Call for Proposals: Wild Animal Initiative Challenge Grants 2024 (up to $100,000)

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About Wild Animal Initiative Challenge Grants

Each round of Challenge Grants calls for projects within one or more specific themes. These flagship projects should be led by experienced principal investigators and demonstrate a high degree of relevance to high priority research areas, novelty, and methodological rigor.
 

• Sponsor Organisation: Wild Animal Initiative

Benefits of Wild Animal Initiative Challenge Grants

• Grants are between $50,000 - $100,000 USD total.

Wild Animal Initiative Challenge Grants Requirements

What is eligible

• Challenge Grant projects must be led by an experienced principal investigator, but can include financial support for students or other early-career collaborators. When submitting an expression of interest for a Challenge Grant, applicants may request to be considered for a WAI Fellowship, which offers mentorship and a supplementary stipend to postdoctoral researchers and PhD students pursuing a long-term career in wild animal welfare research. The process and parameters for 2024 fellowships will be shared with those invited to apply at the full proposal stage.  

• Eligible projects include those that are standalone, or those that add a wild animal welfare component to an existing non-Wild Animal Initiative funded project to broaden its scope. 

• Projects must be led by a principal investigator who is affiliated with a university or other research institution (e.g. a government agency).

• Projects must be led by or include collaborators who are residents of all countries where field work will take place. If a project is managed by an NGO, that NGO must be registered in the country where field work will take place.

• They prioritize funding for direct research costs (e.g. supplies, materials), though we do fund other expense areas (e.g. stipends, salaries, capital equipment) if they are fully justified relative to the project goals. Further details on what is eligible for funding can be found in our FAQs. They will not reject a proposal based solely on budget without first asking applicants to consider modifications, but applicants should limit their requests to what is reasonably needed to complete the project. 

What is not eligible

• They do not provide funding for indirect costs or institutional overhead.

• They are unable to sponsor visas, so we generally cannot fund work that would be carried out in the United States by a non-US resident.

• They are unable to fund research carried out in nations subject to sanctions by the United States (e.g. Iran, North Korea, Russia) or researchers who are residents of those nations.

• They generally do not fund more than one active project being led by the same Principal Investigator at the same time.

• Projects focused exclusively on a single welfare domain.

• Projects that do not characterize the subjective experience (welfare) of animals or do not treat it as their objective.

• Projects focused exclusively on wildlife conservation.

Proposal guidelines

• Proposals must clearly explain how the project is relevant to wild animals’ welfare, as defined by Wild Animal Initiative.

• Proposals must clearly identify and explain the project’s relevance to one or more of the themes featured in the call.

• Proposals should clearly explain the project’s relevance to multiple domains of welfare.

• Projects must adhere to Wild Animal Initiative’s guidance for animals involved in research, if your project will involve any work with animals, in the field or the lab. Please be aware we are less likely to select a proposed project that would cause any harm to animals. If distressing methods are to be used, welfare concerns should be elaborated in the animal methods form and the methods should be justified with evidence showing why the use of alternatives would not be possible. We generally will not fund projects that use destructive sampling methods. If you believe that the objectives of your study cannot be accomplished without killing or physically harming animals and you cannot identify alternative methods, please reach out and we can discuss what options may be available to you.

• Proposals must clearly justify the study approach chosen, including identifying the resources available for the study and the expertise of team members.

• Proposals must clearly describe the amount of time required from each project team member and confirm that they are able to make that commitment.

If you are unsure whether your project fits within their scope, please review their FAQs.

 

Application Date and Process

• Applicant submits short Expression of Interest (EOI) form (preview).

• EOI is reviewed for eligibility and relevance by the Wild Animal Initiative Grants team.

• If the EOI is shortlisted, the applicant is invited to develop a full proposal. If you have expressed interest in a fellowship in addition to your main project, you will also be informed at this stage of whether we will continue to evaluate you as a potential fellow.

• The full proposal is externally reviewed by project-relevant experts.

• The proposal is externally reviewed by specialists in animal care and ethics.

• The proposal is reviewed by Wild Animal Initiative technical experts.

• The lead applicant may be asked to provide clarification or make modifications in response to reviewer feedback.

• The review team discusses shortlisted proposals and makes final selection of the most promising projects.

• Final decisions are shared with applicants and announced on our website. Decisions are generally made within 6 months of the EOI deadline.

Application Deadline

01 November, 2024

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