Promoting Conservation, Protecting Species

The Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) Endangered Species Fund was founded in 1988 by Brookfield Zoo Chicago (BZC) Trustee Jerry Manne and his colleagues at CBOT. Since then, the CBOT Fund has awarded approximately $2.4 million to more than 550 projects around the globe focused on protecting species threatened with extinction. It is administered by BZC, with applications reviewed by an advisory committee.

The 2024 grants include nearly $140,000 in critical seed funding to support projects dedicated to species conservation, wildlife health, and field research across the globe, as led by experts at the following organizations: 

• • Bornean Orangutan Rescue Alliance 

• • Brookfield Zoo Chicago 

• • Comunidad Inti Wara Yassi 

• • Duke University 

• • Emerging Wildlife Conservation Leaders 

• • MarAlliance 

• • Mbeya University of Science and Technology 

• • Memphis Zoo 

• • National Aviary 

• • Nova Southeastern University 

• • Punta San Juan Program 

• • University of Lomé

• • University of Washington Center for One Health Research 

• • And an individual researcher 

Information for Potential Applicants 

The grant application submission period is currently closed. Questions regarding the Fund and future applications may be sent to CBOT@brookfieldzoo.org. 

• • Projects should focus on conservation and research of specific threatened, vulnerable or endangered species or a specific habitat that is of high biological value or that is substantially threatened (IUCN Red List). This includes projects that will quantitatively assess population and environmental status with indications for best conservation strategy and projects that will help achieve sustainable relations between local people and the species of concern. 

• • CBOT Endangered Species Fund is open to SSC Specialist Group Chairs and Officers, AZA/WAZA Chairs and Officers, and all interested researchers. 

• • Grants are provided supports small projects of approximately $1,500 to $7,000.  

• • Groups should submit only one proposal per funding cycle to reflect their highest funding priority and endorsed by the group. 

• • Individual researchers may submit only one proposal per funding cycle. 

• • No international travel will be funded by the grant.  

• • Proposals that are focused around simple, fundamentally sound projects with measurable outcomes that can be reached are given higher priority. 

• • For informational purposes, the evaluation rubric is available here.