COVID fund application

American Society of Primatologists
COVID-19 Fund Application for Habitat-country Field Workers and Field Sites

The Conservation Committee of the American Society of Primatologists is eager to provide resources to habitat-country personnel in their efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19 to project personnel, wild animals (particularly primates), and people in nearby communities. We recognize that personal protective equipment and sanitizing agents are basic to maintaining the health of humans and nonhuman primates, but we also understand that maintaining critical personnel at field sites can protect the primates and their habitat. Thus, we envision these funds should be used for the following:

HOW TO APPLY 

We recognize the challenges of writing a high-quality proposal in a non-native language. Therefore, we encourage non-native English speakers to consider submitting a proposal regardless of their English proficiency. If not submitted in English, please identify the language.

Send the proposal as a Word document attached to an email to conservation@asp.org with the following information.

  1. Identify where the funds will be used and by whom:
    1. name of field site and country
    2. name of potential recipients of funds and their roles in the project
    3. contact information for the corresponding individual and their project affiliation and title
  2. Provide a brief but detailed explanation of the needs of field staff as it pertains to current activities in the field. Please include a description of your field site’s COVID-19 safety plan and how the items in your requested budget fit into this plan. Also, include an explicit statement of financial need and why existing field site funds cannot otherwise be used to support your request.
  3. How will funds be spent? (Maximum request = US $300.)
    1. If applying for funds to purchase supplies, identify the items that are needed, their estimated cost and where they will be purchased (specify whether supplies are available locally or will require shipping).
    2. If applying for funds to support staff, describe their responsibilities and monthly or other stipend amount.
    3. If applying for COVID-19 testing, identify the location where the test will be conducted, testing fees, the number of individuals to be tested and their role in the project.Justify other supplies or activities that need our support.
  4. Provide a timeline for the use of funds. While we designed this fund to be expended for emergency use, we also recognize that needs may change. Thus, we will be flexible in granting extensions if necessary.

APPLICATION REVIEW PROCESS

Applications will be reviewed as they are received. Preference is given to requests directly from habitat-country primatologists. Be sure to place your request in the context of needs to protect people and primates from Covid-19, rather than general needs, and explain why existing funds are not available for the items you requested. Only one request per researcher and per field site will be supported at this time.

FOLLOW-UP

By accepting these funds, you acknowledge that the funds will be used only for their intended use. Successful applicants are required to provide feed-back regarding the expenditure of funds in the form of a brief report. The timeline for submitting a final report is flexible, but in the range of four to six months. We also hope that you will consent to release text and photos about the use of funds for publication in an ASP-Conservation Action Network newsletter, on the ASP website and/or on ASP social media sites.

AWARD RECIPIENTS

Covid-19 presented unique problems for many primate field sites, especially the inability to maintain regular monitoring and protection for species in protected areas and research stations, and the introduction of protocols to prevent the spread of COVID-19 to members of the local community and wild primates. We awarded six proposals ($300/award) from field researchers in Africa, Madagascar, and South America from September 2020 to August 2021. These awards were distributed to pay for personal protective gear, researcher and staff salaries to continue primate monitoring, and/or educational materials to explain how non-human primates can contract human diseases, particularly respiratory-borne diseases like Covid-19. 


We are very grateful to ASP members and the public who donated approximately $2,000 to help protect primates and preserve functioning field sites during the pandemic.