TITAG Small Grants

A white scarab beetle larva with an orange head. It is curled up in a C shape on dirt. Public domain image by Alejandro Santillana for the Insects Unlocked project

The AZA Terrestrial Invertebrate Taxon Advisory Group (TITAG) Small Grants Program supports zoo and aquarium staff who are engaged in scientific efforts related to terrestrial invertebrate management, in situ conservation, conservation education, husbandry, zoological research and reproduction, especially those focused on threatened and endangered species.

The major criteria for judging Small Grants Program applications are:

Increasing our ability to care for terrestrial invertebrates within collections of zoological institutions, improving conservation breeding programs, or contributing to in situ conservation.
Significance of a research project to terrestrial invertebrate conservation.
Membership in an AZA SAFE program

Program Guidelines

All AZA zoo and aquarium staff engaged in animal care and management or scientific research are eligible.
Only one submission, per candidate, per year will be accepted.
Program recipients are required to submit both a six-month progress report and a final report within 15 months of the projects starting date. A copy of any publication resulting from program grants must be sent to the TITAG chairperson.
The TITAG must be cited in any publication resulting from the research.
All recipients are required to submit invoices and a financial accounting of spending.
Candidates to the Small Grants Program are required to submit a PDF copy of a formal proposal not to exceed three (3) pages in length to the TITAG Conservation Coordinator. Proposals must include the project title, the primary researcher, the facility and address, telephone number, e-mail address, start and completion date for the project, the applicant’s curriculum vitae, a project abstract, project cost, and an itemized budget table.
The maximum funding request cannot exceed $1000 US
Findings from any project funded through the TITAG Small Grants Program must be made available to the public.
TITAG must be acknowledged in publications and printed materials resulting from a supported project.

Costs that are not supported:

1. Salaries, except for stipends for interns and technicians.
2. Administrative costs.