The Desert Tortoise Council provides grants and funding to individuals, students, and organizations for projects and programs aimed at providing scientific research, management, and conservation actions that benefit desert tortoise populations and their habitats. The Council’s Grants Committee oversees the evaluation of grant proposals and requests for the following funding opportunities:
Regular Grants Program
This program funds activities and research that benefit desert tortoises and/or their habitats, provide information or service to the public, or address other appropriate conservation issues.
Request for Proposals
Under the Regular Grants Program, the Grants Committee recently released a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the following opportunity: Innovations for Improvement/Restoration of Desert Tortoise Foraging Habitat.
David J. Morafka Memorial Research Award
The David J. Moraka Memorial Research Award was established in memory of the late Dr. David J. Morafka, distinguished herpetologist and authority on North American tortoises. The Morafka Award supports research that contributes to the understanding, management, and conservation of tortoises of the genus Gopherus in the southwestern United States and Mexico: G. agassizii, G. morafkai, G. evgoodei, G. berlandieri, and G. flavomarginatus. The award amount is US $2,500.
Lockheed Martin Diversity Grant
The Lockheed Martin Diversity Grant is intended to fund research by minority and international students. The Council favors grant applications for research that contributes to the understanding, management, and conservation of tortoises of the genus Gopherus in the southwestern United States and Mexico but will consider proposals for similar research on other imperiled chelonian species across the globe. The grant amount is US $2,500.
Glenn R. Stewart Student Travel Fund
The Glenn R. Stewart Travel Fund honors the DTC’s co-founder. This Fund supports students working with North American Gopherus tortoises by assisting with travel costs to attend and participate in the 2019 Desert Tortoise Council Symposia. The Fund will support up to US $500 (each) in travel costs for up to two students annually.