Association of Zoos and Aquariums

Conservation Endowment Fund

Information for Applicants

2008 CEF Application

Application Deadline

The CEF application deadline is April 4, 2008 at 5:00 P.M. EDT. Applications time-stamped after this time will not be considered for funding.

New in 2008: AZA Amphibian Fund

In support of 2008 Year of the Frog, AZA has established a new Amphibian Fund to directly support amphibian conservation projects around the world. Applicants for Amphibian Fund support should use the general 2008 CEF Application. For more information read the Amphibian Fund Guidelines.

About CEF

The Association of Zoos and Aquariums' (AZA) Conservation Endowment Fund (CEF) provides financial support for the conservation and related scientific and educational initiatives of AZA member institutions and their collaborators. Established in 1984, the CEF is a critical part of the AZA's effort to meet its conservation objectives. The actual amount available for disbursement each year is determined by the AZA Board of Directors. Selections are made on the basis of a competitive review.

In 2007, the Conservation Endowment Fund (CEF) awarded $305,000 to 19 projects out of 72 proposals requesting $1,538,767 in support. The Disney Wildlife Conservation Fund (DWCF) generously awarded the AZA CEF $110,000 toward this total award amount. The total amount awarded through the CEF since 1991 now exceeds $4 million. Thank you to all who applied for the 2007 grant cycle and to those who participated in the grant review process. [list of CEF awards]

Tough Decisions: How AZA Evaluates CEF Grant Applications (in PDF)
Communiqué | Oct 2002
14 Grueling Hours: The CEF Second Tier Review (in PDF)
Communiqué | Oct 2002
Aquatic Conservation and the Wonders of Water (in PDF)
Communiqué | Feb 2005

Submitting CEF Applications

CEF applications must be completed and saved in Microsoft Word format and submitted electronically. Hard copy submissions will not be accepted.

2008 CEF Review Process

Proposals are reviewed for completeness and sent to individual reviewers for a first-tier review. A second-tier review will then be conducted in June by the CEF Scientific Advisory Committee, and award recommendations sent to the AZA Board for approval. Applicants will be notified of the outcome in early September and award money becomes available on 1 October 2008.

Read This First

Before you get started, please read the following:

Also make sure that you read the CEF Grant Terms and Conditions (in PDF).

If you have any questions, please email or call (301) 562-0777, x245.

Types of Projects Supported by CEF

Animal Health
Research projects, symposia, or publications that increase knowledge of or develop new approaches to assessing or treating medical conditions affecting animals in managed environments or in the wild.
Animal Welfare
Research projects, symposia, or publications that increase knowledge of or develop new approaches to assessing the physical health and psychological well-being of individual animals in a captive environment.
Breeding and Reintroduction
Zoo and aquarium-based programs for breeding, reintroducing or translocating endangered or threatened wildlife.
Education
Programs that raise public awareness and appreciation of wildlife conservation issues or stimulate conservation action.
Field Conservation
Initiatives on behalf of endangered and threatened species and their habitats.
Professional Training
Programs that transfer skills and technology and empower new conservation leaders, particularly in developing countries.
Wildlife Biology and Conservation
Research projects, symposia, or scholarly publications that increase knowledge of or create new approaches to wildlife conservation.

Preference is given to projects that:

Reflect the priorities of related AZA committees/programs or the AZA Board of Directors.
Provide a direct link between zoo and aquarium animal collections and the conservation of endangered or threatened wildlife and ecosystems in the North America and worldwide.
Implement, rather than define, conservation goals.
Improve management, welfare, and care of endangered and threatened wildlife in a zoological setting.
Are less likely to receive significant support from sources other than the CEF.
Are collaborative in nature.
Are likely to have a high conservation return for the investment.
Are logistically feasible and fiscally and scientifically sound.
Benefit a large number of animals, institutions or programs.

Costs that are not supported:

Salaries for staff appointed to regular, full-time positions. Exceptions include graduate student stipends and/or technicians' salaries.
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.

Membership Requirement

All principal investigators (PIs) (i.e., those responsible for completing the project) must be individual members of AZA. All others should be listed as collaborators in the narrative of the proposal. The roles and qualifications of all collaborators should be described in detail, and their CVs may be attached to the application if appropriate. [how to become an AZA member]

Selection Process

Successful proposals are selected through a two-tiered review system. Proposals are classified into two of the following categories: field conservation / international training, research, animal welfare, conservation education, animal health, and captive management / propagation. The proposals are then sent to the chairs of six relevant AZA committees who coordinate the first tier review. Projects focused on field conservation or international training are sent to the AZA Field Conservation Committee; research projects go to the Research Coordinators Committee; education projects to the Conservation Education Committee; veterinary projects to the Animal Health Committee; captive management / propagation projects to the Wildlife Conservation and Management Committee, and animal welfare projects to the Animal Welfare Committee. Each proposal goes to the two most relevant committees for review. The Aquatic Advisory Committee reviews all proposals relating to aquatic ecosystems, regardless of topic area emphasis.

After the committee review, each proposal is sent to at least three additional reviewers for comment.

The Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) then meets to review the top-ranked proposals, with each committee chair acting as an advocate for the top-ranked proposals in his/her category. The goal of the SAC review is to select the best mix of high quality projects, representing various topics, disciplines, and taxa. The SAC also reviews the project budget and may recommend that the award amount be accepted as is, increased or decreased. Most awards fall in the $10,000-$20,000 range. However, larger awards are considered on a case-by-case basis.

Because the amount of funds requested is typically larger than the amount of funds available, some proposals are not recommended for awards. The AZA Board of Directors makes final decisions regarding CEF awards. All applicants are informed of the Board's decisions in early September. Public announcements of awards are typically made at the AZA Annual Conference in September.

CEF Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC)*
2008

Ruth Allard
AZA Director, Animal Conservation

Bruce Rideout
Chair, AZA Animal Health Committee

Bert Castro
Chair, AZA Wildlife Conservation and Management Committee

Delfi Messinger
Chair, AZA Field Conservation Committee

Rachel Bergren
Chair, AZA Conservation Education Committee

Kristen Lukas
Chair, AZA Research Coordinators Committee

Lori Perkins
Chair, AZA Animal Welfare Committee

Thomas Schmid
Chair, AZA Aquatic Advisory Committee

Satch Krantz
AZA President

*Membership on the SAC is determined by position in the AZA network and may change with the appointment of new chairs by the incoming AZA President and the election of new Board members. SAC members can designate individuals to represent them at meetings. In the event of a conflict of interest (i.e., the member, his/her institution or a conservation program s/he chairs is being considered for a grant), that individual must excuse him/herself from the discussion of that particular proposal.