WAZA/Disney “Nature Connect” Grant

WAZA is excited to announce the launch of its new Nature Connect Grants to develop initiatives that inspire kids andtheir families to connect with nature and take action to support its conservation.

These grants are made possible through the generous support of theDisney Conservation Fundand the expertise of theInternationalZoo Educators Association.

What is the WAZA Nature Connect Grant?

WAZA would like for its global community of member organisations to create innovative ways to enhance the connection that kids and their families have with the natural world. We want you to come up with projects that will begin to build and encourage a lifelong commitment to nature conservation – these are the sorts of projects we want to fund!

Eligibility:

Who can apply? / This grant is only available to WAZA members with a limit to one application per WAZA member. Both Regional Association Members and Institutional Members may apply.
IZE membership is also strongly encouraged. http://izea.net/membership/
Where can the project be based? / Projects may either be based at a WAZA member institution or if based elsewhere, the project must be under the direct supervision of the WAZA member. This grant is not for third-party funding.
North American WAZA member projects must be based outside N. America. (Funding is already available for N. America projects through the AZA Nature Play grant.)
When must the project be completed? / Projects for this round of funding must be completed by 31st May 2018. WAZA will require an interim report (timing TBC with participants). The final report must be submitted by 20th June 2018.
Note: We may also be inviting applications for projects March 2018-August 2018. Please contact if you would be interested in this period.
Activities and Target Audience for the project? / Target Audience: Kids and their families!
Examples of the sort of project we are looking for are: setting up family nature clubs that hold regular outdoor events, creating of a nature trail in your facility that inspires kids and their families to spend more time outdoors, running community clean up and habitat restoration projects that support the continued care and enjoyment of local natural spaces, taking kids and their families to local nature reserves so that they can get to know and appreciate their local wildlife, running play and art events in nature, school holiday clubs that focus on playing in and learning about local nature, projects targeting the barriers to kids and their families spending time in nature in your local area etc. etc.
See below for more inspiration.
The key thing to remember is that all initiatives should involve direct experiences of Nature and be Fun!! – while they may have an indoor component, we are not interested in projects based in classrooms, lecture halls or online.
Will existing projects be funded? / WAZA grants are for initiating new projects rather than funding already well established programmes (though new additions to established programs will be considered). Think of this grant as seed money for you to try new ways of connecting families and communities to nature (for example: helping non-nature orientated families become more comfortable or excited about nature).
The projects we are looking for could be pilot programmes and/or may well involve establishing new partnerships and links with local communities
What will be funded? / Funding may be used for materials, equipment, staff salaries and benefits (only new or newly assigned staff), transportation, training for staff and/or community partners, travel, meetings, marketing and promotion, etc.
Funding for indirect costs cannot exceed 10% (overhead, administrative fees).
Funding cannot be used for developing online/web-based elements of the program
How much funding is available? / Two levels of grant will be available: CHF5’000 or 10’000. Projects requesting 10’000CHF must also submit a budget that scales the request back to the 5’000CHF. In the event that the project cannot be funded at the 10’000CHF level, it may be funded at CHF 5’000. 200’000CHF is available for this funding period
When is the closing date? / Applications must be submitted by 30th June 2017 to using the attached form. Selection is anticipated to be completed by end of July.

Selection Criteria

Funding bids will be reviewed by the WAZA Nature Connect Advisory Panel (made up of IZE regional representatives) using a standardised assessment framework.

The highest scoring applications are likely to have the following characteristics:

Overview and project plan / .  Detailed description with main objectives, timing, and frequency provided
.  Objectives well thought out an achievable
.  Project is creative and innovative
Target audience and reach / .  Project audiences aligned with those with most limited contact with nature
.  Well thought out plan for publicizing the program and engaging the target audience(s)
.  Significant engagement with parents / adult mentors (shared lasting experiences)
.  Significant reach for the time and budget
.  Involvement at community/ social group level as well as individual level
Contact with Nature / .  High-impact nature experiences provided (facilitated, immersive and multisensory)
.  Project addresses barriers to engagement
.  Opportunities for multiple contacts building over time
.  Experiences conducted out in the community / areas accessible to the target audience (not just zoo grounds)
.  Evidence of increased time in nature in daily lives.
Sustainability / .  A well-thought-out, creative plan is provided and in place for extending the life and impact of the project for future years
.  At least one matching grant and/or additional means for support or resource acquisition have been identified
Evaluation / .  Well-thought -out evaluation plan including longitudinal study
.  Evaluation also looks at impact of intervention on attitudes to nature and commitment to pro-environmental behaviors
Budget Justification / .  Budget is complete, well justified, and appropriate for the scale of the project.

In your final report, you will need to provide quantitative data demonstrating number of experiences provided, number of individuals of different age groups engaged in these experiences and how long they engaged with the experiences (on average). We would also like you to collect data on the impact these experiences might have had on participants’ awareness of the benefits of time in nature and their commitment to spending more time in nature.

Some key features to consider when designing interventions:

·  Encourage projects involving families rather than just children: influence between parents/care givers and children is bidirectional. Promotes longer lasting / maintained impact (creates family memories, fosters family bonds and encourages repeat participation. Also, it creates an opportunity to educate adults as well as children). Many parents feel uncomfortable (lack of knowledge about the local environment or how best to engage with it) and may well need support and assistance in modelling curiosity and exploration of the natural environment.

·  Taking the project to the audiences’ local environment: This allows continued involvement in nature rather than just tying it to a zoo visit.

·  Promote repeat engagement: leave the family with new skills, with a question/quest to explore and with some follow up opportunities (repeat events / projects to get involved in).

·  Fostering empathy and making connections between self and other living things. Concentrate on fostering connection with nature rather than just knowledge.

Resources for applicants:

WAZA has put together a number of resources to inspire you. Click on the blue hyperlinks for further information.

AZA Nature Play Resources:

Disney has been working with the American Zoo Association since 2014 on their Nature Play Begins at Your Zoo & Aquarium initiative.AZA has produced a number of useful resources to inspire zoo professionals including tool kits and webinars. And for more inspiration,click herefor a list of zoo projects they have funded.

#NatureForAll:

#NatureForAll is an IUCN led coalition of partners, including WAZA, who represent a variety of sectors — health, urban, protected areas, communications, technology, education, arts, tourism, science, youth and more. The aim of this global movement to inspire a new generation of thinkers and doers across all sectors of society to connect with nature and take action to support its conservation. At its core is a very simple idea: the more people experience, connect with, and share their love of nature, the more support there will be for its conservation. Click here to access a number of#NatureForAll resources.

The Children & Nature Network:

The Children & Nature Network is a global movement to connect all children, their families and communities to nature through innovative ideas, evidence-based resources and tools, broad-based collaboration and support of grassroots leadership. Their website is packed with inspiration including relevant literature, tools, infographics, webinars and training events.

If you have any questions or comments about the WAZA Nature Connect Grant please contact