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Fred Bagley
Great Ape Conservation Fund
Fred_Bagley@fws.gov

1 August 2002

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Division of International Conservation
Great Ape Conservation Fund

Request for proposals - 2002/03

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) invites submission of grant proposals for the conservation of apes [gorillas (Gorilla gorilla) chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes), bonobos (Pan paniscus), orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus) and gibbons (Hylobates spp.)] throughout their ranges. This program supports projects that develop local capacity to manage, conserve, research, or protect apes through the provision of funding, training, equipment, and technical support.

Background and Purpose

The U.S. Congress enacted the Great Ape Conservation Act of 2000 (GACA) in response to the decline of ape populations in Africa and Asia, which are now at a point that their long-term survival in the wild is in serious jeopardy. The Act has two purposes: (1) to sustain viable populations of apes in the wild, and (2) to assist in the conservation and protection of apes by supporting the conservation programs of countries in which ape populations are located. To accomplish these purposes, GACA creates the Great Ape Conservation Fund (GACF) to support and provide financial resources to conservation programs of countries within the range of apes and to projects of persons and organizations with expertise applicable to the conservation of apes.

The GACF assists the conservation of apes by supporting:

• implementation of conservation programs to protect at-risk ape populations and their habitats;
• in-situ research on ape populations and habitat including surveys and monitoring;
• community outreach and conservation education;
• compliance with CITES and other applicable laws that prohibit or regulate the taking or trade of apes or regulate the use and management of ape habitat;
• protected area/reserve management in important ape range;
• development and execution of ape conservation management plans;
• efforts to decrease human-ape conflict, and;
• strengthening of local capacity to implement conservation programs.

Who May Apply

Proposals may be submitted by any wildlife management authority of a country containing the range of apes, the CITES Secretariat, or any individual or organization with relevant conservation experience.

Requirements

Proposals must be submitted in English (with the exception noted below), have the support of local government(s), and have matching funds (cash), or in-kind support (salaries, equipment, etc.) provided by the organization receiving the grant or other partners. Applicants from Francophone Africa have the option of submitting proposals in French. French versions may require additional processing time and must be accompanied by a copy, either electronically on diskette, in MS Word or Word Perfect.

An original and an unbound copy of the proposal should be accompanied by an introductory cover letter and the cover page form provided below. Documentation must demonstrate the participation and/or endorsement of the local government(s). Contributions from sources other than the GACF are required, and they may take the form of matching funds (cash) or in-kind support (salaries, equipment, etc.).

Award Amount

Due to the limited funds available, preference will be given to proposals requesting $30,000 or less, but higher amounts may be requested with appropriate justification.

Project Duration

Funding is usually for one year or less, but projects lasting more than one year may be proposed. Those requiring more than one year of funding may be required to compete on an annual basis through submission of additional proposals.

Reporting

Each grant recipient is required to submit regular progress and accounting reports. A final report that evaluates the success of meeting goals and objectives is required within three months of the projectís completion.

Date For Proposal Submission

Proposals postmarked by 1 October 2002 will be included in the first review. Proposals may be submitted throughout the year, and those postmarked after 1 October 2001 will be reviewed during subsequent sessions. Reviews and processing may require up to six months. Applicants are advised to specify a particular start date bearing in mind the necessary processing and administrative time.

How To Apply

Review the attached checklist and suggestions and use the following outline to prepare your proposal:

A. COVER PAGE: Use the attached cover page format.

B. NARRATIVE: This section should contain the following:

1. Justification: Provide a statement of the need for the project, and discuss why it is important that this project is implemented.

2. Objectives: State the specific objectives to be achieved by the project. Discuss how they will lead to achievement of the goal of the conservation of apes and fulfill the needs stated in the justification.

3. Methods and work plan: Describe the methods to be used in carrying out the project. The work plan must describe in sufficient detail how the work will be implemented.

4. Schedule of accomplishments: The proposal must provide a timetable for accomplishment of tasks including preparation of final report.

5. Anticipated benefits and outputs: Identify the products, information, or services to be provided by the proposed project.

6. Local Government support: Non-governmental organizations and individuals must include a letter of support, written by an appropriate local, regional, or national government official, for the specific project being proposed.

7. Monitoring and evaluation procedures: Discuss monitoring and evaluation procedures to be used to ensure the project goal and objectives are met.

8. Personnel and organizations involved: Provide the name of the person(s) responsible for conducting the project and describe the organizationís personnel and resources that will be employed by the project. Include their experience/qualifications and capacity to meet the project objectives. Specify the participation of other partners.

C. BUDGET: A budget table must be presented with an itemized list of costs (e.g. for travel, equipment, supplies, etc.), in U.S. dollars. This table must include a column for costs requested from the FWS and columns for costs to be covered by matching funds (cash) or in-kind support (salaries, equipment, etc.) to be provided by the grant recipient and/or other partners (if applicable). Assistance to cover salaries for personnel must be well documented and generally will be given a lower priority unless the entities involved make a commitment to eventually absorb these costs. However, the recipient may use salaries as in-kind contributions to the project. Budget line items titled miscellaneous or contingencies are not acceptable.

D. A MAP: Include a map which shows the location of your project site within your state or province.

E. SUBMIT PROPOSALS TO: Chief, Division of International Conservation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, ARLSQ 730, Arlington, VA 22203-1622 USA; telephone: 703-358-1754; fax: 703-358-2849. Questions regarding the Great Ape Conservation Fund may be addressed to The Great Ape Conservation Fund at the above mailing address and fax; telephone: 703-358-1758; E-mail dave_ferguson@fws.gov.

Notes:
1. Do not bind the pages of your proposal.
2. A signed hard copy of the proposal must be submittedÖ in addition to this you may also submit your proposal by e-mail.

Below you can download a printable version of this text, together with the form for the cover page of the grant application, a checklist for applicants and a sample budget page:
PDF version here
MS Word version here