Wildlife Health Proposals: Wildlife Fellowship Training

The mission of Morris Animal Foundation is to bridge science and resources to advance the health of animals. To achieve this aim, they fund hypothesis-driven, humane research projects with high scientific merit and the potential for significant impact. They are a non-profit organization that is funded by public support from individuals, corporations, clubs, and foundations, and by earnings from the endowed funds. The donors are interested in funding research that results in impactful animal health achievements and benefits both scientific and non-scientific stakeholders including veterinarians, pet owners, and communities.

Proposals should advance the health and overall welfare of wildlife. All proposals will undergo a 2-stage review process. The initial review will check for adherence to the proposal guidelines and screen the study proposal, animal health impact statement, and resubmission summary (if applicable) for scientific merit and potential impact. Those proposals that pass the initial screening will undergo full proposal review by the Scientific Advisory Board and be scored according to the provided rubric.

Funding Information

• The maximum duration of a Fellowship Training Grant is 24 months, and the total budget cannot exceed $145,000.

Applicant Qualifications

• Fellowship Training: Applicants must hold a veterinary degree (such as DVM) or a PhD at the time of the grant award. Awardees must devote at least 75% time to the research project; clinical residents and those with clinical service requirements greater than 25% time are not eligible.
• Applicants with a PhD must have earned the PhD within 4 years of the grant application date. Candidates who have held a PhD more than 4 years, and other candidates in permanent salaried positions at the time of application are not eligible for a Morris Animal Foundation Fellowship. These researchers may wish to pursue a non-Fellowship Grant under the First Award mechanism.
• Applicants applying for consideration for funds specifically available to historically marginalized groups, on wildlife health topics, should indicate and explain this in their letter of intent. It is also useful for this to be addressed in the mentor’s letter, if appropriate. Such groups include but are not limited to Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC), Latinx, LGBTQ+ and intersectionalities.
• All applicants must convince the scientific and animal welfare reviewers that they clearly understand the health problem, have sufficient expertise to conduct the study, are using a scientifically sound approach, and have given appropriate consideration to the overall environmental impact of their research. A maximum of one application as PI in response to this RFP is permitted.

For more information, visit Wildlife Fellowship Training.