July 2010 intake round is now open
Deadline for submission is September 1, 2010
The Panthera Research and Conservation Grants Program support in situ conservation projects on large cats up to $25,000 per annum. Awards are for one year but may be extended to subsequent years, contingent upon performance and results. Applications may be made by individuals, or institutions: in the latter case, the project leader must be identified and make the submission. Application is open to all qualified candidates but projects led by country nationals and/or in country NGOs are highly encouraged.
Species and Location
The Panthera Research and Conservation Grants Program supports projects working on in situ conservation needs of the world’s eight largest wild cat species, with emphasis given to Panthera’s four focal species: jaguars, lions, snow leopards, and tigers. Work in sites with demonstrated high conservation significance will be given priority. Conservation projects on the the following species are eligible for Research and Conservation Grants:
Cheetah - Acinonyx jubatus
Puma - Puma concolor
Sunda Clouded leopard - Neofelis diardi
Clouded leopard - Neofelis nebulosa
Lion - Panthera leo
Jaguar - Panthera onca
Leopard - Panthera pardus
Tiger - Panthera tigris
Snow leopard - Uncia uncia
Projects focusing on carnivore communities with one or more of the species listed above are encouraged to apply for Research and Conservation Grants, especially where the focus also includes work on small felids. However, the proposed work must include activities which are clearly specific to the conservation needs of at least one of the priority species listed above.
Budget Items
Budgets range up to $25,000 per annum. Emphasis will be given to requests for field conservation and research activities, including equipment, transportation, local salaries etc.
Panthera does not support:
- Conferences
- Travel to scientific meetings
- Legal actions
- Overhead costs
- Captive breeding
Panthera will consider local salaries, per diems and stipends for local field personnel only. We will not fund salaries for core administrative and management personnel. Support for graduate studies (tuition, bursaries, university living costs, etc) will not be considered by the Research and Conservation Grants; see the Kaplan Graduate Awards for more information.
* All awards are granted for one year, funding for subsequent years is NOT guaranteed. Multi-year projects are encouraged but funding for subsequent years will be determined based on the progress and results of Year 1 activities.
Genetic Analysis
In partnership with the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH), Panthera has developed the Global Felid Conservation Genetics Program. The program focuses on the molecular ecology of endangered felid populations and promotes, when preferable, the use of noninvasive sampling to understand genetic issues relevant to felid conservation. For details on the program, please visit http://www.panthera.org/felid_genetics.html.
Applicants may apply to Panthera for genetic analysis funding, however, the applicant must agree to process all genetic analysis through the AMNH.
Please note that we will ONLY undertake genetic analysis for projects that include the following ‘priority species’: tiger, lion, jaguar, snow leopard, cheetah and clouded leopard. For survey efforts, we are able to identify other felids in your samples (so please send all your samples to AMNH), but your project must include these priority species. Please note, if your project does not involve our priority species, you can still apply for fieldwork that includes genetic analysis of other species. In this case, we will consider funding the fieldwork (for example, to undertake surveys, collect scat samples, etc.), but you will need to secure separate funding for the analysis itself outside the AMNH. In such a case, we ask that you provide the resulting genetic data to be archived at the AMNH under the normal terms of the data-sharing conditions we require in making grants.
Evaluation Criteria
Projects are evaluated on a competitive basis. Applications are reviewed by Panthera staff and Panthera’s Cat Advisory Council, and may be sent for external review. Projects are evaluated on their:
- Relevance to wild cat conservation
- Scientific merit & value, and
- Compatibility with Panthera’s programmatic priorities.
How to Apply
The Panthera Grants Committee meets twice a year to make funding decisions, with closing dates for proposals on March 1st and September 1st. Final decisions and awards are announced within 4 months of the application deadline. Proposal intake opens on January 1st and July 1st of each year, and closes on the respective due dates. Panthera’s grant programs are facilitated through an online grant management system, Foundant. All applications for Panthera grants must be submitted through Foundant. Applicants are only permitted to apply to one Panthera grant program per intake round.
If you are seeking renewal for a previous grant, please contact us directly.
To work offline, please download the application instructions and the following templates:
Project Overview
Timetable Template
Project Budget Template
Please note that these templates represent only a portion of the application. In order to be considered for funding, please submit a complete online application using the Click Here to Apply button.
Contact
Justine Faye Oller
Assistant Program Manager
Panthera
8 West 40th Street, 18th Floor
New York, NY 10018
Email: grants@panthera.org
www.panthera.org
