Up to $10,000 grants open for wild animal welfare studies

The Wild Animal Initiative is inviting applications for its Seed Grant Programme, which supports early-stage research aimed at improving the welfare of wild animals.

Contents

Funding benefits Eligibility Application process Deadline

The programme provides small but strategic funding to help researchers explore new ideas or integrate wild animal welfare questions into ongoing projects.

Priority research areas include welfare indicator validation, interspecific interactions, population dynamics, cause-specific mortality, landscape ecology, welfare interventions, and welfare of juveniles, invertebrates and fish.

Funding benefits

Each grant offers up to USD 10,000 for a period of up to two years. Funding primarily covers direct research costs, though other justified expenses may be considered. Indirect costs, institutional overheads, and visa sponsorships are not covered.

The initiative encourages cost-effective projects that directly advance scientific understanding and practical improvements in wild animal welfare.

Eligibility

Projects must include residents from all countries where fieldwork will take place, and NGOs must be locally registered.
Research conducted in, or led by residents of, countries under U.S. sanctions is ineligible.
Projects focused solely on wildlife conservation without a welfare component will not be considered.
Ethical and collaborative approaches are strongly prioritised.

Application process

Applicants must submit a short expression of interest (EOI) outlining their research idea. Shortlisted candidates will then be invited to submit a full proposal.

Proposals are reviewed by experts in relevant research fields, animal care, and ethics. The review panel may request clarifications or adjustments before making final selections, typically announced within six months of the EOI deadline.

All applications must clearly demonstrate long-term impact, ethical research methods and a preference for non-invasive approaches.