AZA announces SAFE Granting Program recipients

Silver Spring, Md. (March 10, 2026) - The Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) is pleased to share the new SAFE Granting Program recipients. The program will provide approximately $240,000 to support five selected projects to advance conservation and leverage more than $400,000 in additional resources from awardees and their partners.

Established in 2019, the SAFE Granting Program is a targeted funding mechanism exclusively for AZA's flagship conservation program, AZA SAFE: Saving Animals From Extinction®. To date, the SAFE Granting Program has distributed nearly $1.2 million, supporting 30 projects across 23 SAFE species programs.

This year, 18 of 55 eligible SAFE species programs submitted proposals, with five projects selected to receive grant funding. Nine AZA members and 22 additional non-governmental organizations, government entities and universities will partner to complete the selected projects.

"With a record 18 applications submitted, this year's SAFE Granting Program cycle reflects the continued momentum of conservation work led by AZA-accredited members," said Dan Ashe, president and CEO of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. "The five selected projects directly advance SAFE program plans, bringing together aquariums, zoos, researchers and field partners to tackle some of the most pressing conservation challenges facing wildlife and the wild places they inhabit."

"AZA SAFE Species programs, such as SAFE North American Songbird, demonstrate the power of coordinated conservation," said Dr. Elizabeth Gray, CEO of the National Audubon Society. "Audubon is proud to support the program and projects such as Birds Without Borders, which expand the Motus network and strengthen our understanding of how birds move across the hemisphere. Insights like these help guide conservation where it will have the greatest impact and ensure work in many places adds up to meaningful benefits for birds and the places they need across the hemisphere."

AZA congratulates the following SAFE Granting Program recipients:

An AZA SAFE Lifeline for Critically Endangered Eastern Pacific Leatherback Sea Turtles
AZA SAFE Sea Turtle
Awarded: $50,000

Historically, conservation of the critically endangered Eastern Pacific leatherback has been supported by funding under the International Marine Turtle Conservation Act, authorized by the U.S. Congress. Recent changes at the federal level have halted this funding and SAFE Granting Program support will help sustain monitoring and protection of Eastern Pacific leatherback nesting beaches in Mexico.

(Investigators: North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island, South Carolina Aquarium and OdySea Aquarium).

Birds Without Borders: Connecting Communities Through Motus Migratory Songbird Research
SAFE North American Songbird
Awarded: $50,000

This project will expand the Motus network, a collaborative system used to track migratory animals, to better understand and protect North American songbirds across their full annual cycle. Funding from the SAFE Granting Program will support the installation of Motus towers, the deployment of tags on target species, capacity building with global partners, and youth engagement within Central and South American communities living in migratory songbird habitats.

(Investigators: Zoological Society of Milwaukee and Akron Zoological Park).

Capturing Natural Recolonization Dynamics Following Disease-Associated Mass Mortality to Contextualize Conservation Next-Steps for the Sunflower Sea Star (Pycnopodia helianthoides)
AZA SAFE Sunflower Sea Star
Awarded: $50,000

After a severe outbreak of sea star wasting disease caused significant declines in sunflower sea stars, recent sightings of new colonists in California indicate the beginning of recovery. Support from the SAFE Granting Program will help document the locations and dynamics of recovering populations, measure the prevalence of the sea star wasting pathogen (Vibrio pectenicide, also known as Vpec), and collect water samples to test for phages that could potentially kill Vpec.

(Investigator: Sunflower Star Laboratory)

Establishing the Soubré Monkey Project in the Taï National Park, Côte d'Ivoire
AZA SAFE Colobus Monkey
Awarded: $42,300

Colobus monkeys across Africa face an alarming extinction crisis, with 96% of the 24 recognized species now classified as threatened. The SAFE Granting Program will support the establishment of a permanent field station in eastern Taï National Park, Côte d'Ivoire. Led by the SAFE program's field partner, West African Primate Conservation Action, the station will enable long-term monitoring and protection of key colobus species while reducing forest disturbance and hunting pressure and strengthening local engagement.

(Investigators: North Carolina Zoo and Cleveland Metroparks Zoo)

Genomic Insights into Black Rhinoceros Populations: Towards Evidence-Based Management and Conservation
AZA SAFE Black Rhino
Awarded: $47,660

By the 1990s, over 99.7% of the wild population of the critically endangered black rhinoceros had been lost due to extensive poaching, highlighting the importance of each remaining individual and the genetic diversity they carry. Support from the SAFE Granting Program will advance research on the south-central subspecies, whose genomic metrics remain largely unknown. This project will evaluate genetic diversity and inbreeding, inform translocation strategies and support coordinated genetic management across global conservation landscapes.

(Investigator: Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute)

The SAFE Granting Program was established in 2019 with funding from the Arthur L. and Elaine V. Johnson Foundation and endowed by JoEllen Doornbos in 2021. Funds for this year's grants were made available through the generous support of the Arthur L. and Elaine V. Johnson Foundation and other philanthropic contributors.

Learn more about AZA SAFE: Saving Animals From Extinction here.

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About AZA
Founded in 1924, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of zoos and aquariums in the areas of conservation, animal welfare, education, science, and recreation. AZA is setting the global gold standard, accrediting 253 of the top zoos, aquariums, and related facilities in 12 countries. Look for the AZA accreditation logo whenever you visit a zoo or aquarium as your assurance that you are supporting a facility dedicated to providing excellent care for animals, a great experience for you, and a better future for all living things. The AZA is a leader in saving species and your link to helping animals all over the world. To learn more, visit www.aza.org.