The Rafael Kuusakoski Memorial Fund, set up in 2000, provides support for young researchers in particular, and primarily for projects on Baltic Sea birds and archipelago biota, marine ecology, climate and landscape conservation. 

This year, 7 projects were awarded grants totalling €48 300. 

This year's recipients are: 

Six-month working grants for PhD thesis: 

• M.Sc Francesca Malcangi, Hämeenlinna, for her PhD thesis: ”Investigation of forest integrity and corridors on wildlife species presence, abundance, richness and habitat use”, €13 200  
• FM Betty Marjamäki, Turku, for her PhD thesis: ”Effects of climate change on moth abundance and biomass and their effect on passerine breeding success: a study on life-history traits and timing of life cycle phases of sub-arctic species”, €13 200  

Working grants for PhD thesis: 

• FM Hennariikka Mäenpää, Jyväskylä, for her PhD thesis: ”The abundance and community structure of bog tardigrades and the effects of drainage and restoration on them”, €6 600  
• FM Aleksi Nirhamo, Jyväskylä, for his PhD thesis: ”Lichen communities on standing dead wood: the role of dead wood age and challenges for habitat management”, €6 600  
• DVM Sajjad Vakili Shahrbabaki, Turku, for his PhD thesis: ”Incubation behaviour of long-lived seabirds under human-induced ecological stressors: From disturbance to anthropogenic endocrine disrupting chemicals”, €6 600  

Other grants: 

• LuK Anniina Aaltonen, Jyväskylä, for the thesis research "Effects of wetland management practices on birdlife biodiversity", €1500  
• FM Jukka Hintikka and FM William Velmala, Helsinki, for the monitoring study "The European Rock Pipit in the changing environment of the Baltic Sea" €1 000  

The Rafael Kuusakoski Memorial Fund operates under the auspices of the Finnish Foundation for Nature Conservation.  In 2024, the awarded grants totalling totalling €95 280 to 33 projects. The amount awarded is the second largest in the Foundation's history.