Call for Applications: Turtle Conservation Fund Grant Program

Priority for funding is given to projects that focus on tortoises or freshwater turtles that are already highly threatened according to the IUCN Red List or the TFTSG Provisional Red List, as either Critically Endangered or Endangered, or which may be highly threatened but not yet officially classified as such on the Red List. They do not support work on marine turtles.

The TCF provides grants in support of direct expenses for research and conservation of selected turtle projects and programs. TCF does not provide support for indirect organizational overhead expenses associated with administration of grants, and will not fund requests for such indirect costs.

TCF Awards are approximately in the $1000 to $5000 range per project (with full or partial funding depending on full project costs), and smaller seed grant projects are also encouraged (up to $1000 each) to support pilot conservation initiatives for tortoise and freshwater turtle species that are currently either IUCN Red Listed as Critically Endangered or Endangered, or species that may become priority species with an increase in the state of knowledge about the status of their populations or the threats they currently face (principally species currently classified on the Red List Data Deficient or not yet assessed.

Award recipients enter into contractual agreement with either Re:wild (formerly Global Wildlife Conservation) or Chelonian Research Foundation to produce the proposed work (these non-profit organizations serve as TCF’s financial umbrella organizations). Award recipients are also encouraged to publish at least partial results of the supported research in the international scientific turtle journal, Chelonian Conservation and Biology, published by Chelonian Research Foundation.

Funding Information

• There are two funding cycles annually. Total disbursement has averaged between $20,000 to $50,000 per funding cycle, or $40,000 to $100,000 per year to date.
• The maximum amount of each grant is US $5,000, focused on one of three categories of species in need of conservation action.
• Smaller grant requests of $3,000 or less are also encouraged to support pilot surveys or other conservation initiatives; they may also be provided to promote opportunities for younger emerging turtle conservationists from developing nations, including women and ethnic minorities with less prior experience.

Eligibility Criteria

• Awards are granted to organizations or individuals for specific conservation or research projects dealing with highly endangered tortoises or freshwater turtles, but not marine turtles, with either partial or full support as funding allows.

For more information, visit Turtle Conservation Fund.