Conservation Project Grant Application
INTERNATIONAL ELEPHANT
FOUNDATION
2011 Elephant Conservation and Research Funding Support
The International Elephant Foundation is organized and exists for the purpose, among others, of establishing grants-in-aid to institutions, organizations and individuals engaged or to be engaged in the field of elephant conservation, research, health, management, education and improvements in husbandry of elephants in human care. The IEF’s board of directors are experienced in working with African and Asian elephants in human care and affiliated with elephant programs at a variety of organizations internationally, including non-profit and for-profit zoological institutions, circuses, universities or independent entities.
Elephants in human care are important ambassadors for the habitat and species in range countries. People of all ages, from all socio-economic levels and from all countries must be provided with the opportunity to see, admire, respect and be amazed by elephants and other wildlife. These personal experiences can create life-long conservationists and cannot be duplicated in other mediums, including the two-dimensional worlds of the Internet, books and video.
Our goal is to inspire young and old alike to be concerned about habitat and the conservation of elephants, and to practice good stewardship of all the Earth’s animals and plants. Wild elephants benefit through effective conservation education activities and fund-raising programs developed and maintained through elephant exhibition. Due to the contributions from our members, other institutions that care for elephants, and individuals that are motivated to act by seeing elephants in human care, the IEF has been able to contribute over USD $1.8 million to elephant programs since 1999.
THE INTERNATIONAL ELEPHANT FOUNDATION (IEF) IS NOW ACCEPTING PROPOSALS FOR ELEPHANT CONSERVATION AND RESEARCH FUNDING SUPPORT.
IEF is offering financial support in 2011 for in situ and ex situ projects, including protection of wild elephants and their habitats, scientific research, education efforts, and improvements in captive elephant care. Proposals are peer-reviewed by a panel of advisors from field conservation, medicine, research, academia, and elephant management. Funds will be awarded and available January 2011.
Criteria for funding:
Requests for funds should provide adequate information for evaluation of the project and the specific request, including a detailed design/methodology.
Projects that designate local/public education/awareness as a significant program outcome must include an evaluation component.
Projects must begin in the year that they are applying for funding, (but not before funds are to be awarded) and contain a clearly defined beginning and end point.
Funds will not be awarded for elements of a project that will have already occurred before awards are made.
Budget requests that consist primarily of salary will generally not be considered favorably.
Proposals are preferred that meet some or all of the following objectives and criteria:
The proposal should clearly contribute to the in situ or ex situ conservation of African or Asian elephants or their habitats.
Project is part of an established conservation program or is well-suited to become a long term program.
Project has conservation value and measurable impact.
Project is grounded in sound scientific methodology, is logistically feasible, and has a high probability of success.
Project has multi-institutional participation and matching funds.
Project is a new approach for long term elephant and/or habitat conservation.
Project is action-oriented not simply data collection or survey.
Project and Principle Investigator demonstrate a spirit of cooperation with ex situ elephant facilities and other like-minded conservation institutions.
Principal investigators must have a reputation for completing projects, publishing results in an expeditious manner and cooperating with funding agencies in providing reports and educational materials. If awarded funding previously by the IEF, satisfactory performance on previous grant awards is essential.
Projects must meet humane standards of care when animals are involved. Each of these studies must be approved by the appropriate agency at the facility or institution where the study is conducted.
Examples of some funding priorities are:
Capacity building
Strategies for human elephant conflict mitigation or resolution
Strategies to combat habitat loss
Strategies that identify elephant ranges
Strategies to manage local elephant over-population problems
Strategies to counteract the bushmeat crisis/ivory poaching
Ex Situ elephant management, veterinary and reproduction projects
Awards typically range about US$10,000 per year.
Proposals must be submitted in English electronically to dolson@elephantconservation.org
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the application due?
The deadline is August 13, 2010. Late proposals cannot be considered out of fairness to others.
Can I submit more than one proposal?
You may submit two or more proposals, recognizing that the total number of proposals submitted does not necessarily enhance your ability to be funded.
Who is eligible?
Organizations internationally are eligible as are students, scientists and institutions. Students are required to file applications through a faculty advisor; the advisor co-signs the applications and accepts the responsibility of project completion and reporting.
What about overhead costs?
It is established policy that IEF does not provide miscellaneous expenses, contingency funds or indirect costs (over head costs) to the recipients of any IEF funded grant or contract.
What size grants do you entertain?
Requests of $10,000 or less are preferred but larger amounts will be considered.
Do you support multi-year proposals?
Two or three-year proposals will be considered but funding will only be awarded for 2011 with an application for each additional year required for multi-year proposals with no guarantee of funding. Reports will be required prior to award and distribution of funds for subsequent years.
How long is the process?
The review process is completed December 2010. Please do not contact IEF any earlier regarding the status of your proposal. It is our policy to notify all applicants at the same time regarding the status of their application. If you have not heard from us by January 31, 2011, please feel free to contact us then. Funds will be awarded and available January 2011.
If I am funded, when are reports due?
Upon signature on the IEF 2011 Grant Program Contract, the 1st installment of funds will be made available to applicant. A six-month interim report, including digital photos, is required prior to receipt of the second installment. A final report and final budget, including digital photos, is required at the end of the funding year. Any future requests for funding will not be given consideration unless the six-month interim report and digital photos have been submitted, as well as all other contractual requirements. New applications from the same organization or individual will not be considered if reports from funded projects in prior years have not been received.
THE 2011 APPLICATION HAS CHANGED! Please read the instructions closely. Reviewers base their evaluations only on the information presented in the application. This makes it very important for applicants to prepare a clear, concise, well-organized document. Proposals must follow the format outlined below. THOSE APPLICATIONS THAT DO NOT FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED FOR FUNDING.
INTERNATIONAL ELEPHANT FOUNDATION
APPLICATION FOR IEF FINANCIAL SUPPORT
Cover Sheet
TITLE OF THE PROJECT: (limit to 10 words or less)
Principle Investigator
Name & Title:
Institution:
Institution Address:
Phone, Fax, email:
Co-investigator(s)
Name & Title:
Institution:
Institution Address:
Phone, Fax, email:
Name & Title:
Institution:
Institution Address:
Phone, Fax, email:
Budget
Total Project Budget:
Total Requested from the International Elephant Foundation:
Project Start Date:
Project End Date:
Is any part of the Project underway?
Project Category
____Field Conservation
____Field Research
____Habitat Protection
____Conservation Education
____Professional Training/Technology Transfer/Capacity Building
____Zoo Research
____Other
APPLICATIONS MUST INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING:
1) COVER SHEET (sample attached above) containing project title, name and contact information for the principal investigator, name and institutional affiliation of co-investigator(s), amount requested, project start and end dates, and project review category.
2) PROJECT SUMMARY ABSTRACT (limit to 250 words or less) Briefly, describe in a clear, concise statement the project in lay terms (problem and project goals), what assistance you are requesting from the International Elephant Foundation, the immediate impact on conservation of elephants and how the results will be used to enhance elephant conservation long term. This is a critical section of the proposal and will be used to help determine those proposals moving forward in the process for further review and if the project is chosen for funding, for publication. It must be specific to your project and should not contain general information about elephants, conservation or the project team.
3) ONE-PAGE SUMMARY
• summary of the project activities and project objectives m
• brief description of methodology
• anticipated benefits and outputs
• how this project contributes to the long term conservation of elephants
• personnel & organizations involved
4) PROJECT NARRATIVE (maximum of 5 pages, 10-12 point font)
• Project rationale
o Be specific to the country, region and population of elephants within your project scope.
o State how the specific elephants/habitat/human communities will benefit.
o Discuss the anticipated impact to elephant conservation.
• Clearly state project objectives and explain
o Is this a new approach? An approach used elsewhere shown to have been successful? If so, list similar projects and locations used as models.
o Why is this the best solution?
o State how the results of this project may be used as a model by others.
o Will project results have a lasting impact?
• Methodology & work plan (This is a critical section of the proposal)
o Be precise and clearly explain the project design.
o List each specific activity of the project and explain in detail HOW each specific activity will be implemented.
o Describe the specific personnel who will complete each project activity and describe their qualifications.
o Discuss expected results.
o If requesting funding for a survey or data collection, describe the action which will then result from the information collected.
• Monitoring & evaluation procedures
o How will the project be monitored throughout the funding cycle?
o How will the project results be evaluated?
o How will the significance of project results be determined?
• Sustainability
o Describe how the project results will continue to support project goals beyond the grant period.
o Discuss the potential significance of the results to elephant conservation in the region, world wide. What is needed for project to become sustainable long term?
5) TIME LINE with proposed Start and End dates. List major project activities addressed in the project narrative, the date each activity starts and ends. If the proposed activity is part of a larger project, make sure the IEF funded portion is clearly identified. Also please note if the project is currently underway.
6) BUDGET must be in US currency, itemized and divided into the following categories:
• project personnel (stipends or salary support, number of persons, hours, rate, position),
• travel expenses (number of persons, cost per trip, number of trips),
• lodging and meals (numbers of days x persons),
• equipment (itemize)
• supplies (itemize)
• services (itemize)
• miscellaneous expenses (itemize)
For continuity and greater understanding, everything listed in the methods section that requires funding must be listed in the budget. Please also list funds from other sources that are supporting the project. The following sample budget format must be used:
BUDGET ITEM AMOUNT REQUESTED FROM IEF MATCHING FUNDS OR SECURED FROM OTHER PARTNERS BALANCE REQUIRED (not including funds requested from IEF) TOTAL PROJECT COSTS
Field Patrol per diem
2 patrols/wk x 21 staff @ $10 ea
Elephant subsistence
10 elephants x 12 mo @$100/mo
CRU unit uniforms for 30 staff @$20 ea
TOTAL
7) BUDGET JUSTIFICATION must be detailed for each budget line.
ADDRESS WHAT WILL HAPPEN, what alternatives you have if the project is not selected or if it is not awarded the full amount you are requesting from IEF.
9) PROJECT LOCATION must be indicated on a map included in the proposal showing the location of your project site at the state or province level.
10) LETTERS OF SUPPORT/COOPERATION AND GOVERNMENT ENDORSEMENT to ensure that the project, if funded, can proceed as methods and timeline indicates:
• Non-governmental applicants must include a recent letter of support from the appropriate local, regional, and/or national government wildlife or conservation authority.
• Letters of willingness to collaborate from all participating institutions involved in the project are also required. Endorsement letters should make specific reference to the project by its title, as submitted on the applicant’s proposal.
11) QUALIFICATIONS of principle and co-investigators (maximum 2-page CV per individual)
12) Indicate whether PERMITS or IACUC approval (where required for the study) have been obtained.
13) Remove ALL grant directions from your proposal
Proposals must be submitted electronically as ONE attachment, this includes the cover page, narrative, CVs, supporting documents etc. Photos are not permitted unless they are VITAL to the clarification of the proposal. In that case, photos must not be imbedded in the application but sent as separate attachments.
Proposals must be saved as ONE Word or Adobe PDF document
saved as: Project Investigator’s Last name, year the project will occur, country where the
project will take place
Example: Olson2011Kenya
Proposals must be received at the IEF office by the end of the day on 13 August 2010.
Applications must be submitted electronically to dolson@elephantconservation.org.
For more information and questions contact:
Deborah Olson
Executive Director
International Elephant Foundation
P.O. Box 366 Phone: 817-237-9034
Azle, Texas 76098 E-mail: dolson@elephantconservation.org
INTERNATIONAL ELEPHANT FOUNDATION
Conservation Project Grant
Interim and Final Report Guideline
2010
1. Title
2. Names of Investigators
3. Starting date
4. Completion date
5. Summary of project goals and objectives
6. Describe any changes in goals and objectives from the original proposal
7. Summary of project results
8. List major findings and activities
9. Explain what was the project’s overall impact on conservation (capacity building, technology transfer, human-elephant conflict mitigation, how is it enhancing the survival of the species, other wildlife etc.). Provide documentation if available.
10. Did this project influence any local/regional/national policy in regards to elephant conservation and/or habitat protection? Explain.
11. At least 5 high resolution digital photos with captions.
12. (For Final Report Only) In 250 words or less and in lay language state the immediate conservation impact of this project.
13. (For Final Report Only) In 250 words or less and in lay language state the long term conservation impact of this project.
14. (For Final Report Only) Itemized budget indicating expenditure of International Elephant Foundation Funds