July 2010 intake round is now open
Deadline for submission is September 1, 2010
The Kaplan Graduate Awards (KAP) is a scholarship program that supports the conservation efforts of outstanding young biologists working on wild felids in situ. We encourage applications for projects on all wild cat species in all regions. Awards vary up to $25,000 per annum. Awards are for one year but may be extended to subsequent years, contingent upon performance and results. The KAP is designed to support projects on wild cats with a conservation focus and must include a significant in situ component. Applicants MUST be post-graduates pursuing a higher degree (MSc. or PhD or equivalent).
Student Applicants
The Kaplan Graduate Awards aim to support the next generation of wild cat biologists. This is a most prestigious award with a very competitive approval process. Successful candidates must demonstrate outstanding credentials in previous academic and conservation experience, particularly suitable field experience to undertake the proposed work, and a demonstrated history of publishing prior work, in peer-reviewed and/or ‘soft’ publications such as reports, magazine articles, etc.
Species and Location
The Kaplan Graduate Awards supports applications for wild cat conservation and research projects in all areas of the world where wild cats are found. Although work on all wild cat species are considered, preference is given to species that are endangered, threatened or vulnerable on, in order of priority, a global, regional, or local scale. Applications for work on species that do not qualify for these criteria will have a stronger chance of approval if they can demonstrate that their results can be applied to other species or in other areas with greater conservation outcomes. In addition, sites with high conservation significance will be given priority.
Budget Items
The KAP will consider applications, up to $25,000 per annum, for both project and tuition costs. However, emphasis is given to projects requesting primarily field and research costs, and we will not consider large requests for expensive first world university tuition, except in exceptional cases where:
1. The applicant is a national from a developing country; and
2. The applicant provides a convincing rationale that the training in question will provide critical graduate training that is not available in their home country.
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.
* 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 the:
- Relevance to wild cat conservation
- Scientific merit & value
- Qualifications of the PI
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 Template
Timetable Template
Project Budget Template
Please note that these templates are only a portion of the application. In order to be considered for funding, 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: kap@panthera.org
www.panthera.org
