Animal Care and Wellbeing Grants Fund

Animal Care and Wellbeing Grants Fund

CALL FOR APPLICATIONS

The 2024 Inaugural Animal Care and Wellbeing Grants Fund application cycle has closed. The 2024 application materials and links to more detailed information can be found below. Application forms are subject to change in the next cycle. 

Prospective applicants for future grant cycles should review ACW Grants Fund Priorities, Frequently Asked Questions, Tips for Success, and Selection Process, for more information. If any questions remain, contact [email protected].

BACKGROUND

Enhancing animal lives is a priority of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Strategic Framework for the Wellbeing of Animals and is at the core of what we do in AZA facilities. As stated in the strategy, we will

“Enhance the lives of all animals in our care through a focus on applied animal welfare science and science-based staff training and education.”

The desired outcomes of this strategic priority include an increase in collaborative research and sharing of animal welfare science across the diversity of AZA facilities and taxa in our care, and the development and implementation of diverse and accessible staff training and education opportunities to enhance the wellbeing of animals and support AZA’s culture of animal wellbeing. In 2022, the AZA Animal Care and Wellbeing (ACW) Grants Fund was established to support the strategic objectives associated with these outcomes. There are very few funding sources to support the unique needs of zoos and aquariums, and the grant program is a vital resource for the AZA community. These grants provide financial support for projects that will positively impact the animals cared for in AZA facilities and build the capacity of zoo and aquarium staff to provide an elevated level of care to those animals. AZA invites members to propose research and staff training/education projects to further the objectives of the AZA wellbeing strategy.

The primary goals of this grant program are to enhance the lives of the animals cared for in AZA zoos and aquariums and to support the work of AZA members. The two-tiered review process for the Animal Care and Wellbeing Grants Fund program is similar to those of AZA’s Conservation Grants Fund (CGF) and SAFE: Saving Animals From Extinction granting programs.

The amount distributed may vary each grant cycle. Final allocations will also depend on the number of high-quality, high-impact proposals and how those applications are distributed across the three award types (small <$20,000 research grants, large $20,000+ research grants (which require multi-institutional collaboration), and staff training/education grants). If high-quality, high-impact proposals are submitted for all three types of awards, the review team will aim to distribute funding across all award types. In 2024 the amount requested should not exceed $150,000.

This grant program will support research projects to fill knowledge gaps and increase understanding of animal care, management, health, and wellbeing, as well as the development of animal wellbeing related training and education opportunities for zoo and aquarium staff. AZA extends a special thank you to the Walt Disney World Company, which has provided significant financial support to this program, as well as the many other generous donors to the AZA ACW Grants Fund.

MATERIALS

Applicants must use the following application materials. Note that there are two separate application forms – one for research projects and one for staff training and education development projects. Only one application form should be submitted with each application package.

Grantees must use the following report materials to provide the AZA office with project updates.

GENERAL INFORMATION

Competitive Projects:

• Enhance the lives of animals in AZA-accredited facilities
• Incorporate high quality science, including solid design and methodology for research projects and the inclusion of evidence-based content in training and education projects
• Demonstrate shared benefits across AZA-accredited facilities
• Align with AZA Animal Program priorities

Below are examples of topics that would be appropriate research and staff training/education proposals. Applications are NOT required to be focused on the topics listed here, but these examples may help applicants identify the category their project falls within: Animal Welfare, Animal Management, or Animal Health.

RESEARCH

Note: Applied research that helps to fill knowledge gaps about understudied species is needed in general.

ANIMAL WELFARE

• • Validation of welfare output measures in welfare assessments 
  • Impact of environmental variables on animal wellbeing 
  • Effects of choice and control on animal wellbeing 

ANIMAL MANAGEMENT

• • Effects of different husbandry and management strategies on animal wellbeing 
  • Impact of different population management approaches on animal wellbeing 

ANIMAL HEALTH

• • Effects of various nutritional strategies on animal wellbeing 
  • Impact of different approaches to quarantine practices 
  • Increased understanding of causes and methods of prevention for common diseases and health issues 

STAFF TRAINING AND EDUCATION 

Note: The training and education opportunities developed with grant funds may take form as workshops, online or in-person courses, webinars, other tangible tools and resources, or curriculum development. This grant program is not a scholarship fund to support participation in existing training opportunities. Rather, it is for the development of new opportunities for learning and skill-building.

ANIMAL WELFARE

• • Development of training for all zoo and aquarium staff about animal welfare and wellbeing 
  • Education focused on conducting welfare assessments, especially for animals that present extra challenges 
  • Development of resources that train staff to recognize taxa- or species-specific indicators of welfare (outputs) 

ANIMAL MANAGEMENT

• • Developing or holding husbandry workshops, including taxa-specific husbandry techniques 
  • Training on animal wellbeing considerations in exhibit design 
  • Development of animal management strategies 

ANIMAL HEALTH 

• • Workshops or courses demonstrating various animal care treatments and techniques 
  • Taxa-specific training on nutritional requirements 
  • Training on identifying and treating specific health issues

The fund for this grant program relies on donations. To support research projects that increase knowledge about wellbeing in zoo and aquarium animals, and staff education/training projects that enable staff to ensure wellbeing of the animals in their care, please click this button:

Donate to the AZA Animal Care and Wellbeing Grants Fund