The Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ (AZA) conservation program AZA SAFE: Saving Animals From Extinction® announces 2025 SAFE Grant recipients. In total, $434,429, including $144,008 provided by AZA and $290,421 raised through matching funds, will be dispersed to four selected programs to advance conservation.
“From Africa’s grasslands to North America’s oceans and forests, conservation is as much about people as it is about wildlife,” said Dan Ashe, president and CEO of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. “Wildlife conservation is evolving, and these projects reflect a new era of solutions that not only leverage science but also empower people and foster collaboration to protect species before it’s too late. Congratulations to each grant recipient as they begin this critical work.”
Launched in 2019, the SAFE Granting Program is a targeted funding mechanism exclusively for AZA’s flagship conservation program. This year, 11 of the 48 eligible SAFE species programs submitted proposals, with four projects selected to receive grant funding. Fourteen AZA members and six additional non-governmental organizations, government entities, and universities, will partner to complete the selected projects.
AZA congratulates the following 2025 SAFE Granting Program recipients:
Can sports help save rhinos? Harnessing pro-rhino behavior through youth soccer
AZA SAFE Black Rhino
Rhino protection efforts have traditionally focused on law enforcement, but complementary measures that engage local communities can play a key role in stopping poaching. The AZA SAFE Black Rhino program emphasizes the importance of connecting people to rhino conservation, particularly through initiatives like Namibia’s Rhino Cup Champions League. This project aims to support rural women’s soccer teams, providing opportunities for youth while fostering pro-rhino behavior and raising awareness about rhino conservation.
(Collaborators: Jeff Muntifering, PhD, from the Minnesota Zoo Foundation in Apple Valley, Minn.; Seth Stapleton, PhD, from the Minnesota Zoo in Apple Valley, Minn.; Wild and Free Foundation in Pittsburgh, Penn.; and Save the Rhino Trust in London, England.)
Coral Aquarist Program: Building our capacity initiative (BOCI)
AZA SAFE Coral
The AZA SAFE Coral program’s Florida Reef Tract Rescue Project Coral Aquarist Program aims to grow land-based nursery management capacity. The program includes a two-phase course: an online course covering coral biology, aquarium life support systems, aquarium water chemistry, and coral welfare, followed by a hands-on, seven-day onsite training phase.
(Collaborators: Mitch Carl from Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium in Omaha, Neb.; Bart Shepherd from the California Academy of Sciences / Steinhart Aquarium in San Francisco, Calif.; Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, Ga.; Florida Coral Rescue Center-SeaWorld in Orlando, Fla.; and The Florida Aquarium in Tampa, Fla.)
Deployment of artificial nest boxes to promote breeding in wild Thick-billed Parrots and prevent predation
AZA SAFE Thick-billed Parrot
The San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, in collaboration with its in-country partner Ovis, will build and install new nest boxes within the breeding range of the thick-billed parrot as a tool to promote breeding success and reduce predation. This project will provide vital nesting opportunities, contributing to the recovery of the endangered species and supporting the goals of AZA SAFE Thick-billed Parrot.
(Collaborators: James Sheppard, PhD, and Jenna Duarte Stallard at the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance in San Diego, Calif.; Ernesto C. Enkerlin-Hoeflich, PhD, OVIS in San Pedro Garza García, Nuevo León, Mexico.; Sacramento Zoo in Sacramento, Calif.; San Francisco Zoological Gardens in San Francisco, Calif.; Sedgwick County Zoo in Wichita, Kan.)
Star power: Building capacity for Sunflower Sea Star recovery through population monitoring, genetic preservation, and collaborative conservation
AZA SAFE Sunflower Sea Star
The AZA SAFE Sunflower Sea Star program aims to support the recovery of the sunflower sea star, which has dramatically declined due to sea star wasting disease. The project focuses on three key areas: improving monitoring and identification of wild and captive sunflower sea stars through advanced techniques like artificial intelligence recognition systems, enhancing genetic diversity through optimized cryopreservation and biobanking, and building collaborative capacity by organizing a stakeholder workshop to develop a regional recovery plan.
(Collaborators: Jessye Wojtusik, PhD, and Ben Morrow at Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium in Omaha, Neb.; Ashley Kidd at Sunflower Star Laboratory in Moss Landing, Calif.; Jared Guthridge at Seward Association for the Advancement of Marine Science, DBA Alaska SeaLife Center in Seward, Alaska.; University of California-Merced in Merced, Calif.; University of Washington in Seattle, Wash.; Friday Harbor Labs in Friday Harbor, Wash.; John G. Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, Ill.; and SEA LIFE Michigan Aquarium in Auburn Hills, Mich.)
The SAFE Granting Fund was initially established 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.
