Indianapolis Zoo Distributes Global Conservation Awards

The Indianapolis Zoo continues to make an impact on global conservation by awarding $697,000 in grants to support 16 meaningful projects, which includes $290,000 specifically for new projects in 2025. The Indianapolis Zoo’s mission “to protect nature and inspire people to care for our world” empowers the Zoo to push the boundaries of what is possible to protect wild things in wild spaces.

The award recipients had to show how their project would show a measurable impact based on science and research and how logical change can happen in areas where conflicts exist between people and wildlife.

“Many species and their habitats around the world are under threat, but fortunately, there are remarkable conservationists dedicated to working to reduce these threats,” said Nico de Bruyn, vice president for Conservation and Education and director of the Global Center for Species Survival, the conservation engine of the Indianapolis Zoo. “The Zoo is proud to be in a position to assist these individuals and organizations to work toward impactful conservation interventions for safeguarding various species, from stream frogs to freshwater mussels to desert plants to great apes, and their habitats around the world.”

The Indianapolis Zoo has provided more than $1.6 million in field conservation grants since 2022. The Zoo also established the Indianapolis Prize, the world’s leading animal conservation award, which has distributed more than $7.5 million in unrestricted cash awards to recipients since 2004.

2025 Conservation Grant Recipients

• Alaska SeaLife Center (Marine animals and Indigenous communities)

• Asociacion of Panamericana para la Conservacion (Sloths)

• Botanic Gardens Conservation International (Succulents)

• Bureau of Water Quality, Muncie Sanitary District (Freshwater mussels)

• Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust (Madagascar pochard duck)

• Fundacion Somuncura (El Rincon stream frog)

• Indiana Native Plant Society (Native Indiana plant species)

• IUCN Penguin Specialist Group (African penguin)

• IUCN SSC Shark Specialist Group (Sharks, rays and chimaeras)

• Goualougo Ape Project in the Congo Basin run by the Lincoln Park Zoo (Chimpanzees and gorillas)

• Macaw Recovery Network (Macaws)

• Project Seahorse (Seahorses)

• SAFE African Elephant (African elephant and forest elephants)

• Tanzania Conservation and Research Project (African elephants)

• World Parrot Trust (African Grey Parrots)

• Zoological Society of London (Mexican pupfish)

Detailed descriptions for each project are on the Zoo’s website.