AZA's Conservation Endowment Fund

Through its Conservation Endowment Fund (CEF), the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) supports important conservation and education projects led by AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums and their partners.

©El Paso Zoo

Since 1991, the CEF has provided more than $4 million to nearly 250 projects worldwide. For over ten years, the Walt Disney World Company and the Disney Wildlife Conservation Fund have provided significant financial support to the AZA CEF, nearly doubling the number of proposals funded each year.

New This Year: Amphibian Fund

In support of 2008 Year of the Frog, AZA has established within the Conservation Endowment Fund, a new Amphibian Fund to directly support amphibian conservation projects around the world. The funded projects will build and strengthen AZA members' and partners' capacity to address the global amphibian conservation crisis.

What Does the CEF Fund?

The CEF supports conservation throughout the world, ranging from securing critical habitat for Grevy's zebras in Kenya to developing veterinary care programs for endangered turtles in southeast Asia, to releasing and tracking threatened bog turtles in Tennessee, to name just a few.

©Sarah Goldman

The CEF supports also education projects, such as the creation of classroom materials about black-footed ferrets in the U.S. or teacher-training workshops in the Dominican Republic, Belize, the island of Rodrigues, and more.

In particular, the CEF support high-quality projects that might not find funding from other sources, including essential start-up funding for new projects. The CEF Scientific Advisory Committee makes certain to select a diverse range of proposals for awards each year, focusing on a variety of animals and geographic regions. These projects can include animal care, scientific research, conservation education and outreach, field surveys, and more.

Take a look at this list of CEF-funded projects since 1991 to see the extraordinary range of projects that the CEF supports.

The CEF Needs Your Support

Every year, AZA receives more proposals than the CEF funds can support. With your donation to the CEF, you will help us provide more habitat protection, more outreach programs, more veterinary training, and more positive action for wildlife conservation for years to come.

Donate to the Conservation Endowment Fund

©Cathy Burkey

AZA is proud to be building North America's largest wildlife conservation network, and support from the Conservation Endowment Fund has helped extend zoos' and aquariums' conservation impact at home and abroad. Join us in our effort to make a difference for wildlife and wild places throughout the world!

Visit the Animals

To see some of the animals that the CEF has helped, visit AZA's Conservation Snapshots or read about AZA's Elephant Conservation and Amphibian Conservation programs.

Questions?