Species Conservation Catalyst Fund

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's International Affairs Program is seeking proposals for the Species Conservation Catalyst Fund, which aims to reduce wildlife trafficking within complex social-ecological systems. The fund will support projects that provide a more empirical understanding of the contexts in which species are trafficked and/or develop, implement, and evaluate activities that reduce the threat of trafficking to species populations. The first species supported through the fund are the saiga antelope in Central Asia and Mongolia, and the cheetah in the Horn of Africa. Proposed projects should achieve one or more of the following desired outcomes: * Saiga populations are protected and conserved in their native habitats. * Saiga horn stockpiles are quantified and managed transparently. * Demand for saiga horn is understood and reduced across consumer countries. * Population monitoring data for cheetah in the Horn of Africa are used to inform conservation action plans. * The capacity of law enforcement and/or cheetah monitoring networks are strengthened in the Horn of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. * Drivers for cheetah poaching in the Horn of Africa are understood and addressed. * Demand for cheetah in consumer countries is understood and addressed. Some key points to consider: * Project activities should take place in saiga range countries, transit/consumer countries, cheetah range, transit, and/or consumer countries. * Funding levels and timelines will vary for each species based on conservation need, funding availability, and the receipt of suitable proposals. * Approximately $2-4 million is expected to be available for each species, and proposals will be invited through multiple funding opportunities over 3-5 years.