Regular Grants Program
The Desert Tortoise Council encourages activities and research that benefit desert tortoises and/or their habitats, provide information or service to the public, or address other appropriate conservation issues in manners consistent with the goals and objectives of the Desert Tortoise Council.
The Desert Tortoise Council will consider Grant Requests from qualified individuals or organizations for research or other activities on topics related to the biology, conservation, or management of desert tortoises; the development and dissemination of educational material about desert tortoises; or in support of other imperiled tortoises, turtles, and ecosystems. All Grant Requests are evaluated and awarded as funds are available, at the sole discretion of a majority vote of the Board.
Request for Proposals
Innovations for Conservation of Desert Tortoise Populations or Habitat
The Desert Tortoise Council announces a request for proposals (RFP) for a grant focused on implementation of or research into the efficacy of on-the-ground conservation actions that benefit desert tortoise populations and/or habitats. The Council seeks to fund an organization or individual that is implementing in situ conservation efforts, such as habitat restoration, subsidized predator control, tortoise-excluding road fencing, or other population augmentation or habitat improvement actions, or conducting research into such actions. An award of $9,000 is available for a conservation effort or research project in this regard. The project must be implemented and completed in 2023 and conducted in the Mojave Desert within the Southern California Edison (SCE) service area (see attached map). Applicants should submit the attached grant request cover form and include a proposal that includes a project description, a detailed budget, professional references, and resumes of key project participants (see checklist). A report of research outcomes must be submitted to the Desert Tortoise Council within 30 days following conclusion of the project. The grant recipient must also agree to provide a presentation at a future Desert Tortoise Councils annual Symposium.
The application window begins on January 16th 2023. and proposals must be received by February 18th 2023. Grant request proposals can be sent to email hidden; JavaScript is required as a PDF.