AZA Conservation Grants Fund

AZA Conservation Grants Fund

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA)
Amount: Approximately US $22,500
Last Updated: February 12, 2026

Summary

The AZA Conservation Grants Fund, established in 1984, supports conservation-related scientific and educational initiatives by AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums. Funding is available for projects focusing on animal health, welfare, conservation education, field conservation, management, and research. Eligibility requires the Principal Investigator to be an AZA member. Projects should demonstrate significant conservation impact and involve local community participation when applicable. Grants are typically for one year, with potential for renewal through a new application.

Overview

Established in 1984, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Conservation Grants Fund (CGF) supports the cooperative conservation-related scientific and educational initiatives of AZA, AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums, and their collaborators. Animal Health: Research projects that increase knowledge of, or develop new approaches to, assessing or treating medical conditions.Animal Welfare: Research projects that increase knowledge of, or develop new approaches to, assessing the physical health and psychological well-being of individual animals.Communications/Public Relations: Activities that raise awareness of, support for, or engagement in the conservation of wildlife.Conservation Education: Programs that raise public awareness and appreciation of wildlife conservation issues, stimulate conservation action, transfer skills and technology, and/or empower new conservation leaders.Field Conservation: Initiatives on behalf of in-situ threatened species and their habitats, and/or the reintroduction or translocation of these species to augment their population.Animal/Population Management: Management strategies and technologies for advancing a population's sustainability as well as genetic and demographic diversity.Research: Research projects that increase knowledge of, or create new approaches to, wildlife conservation.

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. The Principal Investigator (PI) and all Co-Investigators (CIs) must be individual AZA members at the Professional Associate, Professional Affiliate, Professional Fellow, or Student level.Other participants actively involved in the completion of the project should be listed as collaborators and are not required to be AZA members. Projects must fall under one of the above focus areas. Projects must demonstrate the potential to yield a high return on investment in terms of conservation impact. If the project contains an educational component, be sure that an educator is involved in both the design and evaluation of the education section. Each CGF grant is for one year only.PIs can apply for a second year of funding, but must do so by submitting a new application. Funds can be used to cover salaries and stipends but not as a second salary (eg–cannot be used to pay a professor a stipend). IACUC (for U.S. applicants) or the equivalent oversight committee (for non-U.S. applicants) approval is required for any project in which animals are to be involved in invasive procedures or procedures that may result in pain, harm, distress, or altering of behavior. You must be a member of this organization to apply for this award - become a member. All PIs must be individual AZA members at the Professional Associate, Professional Affiliate, Professional Fellow, or Student level.

Ineligibility

Institutional membership does not count as individual membership and individual members at the Friend level are not eligible. Funds may not be used to cover:

Salaries for staff appointed to regular, full-time positions. Exceptions include graduate student stipends, technicians, or start-up positions established solely for the purpose of completion of the project.
Tuition fees, or fringe benefits associated with graduate students or other collaborators.
Administrative costs, including institutional overhead and submission costs for the publication of journal articles.
Travel unrelated to completion of the project (e.g. conference presentation expenses).
Planning meetings that define, rather than implement, conservation goals.