Scholarship Overview
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Overview
The Oklahoma City Zoo & Botanical Garden Conservation Action Now (CAN) Grants 2026 offer competitive funding for early career professionals dedicated to invertebrate conservation. In 2026, the program specifically targets projects involving research and/or conservation of invertebrates—ranging from insects and arachnids to mollusks and crustaceans.
This grant is particularly valuable for African researchers and conservationists from Zimbabwe and the SADC region, where invertebrate biodiversity is vast yet underfunded. The program supports work that directly impacts species preservation, scientific understanding, and community education.
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Grant Amount and Funding Scope
The Zoo offers competitive small grants with a maximum award of $2,500 per project. While this is not a fully funded scholarship covering tuition or living expenses, it provides crucial seed funding for field research, equipment, travel to study sites, and project implementation costs.
Funding is awarded based on proposal merit and must align with one or more of these purposes:
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- Conservation Education: Building awareness of conservation programs that can effect change for invertebrates and/or their habitats
- Scientific Research: In-situ or ex-situ research projects with direct impact on conservation of imperiled invertebrate species or habitats in native locations
- Species Preservation: Direct care or work with imperiled invertebrate species that improves capability to preserve that species in its native habitat
Eligibility Requirements
This grant is open exclusively to early career professionals, defined as:
- Individuals currently enrolled in a graduate program (MSc, PhD, or DVM)
- Individuals who were awarded a graduate degree no earlier than 2021
For Zimbabwean and SADC applicants, this includes recent graduates from universities such as the University of Zimbabwe, University of Cape Town, University of the Witwatersrand, or other accredited institutions. The 2021 cutoff means those who completed degrees in 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, or 2025 are eligible.
Reapplication policy: Individuals or institutions/organizations may re-apply annually, but only after submitting a project update. Re-application does not guarantee additional funding.
Application Process
Applications must be submitted by 11:59 PM CST on November 13, 2026. Late applications will not be considered.
Step-by-step application:
- Download the official application form from the Oklahoma City Zoo website
- Complete all required sections of the application
- Obtain a letter of commitment from your institution or project partner
- Convert both documents to PDF format
- Upload completed application and letter of commitment via the online portal before the deadline
- Wait for confirmation: each applicant receives a confirmation email within 48 hours of submission
Required Documents
- Completed CAN Grant application form (PDF)
- Letter of commitment from affiliated institution or organization (PDF)
Additional supporting materials may strengthen your proposal, such as preliminary data, letters of support from community partners, or detailed budgets, though these are not explicitly required.
Selection Criteria and Odds
Grants are awarded based on proposal merit—not first-come, first-served. The selection committee evaluates:
- Clarity and feasibility of project objectives
- Direct conservation impact on imperiled invertebrates
- Alignment with one or more funding purposes (education, research, or preservation)
- Qualifications and capacity of the applicant
- Budget appropriateness
Competition is expected to be significant given the specialized nature of invertebrate conservation funding. African applicants should emphasize local ecological knowledge, community engagement components, and the unique conservation challenges in their region.
Why This Matters for African Researchers
Invertebrates constitute the majority of animal species globally, yet receive disproportionately little conservation funding. For Zimbabwean and SADC researchers, this grant offers:
- Recognition for work on locally significant species (such as mopane worms, freshwater mussels, or pollinator insects)
- Seed funding to generate preliminary data for larger grant applications
- Connection to an international conservation network
- Opportunity to address conservation challenges with limited institutional support
Important Dates
| Application opens | 2026 (currently open) |
| Application deadline | November 13, 2026, 11:59 PM CST |
| Confirmation emails sent | Within 48 hours of submission |
Contact and Official Resources
For complete guidelines and to download the application form, visit the official Conservation Action Now Grants page on the Oklahoma City Zoo & Botanical Garden website.
Official scholarship page: https://www.okczoo.org
You apply directly with the provider. We never charge for applications or ask for payment details. How we verify scholarships