Association of Zoos and Aquariums

Conservation Endowment Fund

Tips for Success

Here are some tips to improve your chances of receiving CEF funding.

Follow the Application Instructions

Be sure to follow the application instructions carefully. Proposals that do not conform to the application instructions will not be accepted. Check for spelling, grammatical, and formatting errors. Every year, some proposals are given lower ratings because they contain errors that reflect poorly on the potential quality of the project.

Late submissions and applications submitted by mail will NOT be accepted.

Project Design

Clearly state the rationale for the project and document the rationale with citations and data.
Make sure that the project design and methods are clearly outlined in the proposal and that they fit the project goals. Specifically, be sure that sample sizes are not too small, methods described will produce the desired statistics, and the design of the overall project will produce useful results.
If the goals and the design of a project require hypothesis testing, specific hypotheses must be stated in the proposal.
The scope of the project should not be too broad, but instead should focus on a specific goal or outcome that can be accomplished in the stated time frame and that will produce measurable results.
The proposal should not propose to develop a technique or method and apply that technique or method within the same proposal. Applicants should first submit a proposal to develop a technique or method and then return to CEF to request funding for the application phase if the first phase is successful.

Budget

The budget should be clear, complete, and not inflated or exaggerated.
The proposal should demonstrate potential to yield a high return on investment in terms of conservation impact. Proposals are often rejected because they are very costly relative to the anticipated benefits.

Personnel

The investigators should be clearly qualified for the project and their role as investigators. Collaborators' potential contributions and qualifications should also be clearly stated in the proposal.
If the project contains an educational component, be sure that an educator is involved in both the design and evaluation of the education section.
When feasible and appropriate, incorporate local community participation in field projects.

Support

Proposals MUST include a signed, electronic, Statment of Institutional Support from any institution that employs a Principal Investigator, is listed as a supporting or collaborating institution, or is listed as a participant in any capacity in the proposal.

Links to Other AZA Programs

Links between a CEF project and one or more AZA programs are beneficial, although not necessary. Any collaborations should be made clear in the proposal.

Scope of Impact

Projects with a wider potential impact tend to be favored for CEF funding, in particular:

Projects that benefit a large number of individual animals or species;
Projects that will have a long-term, positive impact on multiple AZA institutions or partners.