Elephant Conservation and Research Funding Support

The International Elephant Foundation (IEF) actively supports conservation, awareness and scientific programs that enhance the survival of elephants and protects their habitat worldwide.

IEF fulfills its mission through 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. IEF-supported projects protect elephants from poaching, seek solutions for human-elephant conflict, equip and train community conservationists, increase knowledge of the treatment and prevention of disease, and educate people.

Pre-Proposals should specifically target at least one of the following:

African Savannah Elephant:

• Human-elephant conflict mitigation and coexistence
• Reducing habitat fragmentation and loss
• Action to eliminate illegal killing and trafficking of elephants
• Community capacity building
• Conservation education

African Forest Elephant:

• Human-elephant conflict mitigation and coexistence
• Reducing habitat fragmentation and loss
• Action to eliminate illegal killing and trafficking of elephants
• Community capacity building
• Conservation education

Asian Elephant:

• Human-elephant conflict mitigation and coexistence
• Reducing habitat fragmentation and loss.
• Action to eliminate illegal killing and trafficking of elephants
• Community capacity building
• Conservation education
• Managing captive range country Asian elephants
• Disease investigation

Criteria for funding:

• Clearly contribute to the in situ or ex situ conservation of African or Asian elephants or their habitats.
• Be grounded in sound scientific methodology, be logistically feasible, and have a high probability of success.
• Be impact and action-oriented not purely data collection or survey.
• Must include a component that evaluates the success in saving elephants.
• Projects must begin in the year for the portion of the project which funds are requested, but not before funds are to be awarded. Funds will not be awarded for elements of a project that will have already occurred before awards are made.
• If the project includes direct contact or capture of animals, it must meet humane standards of care when animals are involved.

IEF Initiatives: https://elephantconservation.org/initiatives/

• Others (see text field entitled "Additional Eligibility Criteria" for clarification)