Big Cats Initiative: Apply for a Grant

Apply for a Grant

Join Us: Donate or Apply for a Grant


The Big Cats Initiative seeks to advance our understanding and conservation of the world’s big cat populations, protecting and restoring them and their habitats via an interconnected series of innovative field‐based, action‐oriented, strategic programs. These goals are facilitated via the Big Cats Initiative Grants Program, which is intended to identify, seek, and attempt conservation solutions, whether innovative or traditional, across the globe. Contributing to BCI’s ultimate mission of halting and reversing big cat population decline, the grants program will drive a broad spectrum of conservation, education, development, and scientific ventures.

You can be part of this important work by donating to the Big Cats Initiative or by applying for a grant.


Grant recipients will be field-based conservationists, environmental educators, students, researchers, and advocates for the Initiative’s missions and programs.


Proposals including any of the following criteria are accepted:

  • Innovative projects with results for saving lions or cheetahs
  • Anti-poaching programs
  • Projects that test new technology
  • Educational projects focused on community
  • Projects that establish economic incentives for local people to ensure long-term survival of lions or cheetahs
  • For cheetahs, conservation proposals that seek to fulfill the recommendations from formal regional strategies and national action plans

Please read our grant application guidelines (PDF) for more information before submitting a proposal.

Currently funded programs are helping stem the decline of lions and cheetah in Africa through: increased livestock protection, building partnerships with local communities, conservation education, capacity building, and outreach campaigns. See the list of successful projects the Big Cats Initiative has funded.


To apply for a grant please fill out a pre-application.


You also can email us at bigcatsgrants@ngs.org with questions about the Big Cats Initiative.


Big Cats Initiative Projects

  • Photo: Amy Dickman greets villagers

    Human-Big Cat Conflict

    This project with grantee Amy Dickman will provide significant local conservation-related education, training, and employment and will also reduce the negative impacts of big cats.

  • Photo: Lions stumbles due to poisoning

    Halting Pesticide Usage

    This project, run by Big Cats grantee Paula Kahumbu, Ph.D., aims to address the reason for the lion killings, as well as the use of pesticides.

  • Photo: Big Cats Initiative Grantee Rudi shows drawings of big cats to villagers

    Lion Population Survey

    Grantee Rudi van Aarde will be gathering data on lion populations along the northern shores of Lake Kariba in Zambia, and in the Tete province of Mozambique.

  • Photo: Sukuma lion killer dancing

    Halting Lion Hunting

    Grantee Emily Fitzherbert will make the first to attempt to halt lion killings among locals who receive economic gain by hunting lions.

  • Photo: Reinforced boma fence

    Livestock Enclosures

    This project expands an existing successful project in the Mara that has effectively reduced human-lion conflict by preventing predation through securing livestock enclosures, or “bomas.” Big Cats grantee Anne Kent Taylor is working with the local Masai communities to significantly reduce predation on their livestock and therefore avoid revenge killings of big cats.

  • Photo: Laly Lichtenfeld and Living Wall recipient Kissau Majuka

    Natural Livestock Enclosures

    The Maasailand Lion Conservation Program is led by grantee Laly Lichtenfeld, Ph.D. This program represents an approach to lion conservation that integrates lion research, lion-livestock conflict prevention, lion habitat protection, and lion conservation education with the aim of improving the lives of lions and people alike.

  • Photo: Cattle surrounded by branches

    National Park Support

    Grantee Pricelia Tumenta epse Fobuzie aims to strengthen park management to better protect the Waza National Park and its resources as well as empowering communities to practice good conflict-mitigation methods.

  • Photo: Workshop on lion insurance

    Livestock Insurance

    This project, led by J. Weldon "Tico" McNutt, offers farmers insurance for livestock killed by lions.  The research team will regularly visit and monitor the farmers at their cattle posts to assist with cattle enclosure construction.

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