hello, [Name]” link at the top right of the website. This will take you to your user profile. In your user profile, under “Primary School or Department,” select “Natural Sciences, College of” and then scroll to the bottom of the page and click on the Save Changes button. You will now be able to apply.
Timeline
Submission window opens: January 12, 2026
Submission deadline: March 2, 2026 at 5:00pm CT
Announcement of awardees: May 2026
Award start date: September 1, 2026
Contact Information
The form and timing of Stengl-Wyer Endowment Grant awards is subject to change in subsequent years. The content of this announcement is relevant only for the 2026 competition cycle.