Wildlife Conservation Grants for Graduate Student Research


Researcher Angela Aarhus
weighs a bat while Panamanian student
Deibys Fonseca records data.

The state of Wisconsin has a proud legacy of conservationists such as John Muir and Aldo Leopold, and many of our universities offer excellent programs in conservation biology. In order to stimulate interest and excellence in the field of conservation biology, the Zoological Society created the Wildlife Conservation Grants for Graduate Student Research. The program offered financial incentives to graduate students throughout the state of Wisconsin who had been conducting wildlife conservation research. Students were awarded up to $2,000 each on a competitive basis. Over a 14-year period, the Society funded 170 proposals ($271,455).


A regal fritillary butterfly being
marked for identification (Katherine Beilfuss, 2000).
Students conducted their studies globally, and their topics included a vast array of wildlife species and conservation problems. Student projects were selected based on their direct application to an urgent conservation problem, feasibility and academic merit. An advisory committee composed of academic specialists reviewed proposals annually and made recommendations for funding.


Some examples of past work:
Connect With Us On
  • YouTube
  • Twitter
  • Facebook