Nineteen conservation and veterinary science research programs, ranging from dusky gopher frogs in Mississippi to spider monkeys in Bolivia, have received nearly $140,000 in grants from the Chicago Board of Trade Endangered Species Fund.
The seed funding, administered by Brookfield Zoo and announced April 7, supports global projects focused on species conservation, wildlife health and field research.
Six of the 19 grant recipients are associated with Brookfield Zoo, including Dr. Katie Delk, whose project focuses on veterinary education in Laikipia County in Kenya. The other five programs involve research conducted at the zoo. For example, Dr. Lance Miller’s project focuses on African elephants, pangolins and bottlenose dolphins. Cody Hickman’s project focuses on greater prairie chickens, while Dr. Lily Parkinson’s entails bottlenose dolphins and Humboldt penguins.
The Chicago Board of Trade Endangered Species Fund was founded in 1988 by current Brookfield Zoo trustee Jerry Manne and his then-colleagues at the Chicago Board of Trade. Since its inception, fundraising has been led by the zoo in collaboration with Manne and his colleagues, creating the endowment intended to support projects around the globe focused on protecting species threatened with extinction.
“We’re proud to support these groundbreaking efforts that advance the field of conservation science,” Manne said in a Brookfield Zoo press release. “These grants enable researchers to explore new frontiers in veterinary medicine, wildlife health and species recovery efforts that have the potential to create lasting impact.”
Since the fund’s inception in 1988, $2.4 million has been awarded to more than 550 projects. About 150 grant applications are received every year and reviewed by an advisory committee led by Manne.
Brookfield Zoo further supports by administering the application process and coordinating the distribution of financial support to recipients on the fund’s behalf, according to zoo director of public relations Julianne Olivo.
“Each year, the amount available to award is determined using an approach that balances preservation of the fund’s value over time with generating spendable income to support its purpose,” Olivo said. “The number of award recipients is determined based on the advisory committee’s careful review of projects and the corresponding funding requested.”
Other non-Brookfield Zoo programs that received grants included one focused on monitoring the current population status of endangered black-faced spider monkeys in Bolivia. Another program, involving a researcher at the Memphis Zoo, will monitor the success of a reintroduced population of dusky gopher frogs in Ward Bayou, Mississippi.