Funder: Association of Zoos and Aquariums
Due Dates (Anticipated): June 2027 (Application deadline)
Funding Amounts: Up to $150,000 per proposal in the 2026 cycle, for up to two years
Summary: Supports research and development of new staff training to improve animal care, management, health, and wellbeing in AZA facilities.
Key Information: The PI and all co-investigators need eligible individual AZA memberships, and at least one must work at a fully AZA-accredited facility.
Description
The Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) established this fund in 2022 to enhance the lives of animals in AZA facilities and strengthen staff capacity to care for them. It supports research that fills knowledge gaps in animal welfare, management, and health, particularly applied research involving understudied species. Topics include welfare assessment, environmental conditions, choice and control, husbandry, population management, nutrition, quarantine, and disease prevention.
The fund also supports development of new workshops, courses, webinars, curricula, and practical resources for zoo and aquarium staff—not participation in existing training. Competitive projects combine rigorous science or evidence-based educational content with benefits shared across AZA-accredited facilities. Projects should align with AZA’s Strategic Framework for the Wellbeing of Animals and Animal Program priorities.
