ASP Melinda Novak Primate Welfare Grant

Funding Amount: up to $2,000

Application submissions open: February 1, 2026

Deadline: May 17, 2026 (1.5 months before annual conference)

Letters of Recommendation Due: Two weeks after proposal application deadline

Notice of Award: At the ASP Annual Conference

Intent of Funding

Funding for the ASP Primate Welfare Grant will be awarded to research projects designed to improve the lives of nonhuman primates in any setting (captive, semi-free ranging, and wild) that are highly impactful and innovative.

Applicant Eligibility and Funding Requirements

Applicants must be a current ASP Member. Undergraduate and graduate student applicants must have a sponsor/mentor. The sponsor/mentor does not need to be a member of ASP, but should write one of the two letters of recommendation. Postdoctoral, junior faculty, and other professionals do not need a mentor to apply.

Previously awarded applicants are not eligible to apply the following year after receipt of funding.

The applicant must be officially affiliated with an institution that can assure that the funds are used appropriately (e.g., Primate Center, University, Foundation, or established Field Program), and funds will be distributed to the institution, not the individual. Projects must document full approval by their Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, or equivalent ethical research reviewing body, before funds are disbursed.

Salary support will not be allowed. Please note that ASP does not pay indirect/overhead costs or publishing fees.

Important note about membership: If you are not already an ASP member, you must apply for membership to be eligible for this grant. First-time members must provide two current ASP members as sponsors. If you are in need of an ASP member as a sponsor, please contact the ASP Treasurer. First-time membership approvals can take up to 2 weeks, so please apply well in advance of the grant deadline. Leaving the CV and endorsers/sponsor section blank may extend the approval time. ASP membership for individuals from habitat or developing countries is FREE for those unable to pay dues. Please contact the ASP Treasurer for more details on complimentary membership.

How to Apply

To apply for this grant, you must log in to the website. You will find a link to the application on your member profile page. A template that provides all required information for the grant application is provided at this link here.

Grant proposals should be designed to test hypotheses relating to the development/piloting of new welfare-based ideas and the evaluation of their impact. Examples include (but are not limited to) the evaluation of: innovative enrichment and/or husbandry techniques; new clinical or behavioral treatments; improvements to positive reinforcement training; new technologies as welfare tools; new concepts that directly affect wild primate welfare; ways that the environment (space, structure, location, social composition, social network analysis, etc.) can affect behavior, health, and welfare; innovative, noninvasive methods of assessing health and well-being; etc. Proposals focused purely on conservation or basic research activities are not eligible, as a welfare focus is required.

Assurance should be given that if adjunct funding critical to the overall project does not arrive, the ASP funds will only be used for the proposed project.

For proposals that include an (optional) education or outreach component, applicants should describe the proposed activity and how they will evaluate the success of that activity.

Reference requirements

You will need to provide two letters of recommendation. The online grant application will require the email addresses of your two letters of recommendation, and it will automatically email them with instructions on how to submit their letters. To ensure that the letters are received in time for review, these letters must be submitted within 2 weeks of the grant application deadline.

Evaluation Criteria and Process

Merit will be the primary criterion for the consideration of each grant. Specifically, we rate each application on 1) innovation and originality, 2) proposed research quality, 3) the methodological approach and feasibility of the proposed study, and 4) the potential impact of the proposed research. In the event of a tie, application origin (developing or primate range country) will be used as a tie breaker, as will a preference to applicants who have never received an ASP Primate Welfare Grant. Field/Zoo/Sanctuary/Research Facility applications will be treated equally.

Reporting

The grant recipient must submit a final report form (which will be provided with receipt of funds) to the Chair of the Primate Care Committee within 18 months of receiving funds. The report should highlight the recipient’s experiences and how the funds from ASP impacted their project.

Contact Information

Contact the chairs of the Primate Care Committee for more information and with questions about this grant or the application process at PCC@asp.org

I am doing a conservation-related project. Can I apply for an ASP Primate Welfare Grant?

If your project focuses primarily on conservation, you should apply for a conservation grant, not a welfare grant. Primate Welfare Grants should be designed to test hypotheses specifically about primate welfare. If your project is conservation-related welfare (such as introducing vaccines to a wild population), or you think it could impact captive welfare (such as looking at provisioned vs non-provisioned wild populations where direct implications could be made for captive populations in addition to using the data for conservation efforts), then the welfare grant is something you should consider.

Do I need recommendation letters?

Yes, for an ASP Primate Welfare Grant you will need two letters of recommendation and students will need to ensure that one of these letters is written by their sponsor/mentor. The online system will request the email addresses of your two letter-writers and automatically email them with instructions on how to submit their letters. To ensure that the letters are received in time for review, referees should submit their letters no later than 2 weeks after the grant application deadline.

My study has already begun. Can I apply for funds to reimburse myself?

No, grants are not awarded to replenish monies already spent. If you have already started your project, the only way you are eligible for an ASP Primate Welfare Grant is if you apply for portions of the project that will be implemented in the future.

My project is part of a larger, long-term study. The long-term study is well-funded, but I need additional supplies and/or personnel that are not covered in the larger program. Will an ASP Primate Welfare Grant cover these?

Yes, we welcome applications from long-term studies that have side projects or additional needs. If your proposal clearly shows the value of the project to primate welfare, it could be eligible.

How soon will I know if I’ve received a grant?

The ASP Primate Care Committee plans to announce grant awardees at each annual meeting. Winners are announced at the Business Meeting and at the Closing Banquet.

My project is rather small and not part of a larger or long-term project. The only funds I need would be covered entirely by an ASP Welfare Grant. Can I qualify for a grant?

Yes, it is not necessary for your project to be connected to a larger program. If the project is focused on primate welfare, is deemed feasible, and of high quality, you are encouraged to apply.

Which types of budget items will the Primate Welfare Grant fund?

In general, the Primate Welfare Grant can be used for project/research supplies, travel for research purposes, living costs while in the field, field assistants, etc. We do not fund overhead to universities, travel to scientific meetings, publishing fees, or equipment that should be available through the applicant’s institution.

Who can I contact for more information on the ASP Primate Welfare Grant program?

Please contact the Co-Chairs of the Primate Care Committee: Ori Pomerantz (opomerantz@ucdavis.edu) and Jaine Perlman (jeperlm@emory.edu).

Is it permissible to apply for the welfare, conservation, and small general research grants in the same year? For example, may I apply for all and withdraw the welfare grant application if the conservation grant were to be funded?

Applicants may not submit duplicate, or essentially similar, grant applications to the ASP Primate Care, ASP Conservation, and ASP Research and Development committees for review within the same year, given the different focus of these three funding mechanisms. To discuss whether a project should be submitted as a welfare, conservation or research grant, contact one of the committee chairs.

I won an ASP Primate Welfare Grant, am I eligible to apply for this grant again?

Priority will be given to applicants who have never received an ASP Primate Welfare Grant and previously-awarded applicants are not eligible to apply the year following their receipt of funding.

2023 – Missy Painter, “Exploring conspecific vocalization playback as a primate welfare tool”
2022 – Tabor Whitney, “Associations between ecological attributes, the gut microbiome, intestinal inflammation and their impact on the welfare of mantled howlers in Los Tuxtlas, Mexico”

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